Founded in 1933, the British Film Institute is a London charity that runs the BFI National Archive and publishes Blu-rays for the UK market. Releases lean on archive restorations of British cinema, silent film, documentary and world classics, usually with booklets and short films as extras. The BFI Flipside line, launched in 2009, revives overlooked British films, and UHD discs began with The Seventh Seal in 2021.
BFI
Best 4K release by tier:
- Excellent13
- Solid3
- Disappointing2
How we pick the best BFI releases
19 in 4K
Best video release on UHD Blu-ray or 4K streaming
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Criterion 4K Blu-ray or BFI 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
No clear winner, Criterion SDR 4K Blu-ray has better defined grain and is cleaned-up more thoroughly. But looks grayer and flatter in daytime scenes. BFI 4K Blu-ray's HDR/DV is better in contrast but the grading can be debatable.
Best Audio:
BFI Streaming
Additional Info:
The subtitles of Criterion and BFI are translated differently. See BR forum.
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Best Video & English-Friendly:
BFI 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
BFI 4K Blu-ray > Criterion > StudioCanal
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Best Video & English-Friendly:
BFI 4K Blu-ray
Best Audio:
2015 Star Media Blu-ray/2019 BFI Player WEB-DL
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Best Video & English-Friendly:
BFI 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
BFI 4K Blu-ray has excellent master and grade, no DNR and tasteful HDR
Best Audio:
Restored original mono mix: Toho Japan 4K Blu-ray
Unrestored original mono: 2014 BFI Blu-ray
BFI 4K Blu-ray has OG Perspecta (in 5.1 container) and a stereo downmix of it; no original mono.
Additional Info:
The unrestored track on BFI's earlier release appears to be an almost entirely unmanipulated transfer of the original mix. It suffers from a distracting low-frequency hum. The 4K restoration comes with a restored track, which appears to be the same transfer, but which appears to be cleaned up with a moderate amount of noise reduction and some EQ, nicely opening up the high-end, and which is likely to be preferable to most listeners. All earlier releases sound poor.
Perspecta isn't a discrete surround format, instead only relying on manipulating volume and panning of the mono track across L/C/R channels, based on embedded control tones. As such, even the Perspecta track is technically just the mono mix, though the omission of the proper mono on BFI's 4K is still unfortunate.
Director: Georges Franju
Best English-Friendly:
BFI 4K Blu-ray (HDR), Criterion 4K Blu-ray (SDR)
Best Video:
BFI 4K Blu-ray, caps
125 in HD
Best video release on Blu-ray or HD streaming · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Yasujirō Ozu
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Best English-Friendly:
BFI Blu-ray
Video Notes:
(box set and standalone are identical)
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Video Notes:
UK BFI Blu-ray is very similar to Germany Capelight Blu-ray but Capelight is slightly more sharpened see caps
Both Kino Lorber and Twilight Time OOP Blu-ray suffer from Quicktime Gamma Bug see caps
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Best English-Friendly:
BFI Blu-ray
Best Video:
BFI Carl Theodor Dreyer Collection
Best Video & English-Friendly:
BFI Blu-ray
Video Notes:
BFI Blu-ray > US http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-ray_reviews_79/funeral_parade_of_roses_blu-ray.htm
Best Audio:
2014 King Records Blu-ray
4 in SD
Best video release on DVD, SD streaming, LaserDisc or VHS · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Ken Russell
Best English-Friendly:
BFI DVD
Upcoming Release:
Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray with director’s cut
BFI 4K Blu-ray 20 April 2027 with director’s cut
Best Video & English-Friendly:
BFI DVD
Video Notes:
BFI PAL DVD is likely the original source, especially considering Kino Lorber DVD is PAL converted to NTSC.
See https://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=36341
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Flicker Alley or BFI Chaplin at Keystone DVD
Video Notes:
Flicker Alley or BFI Chaplin at Keystone DVD restoration conflation of two 35mm nitrate prints held by the BFI, see silentera
1 with no official release
Unofficial sources only, no home media, or lost · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Clarence G. Badger
Best Video:
According to the George Eastman Museum 2015 Book "The Dawn of Technicolor, 1915-1935", the BFI National Archive holds a 35mm incomplete nitrate print 160 ft.
2 with a weaker 4K
Best 4K release rated Disappointing or Worse Than BD · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Dennis Hopper
Best Video & English-Friendly:
BFI Blu-ray
Video Notes:
BFI Blu-ray renders grain structure better than Severin 4K Blu-ray’s disappointing encode, although Severin does feature an HDR grading with Dolby Vision. Furthermore, Severin’s soundtrack is worse due to the noise reduction applied.
Additional Info:
Severin 4K Blu-ray has very good extras that are more relevant to the film
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or 2018 Olive Films/BFI or 2012 Olive Films/Italy Sinister Films Blu-ray
Video Notes:
All three are not ideal.
All three are not ideal.
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has frozen grain, sharpening, lots of debris, and handles lesser materials. The supposed non-Superscope version is false advertising. It merely reveals more picture information.
Best Audio:
1992 Republic Pictures LaserDisc PCM Mono
Additional Info:
Criterion LaserDisc has exclusive commentary. Olive Films Signature Blu-ray and BFI Blu-ray each have exclusive extras. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has exclusive commentary.
3 for audio only
The best audio is BFI's; the video and English-friendly picks are other releases · by Letterboxd rating
Director: John Cassavetes
Best Audio:
BFI
Audio Notes:
BFI looks to be more untouched, not sure about Criterion
Video Notes:
Criterion is warmer and more lifelike than BFI. See DVDBeaver review for more caps
BFI suffers from Quicktime Gamma Bug
Criterion has better encoding and doesn't have the bug so that's preferable.
2 announced
BFI's release is announced; until it is out, the picks are other releases · by Letterboxd rating
Upcoming Release:
BFI 4K Blu-ray scheduled for October 2026 release
Best English-Friendly:
Best Video:
Upcoming Release:
Best Video:
Film Masters youtube (raw scan)
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