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
149 films on Best BluraysBest video release: 19 in 4K125 in HD4 in SD1 with no official release3 more for audio only2 more announced
Best 4K release by tier:
- Excellent13
- Solid3
- Disappointing2
Films where BFI's release is the pick. How picks are made
125 of 149 films match
Films where BFI's release is the pick. How picks are made
125 in HD
Best video release on Blu-ray or HD streaming · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Yasujirō Ozu
Best English-Friendly & Video:
2020 BFI Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best Audio:
2005 Raro DVD
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Best English-Friendly & Video:
2022 BFI Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Best English-Friendly:
BFI Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Video Notes:
(box set and standalone are identical)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
2025 BFI Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
BFI Blu-ray
Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)
Video Notes:
> US http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film6/blu-ray_reviews_79/funeral_parade_of_roses_blu-ray.htm
Best Audio:
2014 King Records Blu-ray
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Best English-Friendly:
BFI Blu-ray
Best Video:
BFI Carl Theodor Dreyer Collection
Best English-Friendly & Video:
BFI Blu-ray
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Best English-Friendly & Video:
BFI Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
1 with a weaker 4K
Best 4K release rated Disappointing or Worse Than BD · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Dennis Hopper
Best English-Friendly & Video:
BFI Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
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
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
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)
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.
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