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BFI

BFI

156 films on Best Blurays

Based in United KingdomFounded 1933shop.bfi.org.uk ↗

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.

Aliases: bfi

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Directors: Leontine Sagan & Carl Froelich

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI or Kino Lorber?

Sources: dvdcompare.net (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Seems like BFI similar A/V to Kino Lorber, but more extras https://www.dvdcompare.net/review.php?rid=6545

Director: Frank Borzage

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI Blu-ray

Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

BFI Blu-ray with minimal encoding improvement compared with Kino Lorber Blu-ray see DVDBeaver caps 

Additional Info:

BFI has alternative ending as extras that's not present on Kino Lorber

Director: Yasujirō Ozu

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2024 BFI Blu-ray

Video Notes:

2024 BFI Blu-ray is new 4K restoration

Director: René Clair

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best Video:

BFI has 35mm print but no Blu-ray

Director: Jack Glenn

Video format: HD Streaming

Director: René Clair

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best Video:

No home release, BFI has 35mm print

Director: Zora Neale Hurston

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI Pioneers of African American Cinema boxset Blu-ray

Video Notes:

BFI Pioneers of African American Cinema boxset Blu-ray should be better than Kino Lorber boxset

Director: Yasujirō Ozu

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI Tokyo Story Blu-ray extras

Director: Spencer Williams

Best English-Friendly & Video:

UK BFI Pioneers of African American Cinema boxet Blu-ray or US individual Film Masters Blu-ray

Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

UK BFI Pioneers of African American Cinema boxet Blu-ray or US individual Film Masters Blu-ray no comparison available

Specifically the BFI boxset is better than the Kino Lorber boxset as you can clearly see the DNR in Kino Lorber http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-ray_reviews_73/pioneers_of_african-american_cinema_blu-ray.htm

Director: René Clair

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber or BFI Blu-ray

Best Video:

Kino Lorber, BFI, Elephant Films (no EN subs)

Video Notes:

Kino Lorber, BFI, Elephant Films (no EN subs) are likely all from the same 1080p transfer

Directors: Humphrey Jennings & Stewart McAllister

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

BFI The Complete Humphrey Jennings Collection Vol. 2 Blu-ray

Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer

Best English-Friendly & Audio:

BFI Blu-ray

Best Video:

BFI Blu-ray, HD Transfer

Director: Alf Sjöberg

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI Ingmar Bergman Volume 1 Blu-ray

Directors: Emeric Pressburger & Michael Powell

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray from the BFI 4k restoration

Director: Jean Renoir

Best English-Friendly & Video:

2023 BFI Blu-ray

Best Audio:

2005 StudioCanal DVD > Criterion

Additional Info:

The 2023 BFI Blu-ray and Criterion Blu-ray are similar, from the same restoration.

The audio on the 2005 StudioCanal DVD is still the best version of the audio.

Director: Jean Cocteau

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI Blu-ray

Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

BFI new 4k resto > Criterion, significant improvement https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?d1=14201&d2=14200&c=5506

Director: Roberto Rossellini

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI Blu-ray

Video Notes:

BFI Blu-ray is a newer master than Criterion

Director: Fei Mu

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI DVD or Apple TV HD Streaming

Sources: tiff.net (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

BFI DVD or Apple TV HD Streaming no comparison available 

Additional Info:

New 4K restoration is going to world premiere on TIFF

Director: Roberto Rossellini

Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI Blu-ray

Video Notes:

BFI Blu-ray is newer master than Criterion

Director: Jacques Tati

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion for 1949 and 1964, BFI for 1964 English Variant and 1994/5

Best Video:

Jour Germany fete (1949) - Criterion only, HD Jour Germany fete (1964) - Criterion only, HDThe Village Fair (1964, English variant) - BFI only, HDJour Germany fete (1994/5) - Criterion SD, BFI HD

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