Vincent Paul-Boncour and Jean-Pierre Gardelli set up Carlotta Films in Paris in 1998 to bring restored heritage films back to French cinemas. A DVD line followed in 2002 and Blu-ray in 2008. The catalogue leans on American, Japanese and Italian classics, silent cinema and auteurs such as Ozu, Pasolini and Fassbinder, with deluxe titles issued as Ultra Collector boxes that include a book.
Carlotta
57 films on Best BluraysBest video release: 14 in 4K42 in HD1 in SD5 more for audio only1 more announced
Best 4K release by tier:
- Excellent9
- Solid1
Films where Carlotta's release is the pick. How picks are made
Films where Carlotta's release is the pick. How picks are made
14 in 4K
Best video release on UHD Blu-ray or 4K streaming
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Best English-Friendly:
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Best Video:
France Carlotta
Video Notes:
> Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps: https://slow.pics/c/s7AfL3XW
Grain is sharper/clearer on the new Carlotta/Criterion 4K; BFI's grain resolves slightly worse and more so in motion, being a standard Blu-ray; The Toho 4K's grain is softer, probably DNR'd.
Audio Notes:
BFI Player used to have the same mastering available to stream in 2019.
Director: Edward Yang
Best English-Friendly:
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Best Video:
France Carlotta 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
France Carlotta 4K Blu-ray is FiM encoded and superior to Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps but the Carlotta release is not English friendly
Additional Info:
A user writes: 'the 5.0 mix does not closely resemble the matrixed stereo track included on all prior releases (save for a 2003 French DVD which had 5.1). There is significant dialogue emphasis in the 5.0 mix while the older stereo mix has ambient sounds and dialogue mixed at nearly the same loudness. Additionally, the 5.0 mix has minor limiting in select loud sequences and a strange distorted quality on occasion (one notable example is the sound of a plane taking off which plays during a static shot of clouds in the sky). The stereo mix included on the FRA UHD/BD is a downmix of the 5.0 track.'
Director: Wim Wenders
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Curzon 4K Blu-ray/Carlotta 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Video Notes:
Criterion 4K Blu-ray/StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray have worse encodes.
Best Audio:
R5 Carmen Video DVD
Director: Wim Wenders
Best English-Friendly:
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best Video:
2023 Carlotta France 4K Blu-ray, France subs only
Best Audio:
Old R2 DVD 2.0
Director: Jane Campion
Best English-Friendly & Video:
France Carlotta 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Video Notes:
France Carlotta 4K Blu-ray slightly better than Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Best Audio:
2014 StudioCanal Blu-ray 5.1, 2012 Lionsgate Blu-ray 2.0
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Second Sight 4K Blu-ray/France Carlotta 4K Blu-ray (preference)
Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)
Video Notes:
(Carlotta 4K Blu-ray has some better shots than Second Sight 4K Blu-ray and is more accurate to the theatrical grade: https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?d1=18250&d2=18597&s1=210919&s2=219265&i=4&l=0&a=1)
Best Audio:
LaserDisc/VHS likely will have less filtered and correct audio. MPI 4K Blu-ray’s mono appears to be correct content-wise.
Director: John Carpenter
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Sony 4K Blu-ray or Carlotta 4K Blu-ray (FiM encode)
Video Notes:
Sony 4K Blu-ray and France Carlotta 4K Blu-ray (FiM encode) are similar
Best English-Friendly:
Carlotta France 4K Blu-ray
Best Video:
Carlotta France & Plaion Germany 4K Blu-ray
Director: Roman Polanski
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Carlotta France 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
> Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray (better encode on Carlotta without any low-pass filtering, more extras and English subtitles on Vinegar Syndrome)
Director: King Hu
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Best Video:
2025 Carlotta France 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
With better detail and grading than the China 4K Blu-ray. Comparisons
Audio Notes:
But all are within the margin of error, minus Criterion
Best English-Friendly:
Best Video:
Carlotta 4K Blu-ray
42 in HD
Best video release on Blu-ray or HD streaming · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Emir Kusturica
Director: Satyajit Ray
Best English-Friendly:
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Best Video:
Carlotta France Blu-ray. Comparisons
Video Notes:
Artificial Eye UK Blu-ray is from a newer master than Criterion
Audio Notes:
Criterion Blu-ray is better than Artificial Eye and Carlotta
Director: Jacques Rivette
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Arrow/Kino Lorber/Carlotta Blu-ray
Video Notes:
Arrow/Kino Lorber/Carlotta all very similar
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
1 in SD
Best video release on DVD, SD streaming, LaserDisc or VHS · by Letterboxd rating
5 for audio only
The best audio is Carlotta's; the video and English-friendly picks are other releases · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Béla Tarr
Best Audio:
Curzon 4K Blu-ray/Carlotta Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Audio Notes:
Criterion 4K Blu-ray is worse.
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Video Notes:
Curzon 4K Blu-ray has better encode than Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Director: Delmer Daves
Best Audio:
Carlotta Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly:
Best Video:
Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps
Additional Info:
All audio tracks originate from the same DVD-era master, no real audible differences between them, but Carlotta is least filtered out of all
Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Best Audio:
2004 R2 Carlotta DVD
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
1 announced
Carlotta's release is announced; until it is out, the picks are other releases · by Letterboxd rating
Director: S. S. Rajamouli
Upcoming Release:
France Carlotta 4K Blu-ray coming in December
Best English-Friendly:
Zee5 Streaming
Best Video & Audio:
Japan Twin Co. 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
Zee5 Streaming has the original Telugu audio and English subtitles (albeit with English portions also overdubbed in Telugu)
Netflix Streaming only has the Hindi dub but better video quality
Audio Notes:
Japan Twin Co. 4K Blu-ray has original Telugu Atmos audio
Know a film where the Carlotta release is the one to buy? Suggest it