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Criterion

636 films on Best BluraysBest video release: 222 in 4K405 in HD9 in SD38 more for audio only19 more announced

Best 4K release by tier:
Based in United StatesFounded 1984criterion.com (opens in a new tab)

Films where Criterion's release is the pick. How picks are made

Based in New York, Criterion has released classic and contemporary films since 1984, giving each title a spine number and adding commentaries, essays and supplements. Many discs use new restorations it supervises, and 4K UHD releases began in November 2021. North American Blu-rays are Region A locked, with a smaller Region B UK line since 2016; Janus Films is a sister company, and Steven Rales has owned both since 2024.

222 of 636 films match · Page 2 of 12

Films where Criterion's release is the pick. How picks are made

Director: Billy Wilder

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1991 MCA LaserDisc

Director: Jean-Pierre Melville

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

& Pathé 4K Blu-ray have different gradings (preference). Opening scene on Criterion looks significantly worse, but similar elsewhere.

Best Audio:

2024 Criterion 4K Blu-ray/2017 Criterion Blu-ray/2005 Criterion DVD

Director: Krzysztof Kieślowski

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2023 Criterion 4K Blu-ray (meh compression) / Curzon 4K Blu-ray (visible chroma noise)

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Miramax DVD?

Director: Peter Bogdanovich

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Theatrical Cut: 2022 Sony 4K Blu-ray

Director's Cut: 2023 Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Better compression than Sony

Best Audio:

Criterion/Sony 4K Blu-ray

Director: Leos Carax

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Kino BD has original stereo mix.

Director: Akira Kurosawa

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Criterion Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Criterion Blu-ray > Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Akira Kurosawa

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · blah-ray.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Intact grain compared to Toho/BFI UHDs' DNR'd master

Audio Notes:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray is good, derived from the 1995 Criterion LaserDisc (which would be minimally better due to its lack of filtering) see blah-ray

Director: Jacques Demy

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

For Blu-ray Criterion Demy Set > StudioCanal

Director: Terrence Malick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Lovely underlying remaster by Criterion and Resillion but encode is sadly low-pass filtered by Pixelogic, and even then, the encode is still less than ideal. Still easily obliterates any prior disc release, but certainly wouldn't hurt to have a UK or German label take a crack at this same master.

Best Audio:

1999 Paramount DVD

Director: Ernst Lubitsch

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

A new 4K restoration from a 35mm nitrate print from and a 35mm composite duplicate negative.

Spain Universal Blu-ray is from a very soft DVD-era transfer; caps

Audio Notes:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray is a new transfer by UCLA, with a bit more high end detail

The earlier transfer used on the Spain Universal Blu-ray and MoC DVD is a bit boomy with boosted bass. The 1999 Criterion DVD uses an even earlier transfer with noticable artifacting and less detail.

Additional Info:

Spain Universal Blu-ray has older MoC extra "Kent Jones and Dan Sallitt on Trouble in Paradise" with MoC watermark, and no other extras

Director: Terry Gilliam

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Director's Cut: Criterion 4K Blu-ray
US Theatrical Cut: Universal Blu-Ray

Love Conquers All Cut: Criterion Blu-Ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Robert Altman

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

2024 Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Criterion Blu-ray/4K Blu-ray

Director: Brian De Palma

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

2022 Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Wes Anderson

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Fritz Lang

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

See nicolas review: https://criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=841703#p841703 "The new master is simply gorgeous. Beautifully fine-grained, even the opticals don’t look that much less defined than the OCN-shots. Highlights are very nicely graded and the encode preserves them virtually flawlessly. The HDR / DV grade itself is tasteful and makes the film look tasteful. Velvety, silvery and just satisfying to look at. Furthermore, I don’t think NexSpec applied any filtering"

Audio Notes:

Twilight Time Blu-ray slightly better than Criterion 4K Blu-ray. Columbia Hi-Fi VHS probably significantly better (not been checked)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

2004 WB DVD

Director: Rob Reiner

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion US 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · blah-ray.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

> Turbine Germany 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Turbine Germany 4K Blu-ray has a few exclusive extras

Director: Ishirō Honda

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Germany Splendid Entertainment Blu-ray

Director: Gints Zilbalodis

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

> Curzon, see caps https://slow.pics/c/mbpnweKM and see grade reference from promo images https://slow.pics/c/TfGmRNDL

Almost every source has an entirely different look. Only two that match promo images are Criterion and CG Entertainment's Italy 1080 release (for 4K they did their own HDR regrade)

Director: Al Reinert

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Eureka Blu-ray

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