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.
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:
- Excellent141
- Solid55
- Superior Imports1
- Good Imports1
- Good in DV Only1
- Disappointing3
- Worse Than BD1
Films where Criterion's release is the pick. How picks are made
222 of 636 films match · Page 11 of 12
Films where Criterion's release is the pick. How picks are made
Director: Luis Buñuel
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Criterion 4K in November
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: William Wyler
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:
Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly:
Criterion US Blu-ray or Umbrella Australia 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Best Video:
Maybe Umbrella Australia 4K Blu-ray (FiM encode), Plaion Germany 4K Blu-ray, or Pony Canyon Japan 4K Blu-ray. All other existing 4K Blu-rays have terrible compression: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=21423337&postcount=173
The master is heavily DNR'd.
Best Audio:
Original 5.1 from Jokers France 4K Blu-ray or Criterion US Blu-ray or older Blu-rays
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Best English-Friendly & Audio:
Criterion Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best Video:
Best English-Friendly:
Criterion 4K Blu-ray or Germany Plaion Blu-ray or WB DVD depending on the cut.
Best Video:
First Preview (Turner): Germany Plaion Blu-ray
Second Preview (Final Preview): Germany Plaion Blu-ray
Theatrical: Criterion 4K Blu-ray
2024 Cut: Criterion 4K Blu-ray
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:
Criterion 4K Blu-ray was an upgrade over previous Blu-ray, removed the orientalist yellow tint, but not much besides that https://slow.pics/c/4b9tem5K
Director: Martin Scorsese
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Criterion Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Best English-Friendly:
Criterion Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best Video:
2022 Plaion Germany 4K Blu-ray
Best Audio:
2021 Criterion Blu-ray
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:
Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Additional Info:
Criterion 4K Blu-ray also includes exclusive "Reborn Cut"
Best English-Friendly:
Criterion US Blu-ray or Umbrella Australia 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Best Video:
Maybe Umbrella Australia 4K Blu-ray (FiM encode), Plaion Germany 4K Blu-ray, or Pony Canyon Japan 4K Blu-ray. All other existing 4K Blu-rays have terrible compression: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=21423337&postcount=173
The master is heavily DNR'd.
Best English-Friendly:
Criterion US Blu-ray or Umbrella Australia 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Best Video:
Maybe Umbrella Australia 4K Blu-ray (FiM encode), Plaion Germany 4K Blu-ray, or Pony Canyon Japan 4K Blu-ray. All other existing 4K Blu-rays have terrible compression: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=21423337&postcount=173
Best Audio:
Original 5.1 from Jokers France 4K Blu-ray or Criterion US Blu-ray or older Blu-rays
Director: Ishirō Honda
Best English-Friendly:
Criterion Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best Video:
Additional Info:
AIP Dub is only found on the 2011 Media Blasters Blu-ray along with other exclusive extras (NOT the 2014 reissue)
Directors: Chris Appelhans & Maggie Kang
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:
Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Additional Info:
"Sing-Along Edition" not included on the Criterion 4K Blu-ray, only available on Netflix Streaming
Director: Bertrand Tavernier
Best English-Friendly & Audio:
Criterion Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Audio Notes:
Includes the original matrixed Dolby Stereo mix and an alternate 5.1 mix. The original mix is a lot more balanced overall, but the 5.1 greatly expands the soundstage and makes the live music much more immersive. Review
French 4K only inclues the original stereo.
Best Video:
Tamasa Diffusion FR 4K Blu-ray
Additional Info:
French 4K doesn't include English subtitles for the French lines spoken in the film.
Director: Wong Kar-Wai
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · hd-dvd.over-blog.fr (opens in a new tab)
Best Video:
4K restoration: Koch Media DE 4K Blu-ray
Original digital master: Cannes 2006 Promo HD-DVD
Video Notes:
4K remaster is cropped 2.35:1 from the original 2.55:1 presentation, and has significantly different color grading, as is the case with most WKW supervised restorations. Due to DNR the detail is sometimes lacklustre compared to the old master. CGI scenes appear to be rerendered. A sepia tinted scene was altered to be fully black and white.
Caps: Criterion US BD vs Cannes HD-DVD, HD-DVD vs KR BD vs DVDs vs US BD
Best Audio:
Remixed 5.1: The Jokers FR 4K Blu-ray
Original 5.1: Cannes 2006 Promo HD-DVD
Audio Notes:
The remixed track has different front panning and little LFE use compared to the original.
HD-DVD is by far the best option for the original track, as DVDs and Korean BD suffer from noise gating, limiting and duplicated surrounds. Remixed tracks are all similar, but French disc has slightly better dynamics, particularly on the LFE channel.
Additional Info:
The 2006 HD-DVD is a promotional release made in only 100 copies, handed out to VIPs at Cannes Film Festival. See this blog post for details. The same master can be found on KR BD, though it suffers from interlacing, blended frames and a gamma bug, as well as older DVD releases.
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Best Audio:
Mono: 1999 WB DVD
5.1: Criterion 4K Blu-ray
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