Criterion

699 films on Best Blurays

Based in United StatesFounded 1984criterion.com ↗

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.

Aliases: cc, criterion

Page 12 of 35

Chronicle of a Summer (1961)

Directors: Jean Rouch & Edgar Morin

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 2k transfer

3.9

Accattone (1961)

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Carlotta Passolini set

3.9

Sanjuro (1962)

Director: Akira Kurosawa

4K · Excellent

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: 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

4.2

The Trial (1962)

Director: Orson Welles

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

> StudioCanal: Although Criterion is low-pass filtered, StudioCanal exhibits very clear and distracting macroblocking.

Best Audio:

TBD: UHDs sound muffled, but old YT clips sound clear. Need to look into DVDs and possibly VHS.

4.1

Lolita (1962)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set

Video Notes:

WB Blu-ray but waiting for 4k

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

Director: John Frankenheimer

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Criterion Blu-ray Mono

Audio Notes:

Both tracks on the Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray are badly remixed.

4.0

Ivan's Childhood (1962)

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Netherlands Lumière Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Netherlands Lumière Blu-ray is new 2K master.

Best Audio:

Lumière Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Lumière Blu-ray best, but wrong pitch and needs correcting

4.2

Dr. No (1962)

Director: Terence Young

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray, despite prevalent frozen grain

Best Audio:

1991 Criterion LaserDisc with end credits from 1992 MGM LaserDisc

Additional Info:

Criterion LaserDisc includes an exclusive commentary, which was later banned by EON and caused the release to be recalled.

3.4

Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962)

Director: Agnès Varda

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion Varda box

Best Audio:

2000 Criterion DVD

4.2

An Autumn Afternoon (1962)

Director: Yasujirō Ozu

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Carlotta Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Carlotta Blu-ray slightly better encoding than Criterion

Best Audio:

Shochiku DVD

Antoine and Colette (1962)

Director: François Truffaut

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Solid

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion The Adventures of Antoine Doinel 4K set

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray has corrected gamma levels compared to Carlotta. See nicolas review

3.8

La Jetée (1962)

Director: Chris Marker

Best English-Friendly:

English version: France/Japan Blu-ray

French version: Criterion Blu-ray

English-Friendly Notes:

The France/Japan Blu-ray has no English subtitles for the French version.

Best Video:

France/Japan BDs

Video Notes:

Newer restoration than Criterion. Unsure how the two compare.

4.3

Vivre Sa Vie (1962)

Director: Jean-Luc Godard

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray/BFI Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Criterion and BFI very similar

Best Audio:

Fox Lorber DVD

4.0

L'Eclisse (1962)

Director: Michelangelo Antonioni

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion=StudioCanal

Video Notes:

Same HD resto

4.0

Mamma Roma (1962)

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Carlotta Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Carlotta Blu-ray better encoding than Criterion

4.0

Hud (1963)

Director: Martin Ritt

4K · Excellent

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

High and Low (1963)

Director: Akira Kurosawa

4K · Excellent

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: 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.

Best Audio:

Toho 1993 LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

BFI Player used to have the same mastering available to stream in 2019.

4.6