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Criterion

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

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Director: William Wyler

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Federico Fellini

Best English-Friendly:

Arrow Blu-ray

Best Video:

Fellini's segment on Spirits of the Dead

The Toby Dammit segment is also available in Criterion boxset but seems to be SD, so Arrow Blu-ray > Plaion Blu-ray > Criterion boxset Blu-ray

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Audio:

Criterion Blu-ray

Director: William Greaves

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

Director: John Cassavetes

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion = BFI

Sources: DVDBeaver (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Criterion = BFI, both HD resto: source

Director: Tomás Gutiérrez Alea

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion, 4k transfer

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 2k transfer

Best Audio:

2004 MGM DVD

Director: Lindsay Anderson

Best English-Friendly:

MoC or Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

MoC = Criterion

Video Notes:

But better extras

Director: George A. Romero

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

2022 Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

?

Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion boxset

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

English-Friendly Notes:

Criterion boxset but awful compression

Best Video:

Carlotta FR Blu-ray

Video Notes:

FiM encode w/o English subtitles; Criterion boxset one has awful compression. review

Director: Éric Rohmer

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Rohmer Potemkine set

Video Notes:

Rohmer Potemkine set vs Criterion set?

Best Audio:

Netherlands 2006 Homescreen DVD

Director: Haskell Wexler

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

Criterion Blu-ray is slightly better than MoC Blu-ray: while both are from a 4K restoration approved by director, MoC is more sharpened but gamma is flatter see caps

Best Audio:

Paramount DVD and potentially Paramount LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

Paramount DVD and potentially Paramount LaserDisc see blah-ray

Criterion and MoC Blu-ray has the same audio, and additional (destructive) hiss reduction was applied, and one segment was made significantly louder.

Also, every home video release except the 1982 Paramount VHS cassette replaces Wild Man Fischer's 'Merry-Go-Round' in the roller derby scene with a version of 'Sweet Georgia Brown' by Brother Bones. Two very different songs, and one must assume that the tone of the scene has changed considerably

Director: Gordon Parks

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

Director: Federico Fellini

Video format: 1080p Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion

Video Notes:

Included as extras in the Criterion 8½ Blu-ray. Looks like SD source, and in a very rough quality.

Director: Costa-Gavras

Best English-Friendly:

Spain Resen Blu-ray (Bootleg) or Criterion DVD

Best Video:

France ARTE

Video Notes:

France ARTE has Costa-Gavras Coffret boxset Germany/Spain also have releases

Directors: David Maysles & Charlotte Zwerin & Albert Maysles

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4k resto

Director: Jean-Pierre Melville

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

2007 Criterion DVD/2011 StudioCanal Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

2017 StudioCanal Blu-ray might(?) be the same.

Director: Ken Loach

Best English-Friendly:

Eureka MoC Blu-ray

Best Video:

MoC > Criterion

Best Audio:

MoC

Director: Luchino Visconti

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Criterion resto bad? but no other BDs

Director: Bob Rafelson

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1990 Criterion LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

(still not great)

Criterion 4K Blu-ray is similar but has a short scene where the hum from machinery at the oil rig has been attentuated. It's a decent improvement over the previous disc which had considerable bass reduction.

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