Labels
/
StudioCanal

StudioCanal

135 films on Best Blurays

Based in FranceFounded 1984studiocanal.com ↗

StudioCanal is the Paris-based film studio of the Canal+ group, holding a library of around 9,000 titles that includes Carolco, Ealing, EMI Films and British Lion. It issues discs through its own UK, German and French arms, and its UK Vintage Classics line carries new 4K restorations of British and world cinema on UHD and Blu-ray.

Aliases: sc, studiocanal, studio canal, canal

Page 4 of 7

Director: Sydney Pollack

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Good in DV Only

Director: John Guillermin

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Disappointing
Best Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray: good encode, but poor colours. More extras Paramount 4K Blu-ray: good colours but poor encode.

Best Audio:

(Paramount 4K Blu-ray has a 5.1 mix ONLY, which contains a music error) a possible replacement disc is still to be confirmed...

Additional Info:

Shout! Factory Blu-ray has extras missing from 4K

Director: Nicolas Roeg

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

StudioCanal/Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray

Director: Mario Caiano

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Director: Sam Peckinpah

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Via Vision Australia or StudioCanal Europe 4K Blu-ray

Director: Luis Buñuel

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion > StudioCanal

Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Best English-Friendly:

StudioCanal UK Blu-ray

Best Video:

StudioCanal UK Blu-ray: VDMS-encoded 4K master

Director: John Guillermin

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Director: Walter Hill

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

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Director: Sam Peckinpah

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Director: Michael Cimino

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

2020 Shout! Factory 4K

Video Notes:

2020 Shout! Factory 4K slightly better than StudioCanal in HDR10. Similar in DV

Best Audio:

35mm mix: 1991 Universal LaserDisc marginally better than StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray is downmix.

70mm mix: StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray is remix.

Director: Volker Schlöndorff

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

2020 Germany StudioCanal Blu-ray

Video Notes:

2020 Germany StudioCanal Blu-ray is new 4K restoration

Director: David Lynch

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion or StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

The DV/HDR grade is tasteful and not overdone. SC has better compression, though not flawless; encoded by FiM, but Criterion also holds up quite well. Both releases claim to be approved by Lynch.

SC has a missing fade that Criterion reinstated.

Best Audio:

Original matrixed Dolby Stereo mix: 2001 R1 Paramount US NTSC DVD/2008 R2 Optimum UK PAL or 1999 Pioneer JP LaserDisc

Restored stereo mix: Criterion / StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

The film was originally mixed in Dolby Stereo (matrixed LCRS). For the 4K restoration, this mix has been transferred from the original magnetic elements and remastered with Lynch's supervision. Unfortunately, the fidelity suffered in the process, with many sections ending up significantly less detailed due to a noise reduction pass. This track has been altered compared to the original, with reverb added to some dialogue, different ambient sound effects, changed panning, and extended bass.

For the unrestored mix, there are two major options, each with its own merits and flaws. The 2001 Paramount DVD, which I would say is the best well-rounded mastering, and the 1999 Japanese LaserDisc, which has noticeably better clarity and high-end detail, as well as better dynamics, but suffers from occasional distortion and has less bass than the DVD.

The LD also has some ambiance buried too low in the mix, and some dialogue panned more to the centre than the DVD. There are no content changes I was able to find. Unfortunately, I don't know what accounts for those differences.

The other available tracks all have more significant flaws. The Italian and Japanese BDs use the same base mastering as the DVD, but with some patching in a few shots. HD-DVD is sourced from an inferior transfer, the same as the Momentum DVD.

The 5.1 remix, originally introduced on the 2002 DVD, and carried over without changes to the 2009 BD is a light and mostly faithful remix, with fairly minimal LFE and surround use, but still potentially worthwhile as the only discrete track.

Director: Guy Hamilton

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Director: Mike Hodges

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray/StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

NOT the 4K Blu-ray, laserdisc maybe better?

Additional Info:

OOP Arrow LE has a bonus disc

Director: Guy Hamilton

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Joel Coen

4K · Disappointing

Director: Akira Kurosawa

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

StudioCanal/Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

>StudioCanal UK (slightly better encoding on Eagle?)

Best Audio:

Japan 4K Restoration Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

Japan 4K Restoration Blu-ray has original 4.0

Additional Info:

The US Criterion DVD has some unique supplements with 2.0 surround audio - this release contains Japan end titles.

The Japan 4K Restoration Blu-ray has some exclusive features with 4.0 audio (though the release is not English-friendly)- this release contains Japan end titles.

The StudioCanal releases contain France end titles - while their 4K Blu-ray releases contain identical features.

Director: Lewis Teague

4K · Disappointing
Best English-Friendly & Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray solid encode but controversial colors by Hiventy

Missing a StudioCanal film? Suggest it