Tag Archives: SDR

Frank Capra at Columbia Collection on Blu-ray

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The “Frank Capra at Columbia Collection” is officially coming to Blu-ray Disc on November 19th via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The massive box set will include nine out of twenty films on 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Discs. You cannot yet find the Blu-ray box set available for preorder at Amazon but stay tuned for an update. Check below for a full list of the films, if they’ll be in 4K and/or HD resolution (via Blu-ray), and extras.

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The 1920 film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari on 4K in October

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The 1920 German silent film “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” is coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on October 22nd via Kino Classics. The film, directed by Robert Wiene, starred Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss, Lil Dagover, and Freidrich Feher. The movie has received a 4K restoration as described below and features a new orchestral score.

“This authoritative edition presents the F. W. Murnau Stiftung’s meticulous 4K restoration of the film, with a new orchestral score by Emmy®-winning composer Jeff Beal (House of Cards), which had its premiere performance at Carnegie Hall on June 3, 2024.”

Tech specs for the release include a Black & White tinted 2160p video presentation in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio with choices of audio presentations in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround and 2.0 Stereo lossless sound. The release will come as a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart included. UPDATE: The 4K UHD Blu-ray is now available for preorder at Amazon. Also, you can preorder the 4K UHD Blu-ray directly via Kino Lorber’s website. Below is a list of the different music tracks, audio mixes, and bonus materials included with the release.

  • Music by Jeff Beal (4KUHD & Blu-ray, 5.1 Surround and 2.0 stereo)
  • 2014 Orchestral Score (4KUHD & Blu-ray, 2.0 stereo)
  • Music by Paul D. Miller, aka DJ Spooky (Blu-ray, 2.0 stereo)
  • Caligari: How Horror Came to the Cinema (Blu-ray, 52 min.)
  • Restoration Demonstration (Blu-ray)
  • Audio commentary by composer Jeff Beal (4K UHD & Blu-ray)
  • Audio description for the vision-impaired (4K UHD & Blu-ray)

Further below, after the break, you can find a trailer for the film from the 4K restoration.

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The 1932 film Scarface gets a 4K and Blu-ray via Criterion

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The 1932 film “Scarface” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc on November 12th via The Criterion Collection. The film, co-directed by Howard Hawks and Richard Rosson, starred Paul Muni, Ann Dvorak, Karen Morley, Osgood Perkins, C. Henry Gordon, George Raft, and Boris Karloff.

The tech specs for the 4K release include a 2160p Black & White video presentation in the 1.35:1 aspect ratio with SDR (standard dynamic range) and Uncompressed PCM Mono sound. Tech specs for the Blu-ray include a 1.35:1 aspect ratio and Uncompressed PCM Mono sound. The 4K release will come as a “combo pack’ with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart included. You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray available for preorder at Amazon. It’s certainly worth noting that you can also preorder the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray directly from Criterion’s website. The bonus materials set to be included with the releases are listed below.

  • Alternate ending, from the censored version of the film
  • New conversation between author Megan Abbott and actor Bill Hader
  • New interview with film scholar Lea Jacobs on director Howard Hawks’s innovative use of sound and editing
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Imogen Sara Smith
  • New cover by Mark Chiarello

The 1954 film Godzilla on 4K via Criterion in November

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The 1954 film “Godzilla” is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on November 5th via The Criterion Collection. The movie, originally titled “Gojira” in Japan, was directed by Ishirô Honda.

This has received a new 4K digital restoration. The tech specs for the 4K release include a Black & White 2160p video presentation in the 1.37:1 aspect ratio in SDR (standard dynamic range) with Japanese Uncompressed PCM Mono sound. This includes English subtitles. HDR (high dynamic range) will not be included in this release. The release will come as a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart included. The 4K UHD Blu-ray is now available for preorder at Amazon and direct via Criterion’s website. The bonus materials set to be included with the release are listed below.

  • High-definition digital restoration of Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Terry Morse’s 1956 reworking of the original, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • Audio commentary for both movies by film historian David Kalat
  • Interviews with actors Akira Takarada and Haruo Nakajima and special effects technicians Yoshio Irie and Eizo Kaimai
  • Interview with legendary Godzilla score composer Akira Ifukube
  • Featurette detailing Godzilla’s photographic effects, introduced by special effects director Koichi Kawakita and special effects photographer Motoyoshi Tomioka
  • Interview with Japanese-film critic Tadao Sato
  • The Unluckiest Dragon, an illustrated audio essay featuring historian Greg Pflugfelder describing the tragic fate of the fishing vessel Daigo Fukuryu Maru, a real-life event that inspired Godzilla
  • Trailers
  • PLUS: An essay by critic J. Hoberman
  • Cover by Bill Sienkiewicz

1960 Billy Wilder film The Apartment on 4K in March

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The 1960 Academy Award-winning film “The Apartment“ is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on March 8th via KL Studio Classics.  The movie won 5 “Oscars” (Academy Awards) including “Best Picture” out of the 10 awards it was nominated for.  Directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, the film starred Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, and Edie Adams.

The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray release include a 2160p Black & White video presentation in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio and lossless 5.1 surround and the original 2.0 Mono sound mixes on a BD-100 disc.  NOTE:  This release appears that it will be presented in SDR (standard dynamic range) and lack HDR (high dynamic range).  The release will come in the form of a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart featuring the same aspect ratio and audio mixes.

UPDATE:  You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon.  You also can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder directly via Kino Lorber’s website.

It’s most certainly worth noting that there will also be a Blu-ray “Special Edition” released (by KL Studio Classics) on March 8th as well, which is included in this set.

The full set of bonus materials that will be included with the two discs of the 4K UHD Blu-ray release are listed below.

4K UHD Disc 1:

  • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Joseph McBride, Author of Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge
  • Audio Commentary by Film Historian Bruce Block

BLU-RAY Disc 2:

  • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Joseph McBride, Author of Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge
  • Audio Commentary by Film Historian Bruce Block
  • Inside The Apartment: Documentary (29:36)
  • Magic Time: The Art of Jack Lemmon (12:47)
  • Theatrical Trailer

1963 film The Great Escape comes to 4K in January

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The 1963 film “The Great Escape“ is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on January 11th, 2022, via KL Studio Classics. The film, directed by John Sturges, starred Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, and James Coburn.

The tech specs for the release include a 2160p video presentation in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio with lossless 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 Mono sound mixes on a BD-100 (100-gigabyte disc). NOTE: This will be presented in SDR (standard dynamic range) and lacks HDR (high dynamic range). A bit of further detail about this presentation can be found in a quote below, taken from the original announcement tweet (by KL Studio Classics) from back in October.

“Fully Restored UHD SDR Master by MGM – Color Corrected in 2020”

You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon. This 2-disc set will include a Blu-ray with special features. The bonus materials set to be included on the 2 discs are detailed below.

4K UHD DISC 1:

  • NEW Audio Commentary by Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Combat Films: American Realism Author Steven Jay Rubin
  • Audio Commentary with Director John Sturges, Actors James Garner, James Coburn, Donald Pleasence, David McCallum, Jud Taylor and Many other Crew Members – Moderated by Steven Jay Rubin

BLU-RAY DISC 2:

  • Return to THE GREAT ESCAPE: Making of the Classic with the Cast and Crew (24:09)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: Bringing Fact to Fiction – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (12:21)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: Preparations for Freedom – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (19:50)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: The Flight to Freedom – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (9:22)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: A Standing Ovation – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (5:58)
  • The Real Virgil Hilts: A Man Called Jones – Narrated by James Coburn (25:01)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: The Untold Story – Documentary by Steven Clarke (50:47)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: The Untold Story – Additional Interviews (9:35)
  • Theatrical Trailer (2:42)
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