Knights of the Teutonic Order aka Krzyżacy ADDED

[baggish]

Knights of the Teutonic Order aka Krzyżacy aka Order of Teutonic Knights aka Black Cross (1960) R0 UK

New film for the database

Director: Aleksander Ford
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054004/

This film was filmed in Dyaliscope (2.35:1). As far as I can tell there are basically two (or possibly three) transfers of this film available on DVD:
- a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer created by zooming in and cropping
- a restored 2.35:1 transfer. There is only one English-friendly release of this transfer and unfortunately I couldn’t find detailed specs for it. The German 2.35:1 might be a different transfer, from East German sources.

R0 UK release by Second Run

Sources:
i) I borrowed the DVD from the library
ii) http://www.secondrundvd.com/release_kotto.php

Extras:
- None
In the case:
- 20-page booklet featuring an essay about Aleksander Ford by Anna Misiak (originally published at http://www.kinema.uwaterloo.ca/article. ... 14&feature)
Subtitles:
- English (optional)
Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
Picture Format: Anamorphic
TV System: PAL
Soundtrack(s):
- Polish Dolby Digital mono
Case type: Amaray (Keep) Case
Duration: 164:02
Cuts: 27 seconds have been cut
- http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/krzyzacy-kni ... der-1970-0 - “Cuts required to instances of horses being tripped to fall forwards, to obtain a 'PG' in accordance with BBFC Guidelines and policy on animal cruelty.”
ASIN:
- B000FL6XEG

From the Second Run web site (also written in the booklet and on the rear cover): “The film's producers and Film Polski have confirmed that the only accessible source master of Knights of the Teutonic Order is the one we are releasing here. Although presented in widescreen anamorphic, please note that the image at 1.77:1 is NOT at the film's originally projected Dyaliscope ratio.

“The film has been digitally re-mastered and newly-subtitled. But, due to the age and condition of the source master, there remains visual 'noise' that could not be removed without compromising the integrity of the whole film and is most evident in the opening scene. We believe, however, that Aleksander Ford's work and a film such as Knights should still be made available to be seen and re-discovered. “

Other versions:

R2 Germany (MIG Filmgroup) (released in 2009)
- http://www.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassun ... vid=266782

Extras:
- Bonus trailers
Subtitles:
- None
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Picture Format: Anamorphic
TV System: PAL
Soundtrack(s):
- Polish Dolby Digital mono
- German Dolby Digital mono
Case type: Amaray (Keep) Case
Duration: 164:11
Cuts: unknown
ASIN:
- B001O7H9C0

R2 Germany (Icestorm Entertainment GmbH) (released in 2014)
- http://www.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassun ... vid=390012
- http://www.icestorm.de/dvd-die-kreuzrit ... rkauf.html

Extras:
- Bonus trailers
— “Im Zeichen des Adlers” (Polish TV series, http://www.icestorm.de/im-zeichen-des-adlers.html)
—“Krieg und Frieden” (“War and Peace”, http://dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=3483)
Subtitles:
- None
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 (reviewer M. G. Eustace at http://www.amazon.de/Die-Kreuzritter-mi ... 00NIRWW3U/ says 2.35:1)
Picture Format: Anamorphic
TV System: PAL
Soundtrack(s):
- German Dolby Digital 2.0 (stereo according to ofdb) (DEFA (East German) dubbing from 1961 according to Amazon)
Case type: Amaray (Keep) Case
Duration: 165:07
Cuts: unknown
ASIN
- B00NIRWW3U

Poland (TVP S.A.) (Region unknown, released in 2004 or earlier)
- http://www.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassun ... &vid=91823

Double-sided disc
Side A
* The Film (part 1, 88:01)
Side B
* The Film (part 2, 76:29)
Commentary by actors Mieczyslaw Kalenik and Emil Karewicz
Extras: (don’t know if these are on side A or side B or the language/subtitles)
- Text biographies of cast and crew
- Text comment about original author Henryk Sienkiewicz
- “Geschichtserzähler” (“Storytellers”), documentary about the film (35:08)
- “Krzyzacy – das Jubiläum” (“Krzyzacy – the Jubilee"), documentary in which some of the actors meet again 40 years after the making of the film (14:39)
- Trailer reel
Subtitles:
- English
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Picture Format: Anamorphic
TV System: PAL
Soundtrack(s):
- Polish Dolby Digital mono
Case type: Amaray (Keep) Case
Duration: 164:30
Cuts: unknown

R0 Poland (TVP / Oko) (released in 2007)
- http://www.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassun ... vid=274667

Extras:
- Making of
Subtitles:
- English, Polish
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Picture Format: Anamorphic
TV System: PAL
Soundtrack(s):
- Polish Dolby Digital mono
Case type: Digipak
Duration: 165:41
Cuts: unknown

R2 Poland (Gazeta Wyborcza / OKO) (released in 2010)
- http://www.ofdb.de/view.php?page=fassun ... vid=312736

Disc 1:
* The Film (part 1, 89:01)
Disc 2
* The Film (part 2, 77:25)

Extras:
- Brief comparisons before and after restoration (c. 0.08 on both discs)
Subtitles:
- None
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Picture Format: Anamorphic
TV System: PAL
Soundtrack(s):
- Polish Dolby Digital 2.0 mono (ofdb, but if I understand this discussion correctly http://hdtvpolska.com/topic/21800-krzyz ... nstrukcji/, it might actually be 5.0)
Case type: see note
Duration: 166:26
Cuts: unknown

Note: issued as a supplement with the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper 13/07/2010 and 14/07/2010

No specs found:

R1 US (Facets)
- http://www.facetsdvd.com/product-p/dv94848.htm

R2 Poland (DMMS/KinoRP)
- http://film.onet.pl/recenzje/dvd-krzyza ... nzja/lsdgy
- http://www.empik.com/krzyzacy-ford-alek ... 325,film-p
- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Krzyzacy-Teuton ... B00IK0OPVC
(this is probably the best edition, the only one in 2.35:1 with English subtitles and also 5.1)

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

Is the Second Run DVD in 2.0 mono or 1.0 mono (I assume 2.0, but if you could check)

Gathered the US Facets is a port of one the Polish discs, and they didn't even bother to change the menus or add subs, so the main feature has English subtitles, but the menus are Polish and extras are Polish. Just shows how lazy they are as a company. But supposedly the US Facets disc has a Polish commentary (with no subtitles of course), but none of the Polish releases mentioned above dont mention about a commentary... But can't gather enough info on the US disc.

[baggish]

Is the Second Run DVD in 2.0 mono or 1.0 mono (I assume 2.0, but if you could check)

Sorry, i don't know how to check definitively. Apple's DVD Player says there are two channels, and VLC says "stereo" if that's any help.

Gathered the US Facets is a port of one the Polish discs, and they didn't even bother to change the menus or add subs, so the main feature has English subtitles, but the menus are Polish and extras are Polish. Just shows how lazy they are as a company. But supposedly the US Facets disc has a Polish commentary (with no subtitles of course), but none of the Polish releases mentioned above dont mention about a commentary... But can't gather enough info on the US disc.

Yes, the first Polish double-sided disk has a commentary, for some reason I didn't notice this was mentioned on the ofdb page. I've added it to the opening post. (I added another AKA for the title, from imdb, as well.)

I found this review of the Facets disc which I guess you've found as well http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/31225/krzyzacy/. Even the cover art is the same.

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

Thanks, added them all. Added the Second Run as 2.0 mono, as all Second Run releases I have encountered had mono tracks encoded in 2.0 and not 1.0.

[baggish]

R2 Poland - Gazeta Wyborcza / OKO - should be disc 1 and disc 2, not side A and side B

R2 Poland - TVP S.A. - you missed the B from side B (maybe for this one you could mention that the extras and commentary aren't English-friendly?)

Cheers!

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

fixed!