Man with a Movie Camera BFI DVDs UPDATED

[baggish]

Man with a Movie Camera http://dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=29717

Not sure if this is a correction or a submission, but here goes...

The comparison lists two BFI DVD releases for this film, but actually BFI has released it three times:

Cat No BFIVD502 - this is in the comparison as R2 United Kingdom - British Film Institute
Released in 2000 according to http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-ray_ ... lu-ray.htm and amazon B00004TXII

Cat No BFIVD538 - this is in the comparison as R2 United Kingdom - British Film Institute Michael Nyman
Released in 2002 according to http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-ray_ ... lu-ray.htm (I couldn’t find this release in Amazon, perhaps it is B00006FN5J)

Cat No BFIVD773
Released in 2008 according to amazon B0017QMXLU, the version currently on sale on the BFI’s website http://shop.bfi.org.uk/world-cinema/mic ... luray.html

BFIVD773 is basically a re-issue of BFIVD538, with these differences:
Case type: standard amaray
Subtitles: optional
Soundtrack: music LPCM 2.0 stereo (Michael Nyman score)
ASIN: B0017QMXLU
Source: http://film.thedigitalfix.com/content.p ... ntid=68123

Perhaps the comparison could also point out that BFIVD502 had very poor picture quality, and that a much better transfer was used for BFIVD538 and BFIVD773. The poor quality of BFIVD502 is mentioned at http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-ray_ ... lu-ray.htm and https://www.thedigitalfix.com/film/cont ... ie-camera/ . I know dvdcompare doesn’t like to comment on picture quality but I think it should at least mention that the transfers are different.

Finally, the verdict says “The R1 Image and R2 BFI have a commentary track, differing from the Eureka.”. Unfortunately, the commentary is only on the R1 Image and the first R2 BFI.

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

Thank you, added the Nyman reiussue.

[baggish]

Cheers James.

A minor point: "Case type: Special Case" should be "Case type: Keep Case".

[Brent_Reid]

Excellent work, baggish. Have been meaning to submit corrections to this comparison for ages, but I think you've caught everything! I agree with you, re mentioning that the first BFI DVD (and the Image DVD) use the older , slightly lower quality transfer.

Some additions:

The older transfer in question is the 1996 Film Preservation Associates (David Shepard) restoration. As well as the first BFI and Image discs it also appears on a DVD from Divisa in Spain, with the Alloy Orchestra and Volga Select scores (ASIN B003Z7RTPO).

The Lobster Films BD apparently has French intertitles, not Russian, as stated. Any chance of adding the DVDs from this 1-BD/2-DVD combo set? The same version was also issued in a BD/DVD combo by Divisa (ASIN B01IP1NA4I).

The other best known 'city symphony' film that's long overdue for adding on this site is Berlin: Symphony of a Metropolis/Berlin: Die Sinfonie der Großstadt (1927), though as yet it hasn't been released on BD...

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

As I know, the French Blu-ray and American Blu-ray are identical. Is there any confirmation that the French set only has French intertitles?

[Brent_Reid]

It's most likely they are identical, though the sole Amazon France review, by Film Snob, claims otherwise. Perhaps he's just talking out of his...

[James-Masaki_Ryan]

Asking someone who reviewed the French disc for confirmation.