Most of the other transfers on this boxset contain a very similar 1080P image quality as compared to the Criterion - if not totally indiscernible from each other. "Morocco" is the exception, so far. The Scarlet Empress is advertised as another "4K restoration". Most could not distinguish any differences but I did see, what I thought was a blocky looking segment, but I could not duplicate it. This looks lush, rich with grain and just as beautiful in-motion as the Criterion.

At a glance, the audio track here seems also the exact same as the one from the Criterion Blu-ray, in 24-bit linear PCM 1.0 mono. It suffers from its production limitations but is still clear and consistent. The film's music is a wonderful cornucopia of Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn and Richard Wagner sounding epic but predictably very flat in the uncompressed. This is a Region 'B' Blu-ray from Indicator and contains optional English subtitles.

Indicator dramatically advance on the Criterion and its lone extra. We get an audio commentary with writer and film programmer Tony Rayns who talks about the adopted Hays Code (the film's warning - see above) but not enforced and how the film seems to have gotten away with plenty (see the 'torture montage' screen grab below) as do many Pre-Code films. He admits that this is one of the film that ignited his passion for cinema. He talks of Eisenstein, von Sternberg's autobiography and so much more. Fascinating, as always, to listen to. We get another 7-minute introduction by Nicholas von Sternberg - the son of Josef von Sternberg who discusses The Scarlet Empress. Josef von Sternberg: An Introduction is from 2009 and runs 1 1/4 hours. It is an archival audio recording of von Sternberg’s biographer John Baxter (The Cinema of Josef von Sternberg) exploring the director’s career in an event conducted at London’s BFI Southbank. It runs to the film as a third audio option. The Twilight of an Angel is from 2012: Dominique Leeb’s acclaimed French television documentary on Marlene Dietrich’s final years. It runs shy of an hour and has archival footage of Marlene Dietrich, Éliane Ladouble, Françoise Michaud (narrator), Dietrich's daughter Maria Riva and others being fairly frank about the enigmatic star and the end of her life. There is an image gallery of promotional and publicity material This Blu-ray box set from Indicator also features a limited edition exclusive 120-page book with a new essay by Pamela Hutchinson, archival interviews and articles, an overview of contemporary critical responses, film credits and more.

Well, this disc certainly vaults the Indicator beyond the Criterion with the extensive extras and commentary. Indicator's Blu-ray boxset is seeming more and more like a 'must-own'.

***

ADDITION: (June 2018) Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray: This is the fifth disc of Criterion's Dietrich and von Sternberg in Hollywood Blu-ray that has Morocco, Dishonored, Shanghai Express, Blonde Venus, The Scarlet Empress, and The Devil Is a Woman. We will finish reviewing all of them, shortly.

Criterion bring us The Scarlet Empress as the fifth Blu-ray of the set. The film is housed on a dual-layered disc, with the 1 3/4 hour feature having a max'ed out bitrate. The film is, probably, the most desirable of the von Sternberg/Dietrich collaborations - and thankfully it looks the absolute best so far. Contrast levels are sumptuous in 1080P and the grain is thick, rich and consistent. It is equally as gorgeous in-motion and Bert Glennon's cinematography (John Ford's Stagecoach and Drums Along the Mohawk) is frequently stunning. Detail advances significantly over the DVDs. Beautiful.

Audio is transferred in a linear PCM 1.0 mono track (24-bit). There are optional English subtitles on this Region 'A' Blu-ray disc.

Criterion add one supplements on this disc. Marlene Dietrich in Denmark runs shy of 1/2 hour and in this interview from 1971, conducted for Swedish television but film in Copenhagen after a performance at Tivoli gardens, Marlene Dietrich looks back at her career, her work with director Josef von Sternberg, and her travels around the world.

The Scarlet Empress is the prize of the Dietrich and von Sternberg in Hollywood Blu-ray set from Criterion. The visual and audio upgrades from previous SD editions are significant and the heavy grain-rich appearance should please many fans. The, alone, makes the set strongly recommended!