Also as part of the Ealing Studios Blu-ray package Vol. 1:

Anchor Bay

Region 1 - NTSC

Video

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.54 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 7.86 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1554 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1554 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Aspect Ratio:
Original aspect ratio - 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• Theatrical trailer

• Guinness Bio (text)

DVD Release Date: September 10th, 2002
Keep Case

Chapters 28

Blu-ray Release Date: September 3rd, 2019
Standard Blu-ray Case

Chapters 9

ADDITION: Optimum - Region 'B' Blu-ray - March 2014 - Optimum describe this restoration process as ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets was scanned at 2K on a Northlight 2 film scanner from the original 35mm negative elements and restored in High Definition. The picture was restored using Film Master D.V.O. Restoration tools and PFClean software systems, removing dirt, scratches, warps, torn or replacing torn or missing frames and improving stability issues.’ I realize I am the dissenting voice (everyone seems to love this a/v) but it can tend to look over-processed at times to me. Yes, it is very smooth, but also flat, a bit waxy and characters can look like cardboard cutouts. I only real noticed this as much when I zoomed-in so I doubt most would be bothered, but I thought I should point it out. The cleanliness and lack of artifacts, as found on both DVDs, is significant enough for many to forgive any visible, impinging, digitizing but grain is not there. This is dual-layered with a middling bitrate. It is brighter than the SDs and black levels are improved.

Audio is linear PCM 2.0 channel at 2304 kbps. It's more of a handful than you might anticipate - easily handling the film's sound with impressive depth exported. Ernest Irving (Whiskey Galore!) did the score and it's perfect aside Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni with Irving's conducting The Philharmonic Orchestra. No complaints at all and Optimum gratefully add optional subtitles as the dialogue can seem prosaic in its high culture and not always easy to decipher. The Blu-ray disc is region 'B'-locked.

All-around pleasing audio commentary with Peter Bradshaw, Terence Davies and Matthew Guinness (son of Alec!) is included, as well as a short John Landis Introduction, a 1993 TV documentary entitled Dennis Price: Those British Faces running 26-minutes focusing on the English actor best remembered for his role Louis Mazzini in Kind Hearts and Coronets. There is also a BBC Radio Essay lasting almost 15-minutes, the inferior-quality, 2 3/4 minute Alternative American Ending and a split-screen Restoration Comparison shy of 6-minutes.

I recommend, despite my minor reservations on the Blu-ray image (perhaps I am too picky), simply because this is probably my favorite Ealing comedy - I've seen it almost a dozen times. The Blu-ray and its bountiful extras (including appreciated commentary) is well in advance of the other digital edition presentations. Another film with multiple revisitation strength. Recommended!

***

ON THE DVDs: I'm afraid there is much to discuss about this particular comparison. As with the Forbidden Games, The Virgin Spring and La bête humaine releases by Criterion (as well as Nanook of the North) the image has been 'pictureboxed' to overcome 'overscan' on commercially made tube television sets (can be up to a 15% loss of image and this is significant!). Pictureboxing leaves a black border around the edge of the image and most players automatically zoom-in to fill the screen - it limits resolution making the image slightly less detailed than it might be able to achieve. The benefit of pictureboxing is that it adds more visible viewing area so that the majority of DVD purchasers (most people own and watch through tubes) can see even more of what is on the negative - the way the film was meant to be viewed. DVDBeaver feels that equipment invariably improves at a much lower price and much faster these days and catering to people with inferior equipment can easily come back and haunt you when the hardware climate advances (it is doing so monthly). I'll wager that tube TV's are selling at at much lower rate than other viewing systems these days. We feel you will own your DVDs (especially your Criterion DVDs) much longer than you will own your current viewing system - I say this is true for myself having just purchased a plasma TV today! (I will still own my Criterion DVDs long after this brand new television is in the trashcan). The overscan problem associated with tube TVs can be corrected relatively inexpensively (incremental zoom DVD players, HTPC viewing, even some TVs now can zoom out to compensate etc.). In the early days of DVD, Criterion justified issuing non-anamorphic DVD editions feeling that player down-conversion was poor. DVDBeaver also feel this was an error on their part although this new issue has many sides - it is still up for debate and we welcome opinions.

Okay, on to this comparison - firstly this Criterion is a fairly expensive DVD - in the upper tier and hence it is stacked. I also like the Anchor Bay edition which came out in 2002. Criterion have done their magic with removing some minor debris and scratches from the negative and the black-levels have been slightly boosted creating a marginally sharper appearance. This gives the Criterion deep penetrating blacks. Overall the images look fairly similar but Criterion is the obvious better. Expectantly, the Criterion extras (2nd disc too) are superior - I particularly liked the Guinness interview from 1970 and the liner notes essay. The Criterion has well-appointed removable English subtitles - the Anchor Bay has none - if this is an issue for you. So our opinion is:

1) If you are prone to overscan with your system - and it is an issue for you - or you wish to own the best version of this marvelous film - or you enjoy extra features (although no commentary) - or you want subtitles - or price is not a strong consideration when it comes to your cinema on DVD - then the Criterion is for you.

2) If you are familiar with the quality of Guinness/Ealing comedies - or interested in discovering them - have a system to correct overscan (or will eventually get one) - make DVD purchasing decisions of a relatively financially sound nature - then we suggest the Anchor Bay boxset.

In fact, I am very glad I own the Criterion but I personally suggest the Anchor Bay boxset at this stage. It is less than 1 lower tier Criterion more than their Kind Hearts DVD and you can get 4 more biting, sometimes dark, yet always refreshingly elegant Ealing studio comedies. 

NOTE: I really like the Anchor Bay menus that move around a family tree listing comparative to the D'Ascoyn mapping that Louis uses. Nice touch!

 - Gary Tooze