Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens
British Film Institute UK RC2
films sans frontiéres France RC2
(=Collection Ciné-club France RC2)
Image Entertainment 2001 US RC1
Kino on Video US RC1

Although the UK bfi version is based on the definitive 1995 (Cineteca del Comune di) Bologna restoration print, this is a very soft lo-res transfer losing lots of detail (pic#2, pic#3). At least the windowboxing offers an uncropped frame and the english title cards are very close to the German original.

The french transfer, taken from a dirty print of the Bologna restoration is almost as soft as the bfi version, but above all it's stretched vertically (pic#2). It features the German title cards with optional english & french subtitles.

The 2001 Image transfer is based on the second French Version (1926/27) missing some sequences from the First Version (1922) and utilizing various 35 mm prints, most in very good shape, highly detailed with the best contrast level (just like the untinted & sepia Eureka UK transfer, which is not tested here). It's the only transfer that does not have the original color tinting (pic#1).

The Kino Edition again follows the 1995 Bologna restoration with a highly detailed transfer that surpasses even the Image presentation, but it's cropped at the bottom and darker than the Image picture (pic#3). The Kino intertitles have a better (almost poetic) wording although they are not as well integrated as in the Image edition.

None of these DVDs feature the restored original score by Hans Erdmann.