"Ashik Kerib" Kino R0 NTSC vs RusCiCo R0 NTSC

(aka "Ashugi Qaribi " or "Ashik Kerib" or "The Hoary Legends of the Caucasus" or "The Lovelorn Minstrel")

directed by Sergei Parajanov
Soviet Union1988

"Sergei Paradjanov's 1988 film, loosely adapted from Lermontov's tale about a Turkish minstrel and maiden, is a relatively minor work with much personal and autobiographical significance. But minor Paradjanov would qualify as something very close to major from most other filmmakers. The style is somewhat akin to the frontal tableaux vivants of The Color of Pomegranates with the addition of some camera movement, dialogue, and offscreen narration; the Azerbaijani dialogue and the subtitled Georgian narration tell the story proper, and the limitation of the visuals in this case is that they tend to be more illustrative than is usual with Paradjanov. But even if Ashik Kerib were only a collection of beautiful shots (and it is clearly more than that), they'd still be some of the most beautiful shots to be found in contemporary Soviet cinema--richly colored, mysterious, and magical. "

From Jonathan Rosenbaum's Review found HERE

Poster

Theatrical Release: October 1st, 1988- New York Film Festival, USA

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DVD Comparison:

Kino - Region 0 - NTSC vs. RusCiCo - Region 0 - NTSC

Thanks to Gregory for both sets of Screen Captures

(Kino - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. RusCiCo - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
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Distribution	Kino Region 0 - NTSC	RusCiCo Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:16:39	1:13:33
Video	1.33;1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.15 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.66 NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s
Bitrate: Kino NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: RusCiCo
Audio	Azeri (from Azerbaijan) and Georgian (Dolby Digital 2.0)	Azeri (Dolby Digital 5.1), DUB: Russian (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), DUB: Georgian (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles	English (non-removable)	Russian, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Herbew, Swedish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino Video Aspect Ratio: Original - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Static menu • Scene Access with 15 cues and remote access • Picture Disc 1 Disc 1-Sided disc -Layers: single DVD Release Date: April 3, 2001 Keep Case Chapters 16	Release Information: Studio: RusCiCo Aspect Ratio: Original - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Biography of Mikhail Lermontov; • Documentaries about Mikhail Lermontov and Sergei Paradzhanov • Music Box • Filmographies • Photo Album • Info and trailers for "The Legend of the Surami Fortress" and "Melodies of the Veriyski Quarter". DVD Release Date: June, 2003 Keep Case Chapters 22

Comments:

The RusCiCo image is far superior. Naturally brighter, sharper, better shadow detail, better contrast. No question. The RusCiCo is slightly cropped on the top where the Kino version appears to have been slightly cropped on both sides and the bottom. RusCiCo have bumped the sound to 5.1 from the original and this is its major flaw. It did avoid the mandatory Russian voice-over that they forced in 'Legend of the Suram Fortress' DVD, but they should have let the original audio be an option. Typical of RusCiCo, they have lots of subtitles and some bonus features including documentaries. The picture quality is so superior I am forgetting artistic integrity and advising to buy the RusCiCo, between these two versions. I have been told the 5.1 mix is quite astounding. - Gary W. Tooze