This is a review of Scenes From a Marriage (TV and Theatrical) Blu-ray in Criterion's Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema 100th Anniversary 30 Blu-ray Boxset. (reviewed as a work-in-progress HERE.)

Firstly, the TV version Blu-ray is the exact same disc as in the September 2018, Criterion, package with the same menus.

The Theatrical version is the same source (same time to 1/1000th of a second) but has a less robust technical transfer because it shares the Blu-ray disc with Saraband. Shot in 16mm, the image disparity is not as much as you would normally notice and many will not see the difference as the film texture is so heavy - just not as consistent and fine in the newer transfer. It has different menus (see below) but the same extras, uncompressed linear PCM audio and optional English, subtitles. The Blu-ray here, however, is Region FREE.  

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ADDITION: Criterion Region 'A' Blu-ray - (August 2018)  Criterion bring Bergman's "Scenes from a Marriage" to Blu-ray in this new 2-disc set. The first disc houses the film's original 5 hour Swedish Television version (in NTSC not original PAL.) The second disc has the theatrical cut. The bitrate on the first disc is understandably low, but the image looks much better than the DVD, especially in motion. Detail levels are significantly improved and there is heavy grain present, as it should be (the film was shot in 16mm). Where the previous Criterion DVD was ever-so-slightly cropped at the top of the frame, this seems to be fixed on the new Blu-ray transfer (see candle at the top of the chandelier in the second cap, or the strand of hair now visible in the third cap). The bitrate is much higher on the second disc and the image looks very similar, if not better, when in motion.

Criterion have also included the uncompressed mono soundtracks for each version of the film. These are 24-bit 1.0 tracks. There are optional English subtitles on this Region-A Blu-ray.

Criterion carry over the extras from their previous DVD. These include the 2003 interviews with actors Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson. The two actors both had prolific careers working with Ingmar Bergman and other esteemed directors and both went on to direct projects of their own.

Per-Olof Strandberg

The image quality of these editions don't seem very different. The Criterion is cropped on top the Svenska filmindustri on the bottom - both negligibly. The Criterion has English subs and the SF version does not. The SF looks a little green and a little 'heavy', but nothing untoward. This looks pretty acceptable from both sides. Criterion will nip ahead in the image, Extras and menus.