Anchor Bay

Region 0 - NTSC

2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.78 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1080i Single-layered Blu-ray

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

Blu-ray

Blu-ray

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1

Edition Details:
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spot
• Radio Spots
• Talent Bios
• Poster And Still Gallery
• Daemonia Music Video

DVD Release Date: November 9th, 2001
Keep Case

Chapters 26

Chapters 20

ADDITION: King Records - Region FREE Blu-ray December 2010': Well, this new Japanese Blu-ray of Argento's Suspiria seems to support that there is boosting in the Nouveaux Pictures UK releases (note brightness flaring in the second capture). I believe this region FREE Blu-ray looks much more natural and authentic than the other high-def release. It has a higher feature size and bitrate but it's big flaw is that it is interlaced (1080i). You can see it in the overhead 'dance studio' capture. This seemed to be more prevalent at the beginning 8-minutes which tended to look unstable but it settled down and on my system I couldn't distinguish the combing associated with the interlacing via my Plasma. It, actually, looked surprisingly good! The disc offers lossless English audio and Dolby Italian and Japanese tracks with optional Japanese subtitles and my Momitsu tells me this is, happily, region FREE. The English sounded solid without any notable mishaps and only minor separation and depth. There are no extras save a trailer.

So, aside from being bare bones and interlaced the King Records Blu-ray may suit some individuals who were sensitive to the color/contrast boosting of the UK BD OR who are not capable of playing region 'B' discs.

***

ADDITION: Nouveaux Pictures - Region 'B' Blu-ray January 2010': This single-layered transfer from Nouveaux Pictures looks better in many areas but overall is not stellar. Occasionally there are some over-bright or blown out whites. Detail and colors advance upon the Anchor Bay DVD and there is even more information in the frame on the top and bottom. For the most part it's a pretty good transfer with a smattering of consistent grain. Either contrast was boosted or it was inherent in the source used. It's a shame because the the detail is notable. For a film over 30-years old I suspect Argento fans will be impressed for the most part although I still feel it is too bright in many sequences.

Audio comes in the form of a lossless DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 2190 kbps that appears to be a significant advancement from previous DVD renderings. Separation is not abundant but there are some nice subtle touches to the mix that helped the film presentation. There are no subtitles on this Blu-ray and my Momitsu tells me this is region 'B'-locked.

Supplements are quite good on the Blu-ray taking a more academic look at the film and Argento that we usually see. We get a strong commentary from Argento expert Alan Jones and critic Kim Newman, over an hour's worth of new documentaries featuring contributions from Argento, Claudio Simonetti, Norman J. Warren, Newman and Dr. Patricia MacCormack along with extended interviews with Warren, Newman and MacCormack.

This is a film that impacts more with improved visual quality and this Blu-ray does just that. It's a title that I'd like to see re-visited by Blue Underground in North America - but I have no knowledge of this transpiring. For now this Nouveaux Pictures disc is it.

Gary W. Tooze

***

ON THE DVD: This is a pretty nice transfer from Anchor Bay. The colors are vivid and the image is quite sharp. The only problem I encountered was pixelation in one scene (see below) and a bit of aliasing in another. Nothing major, but I figure this is simply because the image was compressed too much, considering this disc has no less than 5 audio tracks (including DTS ES and DD EX). I did not watch the film on my sound system so I cannot vouch for the quality of the sound, but I'm assuming it must be pretty good. There is also a two-disc edition available from Anchor Bay which includes a documentary on the making of and interviews with the director, cinematographer and actors.

 - Eric Portelance