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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Kinematografi")

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/direct-chair/bergman.htm
Sweden 1966

 

"Heavily artistically infused this chamber piece from Bergman lauded numerous international awards for both the film and the performances. It's beautiful imagery from Sven Nykvist's magnificent cinematography, its high level of pretension and its inability to be comprehensible have given it a unique place in cinema history. "Persona" can causes a myriad of personal reactions. Perhaps its greatest triumph is forcing the viewer to allow "it" to penetrate... to open yourself to its deeply felt expressions and perhaps have it touch upon your own. "Persona" is rife with universal emotions; pain, love, desire, regret, longing. This is a film that can be viewed multiple times garnering more from each visit ... or less, depending on how you allow it to brush your subconscious... that part of you filled with emotions which you rarely, if ever, openly discuss."

Posters ( Click to enlarge where applicable )

Release Date: October 18th, 1966- Sweden

The Criterion Blu-ray of Persona appears to be the exact same transfer as in their Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema 100th Anniversary 30 Blu-ray Boxset (reviewed, as a work in-progress, HERE)

Criterion - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Reviews                                                                                 More Reviews                                                                      DVD Reviews

 

Comparison:

MGM - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Tartan - Region 0 - PAL vs. Criterion - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Richard Stracke for the MGM Screen Captures !

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT

2) Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Criterion Collection - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT

 

Box Covers

 

  

  

  

Or buy the entire 6 -disc MGM DVD Boxset:

                                  

We recommend buying them individually (reasonably priced) and picking up the superior PAL editions.

Distribution

MGM Home Entertainment

Region 1  - NTSC

Tartan Home Video
Region 2 - PAL
Criterion Collection, spine #701 - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:22:33 1:19:03 (4% PAL speedup) 1:24:04.247
Video

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 6.45 mb/s
NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s

1.37:1.00 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.13 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s   

Disc Size: 47,442,677,172 bytes

Feature Size: 20,943,138,816 bytes

Average Bitrate: 29.37 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P

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

Bitrate:

MGM

.

Bitrate:

Tartan

 

Bitrate:

Blu-ray

 

Audio Swedish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), DUB: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)

Swedish - Dolby Digital (2.0) Mono

LPCM Audio Swedish 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles English, Spanish, French and none English, None English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• Original uncensored theatrical version
• Brand-new digital film transfer presented in the original aspect ratio (1.33:1)
• Original Swedish audio and English audio
• Commentary by Bergman biographer Marc Gervais
• "A Poem in Images" featurette
• On-camera interviews with Liv Ullmann and Bibi Andersson
• Photo gallery
• Original theatrical trailer

DVD Release Date: February 10, 2004
Keep Case

Chapters 20

 

Sold individually or as part of The Ingmar Bergman Special Edition DVD Collection (Persona / Shame / Hour of the Wolf / The Passion of Anna / The Serpent's Egg) 

Release Information:
Theatrical Release Date: October 16th, 1966
Production Company: Tartan Video

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio - 1.37:1

Edition Details:
• Trailer/Advertisement for Tartan's 'The Ingmar Bergman Collection' - (2:53)
• Promotional Art Gallery - 6 poster stills and 6 capture stills
• Censored Montage Sequence (1:23)
• Philip Strick Film Notes - 6 Static pages
• Filmographies of Bergman, Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullman

• Original Un-restored Trailer (2:31)

 

DVD Release Date: April 28th, 2003
Transparent Keep Case
Chapters: 12

Release Information:
Studio: Criterion

Aspect Ratio:
Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1

Disc Size: 47,442,677,172 bytes

Feature Size: 20,943,138,816 bytes

Average Bitrate: 29.37 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video 1080P

Edition Details:

• New visual essay on the film’s prologue by Ingmar Bergman scholar Peter Cowie (20:15)
• New interviews with actor Liv Ullmann (16:07) and filmmaker Paul Schrader (10:58)
• Excerpted archival interviews with Bergman, Ullmann, and actor Bibi Andersson from 1966 (19:34)

• Excerpted archival interview with Bergman from 1970 (8:12)

• On-set footage, with audio commentary by Bergman historian Birgitta Steene (18:07)
• Liv & Ingmar, a 2012 feature (1:24:25) documentary directed by Dheeraj Akolkar
• Trailer (2:44)
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Thomas Elsaesser, an excerpt from the 1970 book Bergman on Bergman, and an excerpted 1977 interview with Andersson

 

Blu-ray Release Date: March 25th, 2014
Transparent Blu-ray Case

Chapters 16

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

The Criterion Blu-ray of Persona appears to be the exact same transfer as in their Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema 100th Anniversary 30 Blu-ray Boxset (reviewed, as a work in-progress, HERE). The feature's file-size is almost exactly the same at 20,943,464,448 bytes and we can see no differences in video quality, audio or extras and only a different choice of menus (see below).

NOTE: Yes, as has been leaked, we can now confirm that this Blu-ray set is Region FREE!

***

 

ADDITION: Criterion - Region FREE - Blu-ray - February 2014': Criterion's new 2K-sourced transfer looks so impressive. Detail in the many close-ups are jaw-dropping. Contrast is at Criterion's usual, excellent, levels. The transfer is dual-layered with a supportive bitrate. It seems to show slightly more information in the frame than the Tartan. Wonderfully, consistent grain textures are evident. It looks hypnotic in-motion - I could have made screen captures all day.

Criterion stay true to form with an authentic linear PCM mono track at 1152 kbps in original Swedish. It sounds clean and consistent. Lars Johan Werle (Hour of the Wolf) did the score and it sounds flat with a bit of bass notable. There are optional English subtitles on the region FREE-locked Blu-ray disc.

Criterion add some fabulous extras. There is a new, 20-minute, visual essay on the film’s 7-minute prologue by Ingmar Bergman scholar Peter Cowie. It was produced by Criterion in 2013. Originally recorded for Swedish television there is an excerpt from an interview where Person's director and lead actors discuss the evolution of the film and their individual interpretations of it. In an 8-minute interview excerpt with Bergman from 1970 Canadian TV the director recalls a stay in the hospital when the idea for Persona came to him. Criterion have a 2013 interviews with actor Liv Ullmann lasting 16-minutes - she goes into detail about the making of Persona, her connection to the character of Elisabeth Vogle, and what she took away from this life-changing experience. Also from 2013 and by Criterion we get a 10-minute interview with writer director Paul Schrader - who has been a long-time fan or Bergman - he discusses the lasting impact of Persona. Criterion include 18-minutes of silent, black + white footage shot during the production of Persona. It is presented with audio commentary by Ingmar Bergman scholar Brigitta Steene. The 2012 feature documentary, Liv & Ingmar, directed by Dheeraj Akolkar runs almost 1.5 hours and explores the five-decade friendship and working relationship between actor Liv Ullmann and filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, who died in 2007. It is shot primarily on the grounds of Bergman's home on faro Island in Sweden and told, entirely, from Ullmann's point of view. There is also a trailer and liner notes booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Thomas Elsaesser, an excerpt from the 1970 book Bergman on Bergman, and an excerpted 1977 interview with Andersson.

Criterion have compiled so much in this package - even aside from the incredible 1080P presentation - filled with unforgettable visuals. What an absolute must-own Blu-ray. I am exhausted from my viewing and wading through the valuable supplements. Our highest recommendation!

***

ON THE DVDs: The Tartan is much brighter - and may be partially artificially induced. It still looks quite sharp for a DVD5 - but possibly a notch less-sharp than the MGM. The MGM is cropped on all 4 sides (calculated to be 11.5% of the image!) - a significant amount. Personally I like the high brightness levels on the Tartan. Its whites are ultra-white (like bleach) where there is a dullish brown hazy over the MGMs. The subtitles are very good on both version. Both have quality Extras with MGM's commentary, interviews and short featurette making them the winner in that category. The MGM has a (useless) English dub and more subtitle options. Both offer original 2.0 audio. I won't be trading up from my Tartan, but I suspect many of you may want to, if only for the Extras. I am unhappy about the cropping (enough removed to make me mention it) on the MGM and I am not bothered enough by the brightness (too bright!) of the Tartan.

Shame MGM -  I wonder how Bergman would feel about us watching 88.5% of his film? 

 - Gary W. Tooze


Menus

(MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)


 

 

Criterion Collection - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 

Criterion (Ingmar Bergman's Cinema Collection) - Region FREE - Blu-ray


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

Subtitle Sample

 

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Criterion Collection - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

Screen Captures

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Criterion Collection - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

NOTE: this is note an exact frame match!



1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Criterion Collection - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Criterion Collection - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 


1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Criterion Collection - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 

This is the exact frame - so you can see how much is cropped from the MGM - too much !

 


1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE

3) Criterion Collection - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

More Blu-ray Captures


 Hit Counter


Report Card:

 

Image:

Blu-ray

Sound:

Blu-ray

Extras:

Blu-ray

 

Box Covers

 

  

  

  

Or buy the entire 6 -disc MGM DVD Boxset:

                                  

We recommend buying them individually (reasonably priced) and picking up the superior PAL editions.

Distribution

MGM Home Entertainment

Region 1  - NTSC

Tartan Home Video
Region 2 - PAL
Criterion Collection, spine #701 - Region FREE - Blu-ray

 



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Gary Tooze

 

 

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