Battle Royale - Theatrical DVD comparison

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Batoru rowaiairu" or "Battle Royale")

directed by Kinji Fukasaku
Japan 2000

Pop quiz: What would happen if someone, say a Japanese filmmaker named Kinji Fukasaku, threw TV’s Survivor, cinema’s The Running Man, and literature’s Lord of the Flies into a big cinematic pot and stirred? Yup, you’d have Battle Royale, a Japanese film about a class of ninth graders who, according to a newly passed law called the BR (Battle Royale), must go to an obscure island and participate in an decidedly sick and deadly game.

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DVD Comparison:

Warner - Region 2- PAL vs. Tartan - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Universe Laser - Region 3 - NTSC

NOTE: This is for the THEATRICAL RELEASE

Thanks to Mark Wilson for the NTSC screen captures and Vincent Bouche of DVD Compare for the PAL screen captures!

(Warner (France) - Region 2- PAL - LEFT vs.Tartan - R0 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Universe - R3 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers			Thinking of buying from YesAsia? CLICK HERE and use THIS UPDATED BEAVER PAGE to source their very best...
Distribution	Warner Home Video France (editor is M6 Video) Region 2- PAL	Tartan Region 0 - NTSC	Universe Laser Region 3 - NTSC
Runtime	1:48:34	1:52:56	1:52:56
Video	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate : 5.3 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 4.50 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.66 NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Warner R2
Bitrate: Tartan
Bitrate: Universe
Audio	Japanese DD5.1 DUB: French DD5.1	Japanese (Dolby Digital 5.1)	DTS 5.1 Japanese (Full Bit Rate) DD 5.1 Japanese DD 2.0 Stereo Japanese
Subtitles	French (removable, and all the screen texts have been translated in French...)	English and none	English, Chinese (simplified), and Chinese (traditional) Subs and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Warner Region 2 Theatrical Release Date: Dec 16th, 2000 Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details : Dual Layer Extras : - Theatrical Trailer (in french only, that's bad too), and two trailers for other movies - Teaser (no dialogue in this teaser, but screen texts are in french) - "Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra And Masamichi Amano" featurette: footage from the recording of the original soundtrack (it runs for 7'06" and it's music only) - "The rules of Battle Royale" (in japanese with french subtitles) (2'34") - "Stage Introduction" featurette: on the opening day of Battle Royale in Japan (in japanese with french subtitles) (14'25") - "Making of" (in japanese with french subtitles) (50'22") - Beat takeshi filmography (text in french) - Takeshi Kitano interview (text in french) - Data Files for all 42 students : contains detailed information about characters only (text in french) - Rules of Battle Royale (text in french) - Production notes (text in french) - Ikuro Takano and Kinji Fukasaku interview (text in french) DVD Release Date: Sept. 4th, 2002 Transparent Keep Case Chapters 12	Release Information: Studio: Tartan Video Theatrical Release Date: Dec 16th, 2000 Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: Single Layer Bad progressive flags Extras: Star & Dir. Filmographies Original Theatrical Trailer Stills Gallery Mark Wyatt Film Notes *(PAL) Version also available from Tartan DVD Release Date: May 27, 2002 Transparent Keep Case Chapters 20	Release Information: Studio: Universe Laser Theatrical Release Date: Dec 16th, 2000 Aspect Ratio: Widescreen - 1.85:1 Edition Details: Dual Layer Extras: Trailer Filmograghies DVD Release Date: Jan 2002 Keep Case Chapters 9

Comments:

NOTE: 2010 Arrow Blu-ray (both Theatrical an Director's Cut) compared HERE.

Although I detect some edge enhancement in the Warner Region 2 release, it is still more detailed than the other two versions... by quite a lot. The French disc also has some great Extras, but of course, its downfall for most purchasers is it has no English subtitles. This will take it out of the running for most fans of the film.

Between the other two the Tartan has the edge in detail most probably because of the anamorphic enhancement. The subtitles are larger and more fully defined on the Tartan DVD. The Universe image quality is hazy next to the Tartan. Between these two theatrical releases of this film on DVD, the single layered Tartan Region 0 NTSC is the one to choose.

NOTE: There is a comparison with the poorer quality Tartan PAL edition located HERE

- Gary W. Tooze

Recommended Reading for Japanese Film Fans (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)

The Japan Journals : 1947-2004,

by Donald Richie

The Midnight Eye Guide to New Japanese Film
by Tom Mes and Jasper Sharp

Kon Ichikawa (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs)

by James Quandt, Cinematheque Ontario

Shohei Imamura (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs, No. 1)
by James Quandt

Eros Plus Massacre: An Introduction to the Japanese New Wave Cinema (Midland Book, Mb 469)
by David Desser

The Films of Akira Kurosawa by Donald Ritchie

Tokyo Story

by Yasujiro Ozu, Kogo Noda, Donald Richie, Eric Klestadt

Ozu by Donald Ritchie

A Hundred Years of Japanese Film by Donald Richie

Check out more in "The Library"

DVD Menus

(Warner (France) - Region 2- PAL - LEFT vs.Tartan - R0 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Universe - R3 - NTSC - RIGHT)

Screen Captures