Catalog - BFIB1001, 1080P Single-layered, Region B Blu-ray

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

NO BITRATE FOR BLU-RAY YET

Criterion

BFI

Italian (Dolby Digital 1.0)  

Release Information:
Studio: BFI Video

Catalog - BFIB1001, 1080P Single-layered, Region B Blu-ray

DISC ONE (DVD & Blu-ray)

·          Fully Complete & Uncut, telecined from original Italian restoration negatives

There is an inset by John Powers that briefly covers the controversy behind Pasolini and his final film. It was quite informative and gives valued insight into the film.

DVD Release Date: August 11, 1998
Keep Case
Chapters: 29

There is an inset by John Powers (same as Criterion)

Pasolini’s own introduction to his film, is presented both as on-screen text and read aloud by the actor Nickolas Grace. It does a very good job of explaining in broad brushstroke terms what Pasolini was attempting.

A brief biography of Pasolini, a couple of poster images and the news that three more Pasolini DVDs are coming out in summer 2001. The only other extra is a link to the BFI website and their collection of Salò-related papers, Click Here to access.

DVD Release Date: April 2, 2001
Unique Cardboard Box Case
Chapters: 9 

THIS RELEASE IS DEFINITELY REGION 'B" ONLY! BFI - Blu-ray - Region NOTE: I HAVE RECEIVED A CHECKDISC Blu-ray SCREENER FROM BFI - IT IS DEFINITELY REGION FREE ALTHOUGH WE'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THE FINAL Blu-ray RELEASE WILL BE REGION 'B' ONLY. THIS IS CONTRARY TO OUR INITIAL INFORMATION BUT I BELIEVE IT WILL BE CODED FOR THAT Blu-ray REGION ONLY! (Africa, Southwest Asia, Europe - except Russia and Kazakhstan - Oceania and their dependencies.)

I was only sent the first disc - hence, this is all I can review at this point. The full listing of disc two is above. Detail on the single-layered BFI  Blu-ray is as good as we expected. It towers above the new Criterion in that regard. It looks quite stunning although I did detect some edge enhancement (see below) in certain outdoor scenes. There is still some noise but I also see grain. The big difference is in the color scheme. Directly beside the Criterion - that edition look to have been boosted with the BFI showing a much softer palette. I prefer this more subdued look, which I suspect is more accurate, but I'd like to do some further analysis this weekend perhaps simultaneous viewings toggling back and forth between the 2 transfers. I'm sure I'll get abundant advice on which is more 'true' in email.

The BFI Blu-ray has the missing scene (see capture #6 - 25-second sequence during the first wedding ceremony, where one of the masters quotes a poem by Gottfried Benn) and the UK Blu-ray has an immediate option for the English credit sequence (as well as that DUB).

Extras include the 6:54 Death of Pasolini featurette that some may find as bewildering as the man himself. This is presented in HD - 1080P resolution. There is also an Italian trailer in HD (4:09).

I will post more as soon as I have some of that rare commodity; time.

***

ADDITION - Criterion (REISSUE): Complete comments coming soon! Big thanks to CDNChris of Criterion Forum for extensive effort he went to for the, PC-obtained, screen grabs.

NOTE: Our original comparison was done many years ago but the new captures were obtained utilizing the exact same method. It appears as though the Criterion has, both, the most detail and more information in the frame (side edges) - even more so than the BFI. It is cleaner and smoother - damage removed but is still missing the short 25-second sequence at 0:42:24 (see below) during the first wedding ceremony, where one of the masters quotes a poem by Gottfried Benn. The sequence is intact on the Region 2 BFI DVD.

The Criterion seem to have used the 'Alchemist' method of transfer - with brief interlacing between chapter stops - as noted in the screen grab below.

An optional English DUB is offered as well as extensive extras. We will comment further once we have it in our possession but the Criterion easily appears to be the definitive edition at present.

Gary Tooze

***

ON THE ORIGINAL CRITERION, Gaumont and BFI: the (old) Criterion and Gaumont have been slightly cropped on both vertical sides (see captures # 1-5) and the Criterion has deleted a scene (25-second sequence during the first wedding ceremony - see capture # 6). the Criterion shows more edge enhancement and the color is strangely yellow/greenish compared to the BFI version. The Gaumont is miles ahead of both of these version in image clarity and color adherence although looks slightly vertically stretched - see the titles below!. The BFI subtitles are clear. BFI DVD image shows the most damage (see 'black hole' in capture # 3) and occasional fluctuations in brightness. The Criterion image is sharper than the BFI which appears soft at times especially noticeable for a film with many medium to long shots. The BFI and Gaumont have just nine chapter stops, which are timed to coincide with Pasolini’s own chapter divisions. The Criterion has 29 chapters accessible in a nice DVD menu. The Criterion sub-titles are removable but not as clear as the BFI ones which are burnt in. The Gaumont only has French subtitles.