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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (September 2022): Criterion have transferred the lost Argentine film Prisioneros de la tierra to Blu-ray. An opening screen describes:

"Restored by The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna at [Immagine Ritrovata in association with the Museo del Cine Pablo Ducros Hicken.
Restoration funded by the George Lucas Family Foundation.

Prisioneros de la tierra was restored using the best existing elements: a first generation 35mm positive print held at La Cinematheque frangaise and a recently rediscovered third generation 35mm positive print preserved by the Narodni Filmovy Archiv.

For its overall completeness and photographic quality, the first generation 35mm positive print was used to restore the image, while the third generation 35mm positive print was the primary source for sound restoration.

A 16mm dupe negative, provided by the Museo del Cine, has also been studied and compared as a reference.

Color grading was supervised by Paula Felix Didier, director of the Museo del Cine Pablo DucrOs Hicken."

NOTE: We have added 20 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original Spanish language. The score is by the actor and composer Lucio Demare. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offers a Martin Scorsese introduction and a 20-minute featurette on the restoration. Mario Soffici's video piece was produced by the Criterion Collection in 2022 and features Paula Felix-Didier and Andres Levinson, director and archivist, respectively, of the Museo del Cine Pablo Ducros Hicken in Buenos Aires.

There is also a liner notes booklet with essays on the films by critics and scholars Yasmina Price, Matthew Karush, Ehsan Khoshbakht, Aboubakar Sanogo, Chris Fujiwara, and Shai Heredia.  

Still looking a little rough around the edges but kudos to the restoration efforts. Prisioneros de la tierra is one of the gems of this desirable set and often cited as one of the greatest films in the history of Argentine cinema. More amazing world cinema that makes the Blu-ray set worth owning.

Gary Tooze

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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (September 2022): Criterion have transferred Uday Shankar 's 1948 film Kalpana to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "2K digital restoration overseen by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project in collaboration with the Cineteca di Bologna". This film was restored in 2012 by The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project at Cineteca di Bologna / L'Immagine Ritrovata laboratory from original film elements preserved at the National Film Archive of India.

NOTE: We have added 20 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original Hindi language. The music is credited to Vishnudas Shirali - his only film credit - lyrics were penned by Sumitranandan Pant. Kalpana is filled with musical numbers with dancing - ongs like "Bharat Jai Jan Bharat", "Behti Ja Behti Ja Sarite", "Kya Kahoon" etc. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offer another Scorsese introduction and a 24-minute piece entitled On Kalpana it features interviews with filmmaker Kumar Shahani and Indian film historian Suresh Chabria. It was produced by Criterion in 2022.

There is also a liner notes booklet with essays on the films by critics and scholars Yasmina Price, Matthew Karush, Ehsan Khoshbakht, Aboubakar Sanogo, Chris Fujiwara, and Shai Heredia.

There are vertical scratches and light marks - generally inconsistent but fully watchable image. Kalpana is a Hindi-language dance film written and directed by dancer Uday Shankar. It is his only film. It's an incredible piece of India and cinematic dance-fantasy history predating the Bollywood phenomenon. Another strong addition to the Criterion Blu-ray package.

Gary Tooze

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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (September 2022): Criterion have transferred Sarah Maldoror's Sambizanga to Blu-ray. It is cited that "This restoration is part of the African Film Heritage Project, an initiative created by The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project, the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers and UNESCO — in collaboration with Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna —to help locate, restore, and disseminate African cinema.

Sambizanga was restored in 4K using the original camera negatives. Color grading was supervised by Annouchka de Andrade and cinematographer Jean-Frangois Robin.

Restoration work was carried out in 2021 at L'Immagine Ritrovata and L'Image Retrouvee laboratories.

With special thanks to Annouchka de Andrade and Henda Ducados."

NOTE: We have added 20 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original Portuguese language. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offer another Scorsese introduction and a new 26-minute program featuring footage from a 2008 interview with Sambizanga director Sarah Maldoror, along with a new interview with Maldoror's daughter Annouchka de Andrade.

There is also a liner notes booklet with essays on the films by critics and scholars Yasmina Price, Matthew Karush, Ehsan Khoshbakht, Aboubakar Sanogo, Chris Fujiwara, and Shai Heredia. 

Sarah Maldoror's Sambizanga is set in 1961 at the onset of the Angolan War of Independence and is based on José Luandino Vieira's novella "The Real Life of Domingos Xavier". Maldoror's husband, Mário Coelho Pinto de Andrade, was a leader of the anti-colonial political movement. The film is highly significant in political terms - another important entry in this Blu-ray set.

Gary Tooze

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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (September 2022): Criterion have transferred Jean-Pierre Dikongue-Pipa's Muna Moto to Blu-ray. It is cited; "The 4K restoration of Muna moto was made from the 35 mm original camera and sound negatives and a second-generation duplicate negative.

Despite wet-gate scanning to minimize mold damage, some sections of the camera negative had to be replaced by scanning the duplicate negative.

Following director Dikongue-Pipa's suggestion, the duplicate negative was also used for the opening and closing cards, which differed from the original negative. A vintage 35 mm print was used as a reference for picture grading.

Restored in 2019 by Cineteca di Bologna / Immagine Ritrovata and The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project
Special thanks to Cinematheque royale de Belgique.

Funding provided by George Lucas Family Foundation."

NOTE: We have added 20 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original French language. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offer another Scorsese introduction and The Many Moods of Muna Moto by Mohamed Challouf was produced for Criterion in 2022 and features 18-minutes of Muna moto director Dikongue-Pipa and African cinema historian and film critic Ferid Boughedir.

There is also a liner notes booklet with essays on the films by critics and scholars Yasmina Price, Matthew Karush, Ehsan Khoshbakht, Aboubakar Sanogo, Chris Fujiwara, and Shai Heredia. 

Jean-Pierre Dikongue-Pipa's Muna Moto is  a very strong Cameroonian drama and romance film. It's well-acted and very emotionally impacting. One of the key films in the Criterion Blu-ray package. Don't miss this one.

Gary Tooze

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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (September 2022): Criterion have transferred Mohammad Reza Aslani's Chess of the Wind to Blu-ray. It is cited as "Restored by The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project and Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna at 12Image Retrouvee in collaboration with Mohammad Reza Aslani.

 Restoration funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.

Shatranj-e Bead screened once at the Tehran International Festival in 1976 and was later banned in 1979 by the Islamic regime.
Since that time, the film was considered lost with only poor quality, censored VHS copies circulated among cineastes and collectors.
In 2015, the original negatives of the film were found in an antique shop in Tehran and returned to the director, Mohammad Reza Aslani, who managed to ship the negatives to a secure location.

The 4K restoration of Shatranj-e Bead was completed using the original 35mm camera and sound negatives.

Color grading required meticulous work, notably reels 9 and 10 which called for an orange-tinted effect reminiscent of early silent cinema.

The restoration was closely supervised by Mohammad Reza Aslani and Gita Aslani Shahrestani; Houshang Baharlou, the film's cinematographer, also contributed to the final steps of the grading process."

NOTE: We have added 20 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original Persian language. The composer is credited as Sheyda Gharachedaghi (Downpour). Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offer another Scorsese introduction. The Majnoun and the Wind is a 2022 documentary about Mohammad Reza Aslani's Chess of the Wind directed and narrated by the director's daughter Gita Aslani Shahrestani. It features Aslani; actors Shohreh Aghdashlou, Fakhri Khorvash, and Akbar Zanjanpour; producer Bahman Farmanara; set designer Houri Etesam; composer Sheyda Gharachedaghi; and several others involved in the film's production, reception, and restoration. 

There is also a liner notes booklet with essays on the films by critics and scholars Yasmina Price, Matthew Karush, Ehsan Khoshbakht, Aboubakar Sanogo, Chris Fujiwara, and Shai Heredia.

The image has a green-yellow caste but there is intentional tinting. Certain colors (dark reds) have appealing depth. Mohammad Reza Aslani's Chess of the Wind may be the most desirable film in the package for some - released only once before the 1979 revolution in Iran. The original negatives were presumed lost, yet rediscovered by the director's children in a junk shop in 2014. Aslani cited Dutch master Johannes Vermeer as an inspiration for day lit sequences, French Baroque-era painter Georges de La Tour for the nighttime scenes and also referenced Kubrick's Barry Lyndon in the approach to lighting. It's a very cool mystery / thriller about conflict over an aristocrat family inheritance. It evokes the opulence of Visconti's The Leopard and decay found in Satyajit Ray's Jalsaghar. Chess of the Wind is the youngest entry in Criterion's 6-film Blu-ray of Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project No. 4. It completes this set as a big winner. Buy with confidence.

Gary Tooze