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

ADDITION: Criterion - Region 'A' Blu-ray - April 2014 - The new 1080P looks pretty impressive.  I really enjoyed my viewing of this new Blu-ray. Even though much of the archival film is fraught with damage and marks, the HD brings out the textures and it seemed so authentic to me. The disparity between the old and the new was not as transparent as I was anticipating in the higher resolution. Visually this feature is unique and certainly improves over the older SD. It is dual-layered with a max'ed out bitrate. The mono audio get a linear PCM track. There is notable depth is some of the 'war' sounds, dialogue and the score by Paul Glass (Lady in a Cage, Bunny Lake is Missing.) Criterion offer optional English subtitles on the region 'A'-locked Blu-ray. The extensive supplements, discussed below, are duplicated - including the commentary, videos and liner notes booklet.

I got into Overlord much more watching this Blu-ray. I think this was a excellent film choice to advance to the higher resolution. With the stacked extras - it makes for a valuable package. Strongly recommended!  

***

ON THE DVD: The Criterion DVD is, as expected, very impressive - anamorphic and progressive in the original 1.66:1 aspect ratio. With the nature of the film's creation involving archival footage (often expressed in a hallucinatory effect) - a lot of the intent of Overlord was to deliberately parallel that to some degree giving the film an important historical resonance (cinematographer Alcott utilized special un-coated lenses to duplicate the grey tones of the 40's and 50's). The digital transfer appears to faithfully represent that and with the relatively inexpensive budget it has not been over-digitized and retains most of the truthful grainy feel. In short it looks theatrically faithful and typical of Criterion's strong commitment to cinema (appropriately the archival footage has not been attempted to be restored at all).

Extras are significantly loaded - first off is an audio commentary featuring director Cooper and actor Brian Stirner although it was not recorded simultaneously (so they don't interact at all). Cooper is able to relate some fascinating facts about the production, the cast and what he was really going for with this film. Stirner focused more on his personal interaction with the project giving input from his standpoint as an actor. Next up are a host of featurettes - Mining the Archive (video featuring Imperial War Museum film archivists detailing the war footage used in the film) is about 23 minutes long and takes a very historical look at the film from an authenticity standpoint. Capa Influences Cooper is 8 minutes long and is essentially a photo essay featuring Cooper commenting on photographer Robert Capa. Cameramen at War is an archival short from the British Ministry of Information’s 1943 film tribute to newsreel and service film unit cameramen. A Test of Violence (1969) is a 14 minute artsy image processed short film made by Cooper about Spanish artist Juan Genoves. Germany Calling is just over 2:00 long - a 1941 British Ministry of Information propaganda film with some clips that appear in Overlord. We also have some audio supplements - Journals from two D-day soldiers is read by Brian Stirner . Finally there is a 30-page liner notes booklet with essay by critic Kent Jones, a short history of the Imperial War Museum, and excerpts from the Overlord novelization, by Cooper and Christopher Hudson.

I'll agree that WW2 buffs will get the most out of this film, but I can't see too many not being rewarded by its unique presentation. The Criterion extras really improved my personal appreciation.  

Gary W. Tooze