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

ADDED: Carlotta - Region FREE Blu-ray -  November 2010: There is quite a lot to say here, but I will try to be as concise as I can. This package contains 2 Blu-rays (one with the two separate - not seamlessly branched) versions of Sunrise (MovieTone and the, cleaner, Czech version), while the other has City Girl with some extras and there is an included DVD with more, mostly Sunrise-related supplements - which we will address below. These are also region FREE discs playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

Most are aware of the existing Masters of Cinema (UK) Blu-rays of both Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans and City Girl. The Carlotta compares image quality very well - it is from the same sources (same damage/scratches/speckles) with slightly different transfers. Both titles and the Czech version of Sunrise are a bit darker looking a bit more like the contrast levels of the Fox DVDs - not as pronounced black levels and brightness as the MoC 1080P versions. Damage may appear less noticeable in the slightly darker image but so does grain. Technically it is pretty much a draw - MoC has slightly higher files sizes for both Sunrise versions - Carlotta has higher for City Girl (on a dual-layered disc as opposed to single-layered but this is because of the extras). It may simply come down to a preference of which you like better visually. City Girl remains the most impressive that any silent film will ever look on this format. Other differences:

1) Both have the original intertitles with Carlotta including optional French subtitles (NOTE: They default to 'with subs' and no menu option to change but they are removable with the 'SUBTITLE' button on your remote.)

2) Unfortunately for some, there are no English subs on the Czech language intertitles (on that, shorter, version of Sunrise).

3) Both have lossless scores (Christopher Caliendo 2008 - as same) with 5.1 DTS-HD Master for City Girl and linear PCM mono for Sunrise(s).

Both MovieTone and Czech versions have there own Photo gallery and 'Bande-Announce' on the Sunrise Blu-ray. On the included dual-layered DVD, we get mostly French language video extras (from Allerton Films) - like a dozen minutes of 'Who was Murnau?', and 45-minutes on 'Murnau ou qu'est-ce qu'un cineaste' ('Murnau or What is a Cineaste'?). We do get Janet Bergstrom's Four Devils Traces of a Lost Film (40:54 which is in English) as found on the MoC City Girl Blu-ray. There is also a weird 26-minute German film entitled 'The Return of Murnau' - with burned-in French subtitles. There are some silent rushes/alt-scenes (I think same as on MoC Sunrise but the UK disc has an optional commentary) running about 9-minutes and there is a stills gallery. We lose the full-length audio commentary by ASC cinematographer John Bailey on the Movietone Sunrise version (found on the MoC) and the 20-page illustrated booklet. On the City Girl Blu-ray there is some very good, English-friendly, supplements from the folks at Fiction Factory. 'City Girl; the Essence of America' is majority in English and runs close to 1/2 an hour - as does 'Murnau and the Advent of Talkies'. I appreciated seeing both. 'Le Mouvement meme de la pensee' ('The very movement of thought') for 1/2 hour in French. There is a 'Photo Gallery' and disc production credits. We lose the excellent full-length audio commentary by film scholar David Kalat and 40-page illustrated booklet with new writing and reprints that were part of the MoC package.

It is only natural to compare to the UK Blu-ray discs - pricewise (presently): the MoC's are £15.93 (Sunrise) + £15.93 (City Girl) = £31.86 = $49.66 USD. The Carlotta Murnau Blu-ray Box is EUR 33,49 = $44.34 USD. So there is a savings of about $5 USD but you need to weigh-in the other factors - of the additions of French subtitles (if required) and hour's worth of, English-friendly, Fiction Factory supplements, the lack of commentaries and no English subtitles on the Czech 'Sunrise' version (if necessary).

Gary W. Tooze