Musicrama - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Vanguard Cinema - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Second Run DVD - Region 0 - PAL vs. (DMMS Media Distribution) - Region FREE - Blu-ray

4) DMMS Media Distribution - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT

Musicrama

Region 1 - NTSC

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 3.79 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 26.46 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 6.40 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

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

Musicrama

Vanguard Cinema

Second Run DVD

Second Run DVD

English DTS 5.1; English Dolby Digital 5.1

Polish Dolby Digital 2.0 mono

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• Parts 1 and 2 of the film (4:3; 86:48 + 67:06)
• Also on DVD
• Film Poster

DVD Release Date: 18 June 2002
Amaray

Chapters 40
 

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen - 1.33:1

Edition Details:
• Interview with director Andzrej Wajda (4:3;; 21:42)
• Interview with actress Krystyna Janda (4:3; 13:39)
• Interview with uncredited assistant director Agnieska Holland (4:3; 20:09)
• Restoration Comparison (4:3; 1:25)
• 15-page booklet with essay by Michael Brooke
 

Chapters 12

Booklet (in Polish)
 

ADDITION: Second Run DVD (May 2014): Both US DVD sport the same PAL-converted master which is divided into two parts but given one set of forty chapters). The Musicrama edition (once distributed by Facets) is single-layer while the Vanguard is dual-layer. The Vanguard sacrifices the original mono track for a 5.1 tracks in DTS and Dolby Digital but they are a remix rather than a cheap upmix (possibly supervised by Wajda himself since he did a new 5.1 mix for his now-disavowed director's cut of THE PROMISED LAND. The subtitles are offered in several languages but they appear transparent on some players.

Second Run's two disc, dual-layer DVD transfer of this epic feature is sourced from the same HD master as the recent Polish Blu-ray, easily besting the picture quality of the US releases. The Dolby Digital 2.0 track represents the film's original mono mix cleanly, while the optional English subtitle track is newly translated. The US DVDs and Polish Blu-ray featured no extras apart from the latter's trailer and restoration comparison (the same one included on the UK release), but Second Run has included three brand new interviews - one with Krystyna Janda filmed by Daniel Bird (who has contributed essays, interviews, and commentary to UK and US DVDs of a number of Polish and Czech films). The other two, (Agnieszka Holland) and Jarosław Jagodziński (Andrzej Wajda), were shot by Lucy Kaye.

Wajda discusses the film's origins going back to 1962 stemming from a newspaper article about a bricklayer applying for a job but being turned away since the employment agency only had jobs for steelworkers. The bricklayer was not heard from again but was subsequently recognized as one of the socialist model workers who built the Nowa Huta communist city which had been built around a steel mill, which led Wajda to write a story about a worker used by the socialist system and turned away when no longer useful. The government rejected the script and it was not until 1976. The shoot ran smoothly, apart from having to make Agnieska Holland (OLIVIER OLIVIER) the film's unofficial assistant director since she had run afoul of the communist government and they felt she would be a bad influence but they would run into more problems when the film was released. The censors only allowed it to be shown in one theater - so they could argue it had not been suppressed - controlled the content of reviews, and barred it from receiving any official awards (see ESCAPE FROM "LIBERTY" CINEMA for a critique of Polish censorship practices).

Actress Janda recalls how she - just out of theater school - was more fascinated with working for Wajda than the role that she would be playing (of course, that may have had to do with her role initially being two scenes that were subsequently expanded during rehearsals), and that she learned the history of her country alongside her character. She recalls how the film - as well as its follow-up MAN OF IRON - became her signature role, and she became the face of the "Cinema of Moral Concern". Not only was she not considered for awards - until nearly a decade later when she won an award for all the roles the critics had to ignore - but the release of security service papers revealed that she had been watched for a number of years and her flat twice searched (under the guise of burglury).

Holland recalls how Wajda took her in after her return from Czechoslovakia where she had been imprisoned by the government after which she went to film school. Wajda asked her to read the script and serve as assistant director (less technical and more of an artistic collaboration in Poland at the time). The minister of culture objected to Holland working on the film, so Wajda and other filmmakers went on strike. The government "compromised" by saying Holland could not work on the film but that they would greenlight her own project (she remained on Wajda's film in secret while directing her own). She recalls that Janda observed her on-set to form her character, and that Wajda asked her - rather than original scenarist Aleksander Scibor-Rylski - to modernize the script and that she also did that without credit. The UK set also includes a 15-page booklet with an essay by film historian Michael Brooke which covers much of the same area with greater context for viewers unaware of Poland's political past.

 - Eric Cotenas

On the Blu-ray: Man of Marble appears true to an excellent source on Blu-ray from DMMS out of Poland.  The image quality shows a fine layer of grain - more noticeable on the black and white (and 'stock') scenes and the color sequences are bright and clean. The 2 3/4 hour film is housed on a dual-layered disc with a supportive bitrate. The transfer is in the original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. It looks less-remarkable than the other Polish Blu-rays we have recently reviewed, but I don't doubt that it is an authentic appearance. It is free of manipulation, detail is reasonably strong, there is no noise and we have instances of depth. I was very pleased with the video quality - an obvious upgrade over SD.

The disc, again, initially offers 'Descriptive Audio' and the feature film track is presented in a DTS-HD Master 5.1 in original Polish. There are no real separations and the sound is not particularly dynamic - which is probably more accurate to the theatrical. The score is by Andrzej Korzynski (Andrzej Zulawski's The Devil) and with the film exporting a documentary feel is not a big part of the experience. There are optional English (and Polish) subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

BOTTOM LINE:
You might anticipate Man of Marble to distance some viewers with its political focus. I found it quite brilliant even beyond those themes.  It's strong representations of government corruption don't seem slanted in the least. One of the marks of an excellent filmmaker. The DMMS Blu-ray. is as free of flaws as the others we have covered from them - another very strong transfer of another immensely compelling film. A huge recommendation!