Nosferatu the Vampyre Blu-ray

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Nosferatu - fantôme de la nuit" or "Nosferatu the Vampyre")

directed by Werner Herzog
German 1979

It is 1850 in the beautiful town of Wismar. Jonathan Harker is about to leave on a long journey, despite desperate warnings from his wife Lucy. Upon his arrival, he is greeted by a pale, wraith-like figure with deep-sunken eyes, who identifies himself as Count Dracula. The events that transpire convince Harker that he is in the presence of a vampire. What he doesn't know is the magnitude of danger he, his wife and his town face as victims of the Nosferatu. A terrific remake of the 1922 original, "Nosferatu the Vampyre" stars Klaus Kinski as the title character, and the gorgeous Isabelle Adjani as the object of his bloodlust. Directed by Werner Herzog (Aguirre:The Wrath of God), this very unique film is a must-see for horror fans everywhere.

Posters

Theatrical Release: February 1979 - West Germany

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Comparison:

Anchor Bay -Region 0 - PAL vs. Anchor Bay - Region 0 vs. NEW - Anchor Bay - Region 1 - NTSC vs. BFI (LE Steelbook) - Region 'B' - Blu-ray vs. Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

All NTSC screenshots courtesy of Ashirg and thanks to Pavel Borodin for all the Region 2 - PAL DVD Screen Caps

1) Anchor Bay Region 0 PAL LEFT

2) Anchor Bay -Old - Region 0 NTSC - SECOND

3) Anchor Bay new - Region 1 NTSC - THIRD

4) BFI - Steelbook - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - FOURTH

5) Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - RIGHT

Box Covers
				Shout Factory are also releasing a Blu-ray in May, 2014:
Distribution	Anchor Bay Region 0 - PAL	Anchor Bay Region 0 - NTSC	Anchor Bay Region 1 NTSC	BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray	Shout! Factory- Region 'A' - Blu-ray
			Herzog Blu-ray Boxsets (with the 79' Nosferatu and many others films) are being released on both sides of the pond:
Runtime	1:42:00 (4% PAL speedup)	1:46:44	1:46:48	German: 1:46:44.583 English: 1:47:00.833	German: 1:46:45.083 English: 1:47:01.833
Video	Aspect Ratio- 1.85:116X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.21 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	Aspect Ratio- 1.85:1 Average Bitrate: 5.47 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	Aspect Ratio - 1.85:1 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: undeterminable NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	Aspect Ratio - 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,243,152,364 bytes German: 25,330,019,904 bytes English: 22,966,171,008 bytes Video Bitrate: 25.00 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video	Aspect Ratio - 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,320,835,055 bytes German: 27,053,432,832 bytes English: 20,374,671,360 bytes Video Bitrate: 26.00 Mbps / 22.0 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Anchor Bay (Region 2):
Bitrate Anchor Bay (old Region 1)
Bitrate Anchor Bay new version (Region 1)
Bitrate BFI German Blu-ray
Bitrate BFI English Blu-ray
Bitrate Shout! Factory German Blu-ray
Bitrate Shout! Factory English Blu-ray
Audio	Disc 1- German (Dolby Digital 5.1), Disc 2- English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	German (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	German (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	LPCM Audio German 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit DTS-HD Master Audio German 2431 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2431 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit	DTS-HD Master Audio German 3452 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3452 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) DTS-HD Master Audio German 1852 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1852 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentaries: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio German 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Subtitles	English (Disc 1) or none	English or none	English or none	English (only on German version) or none	English (on both) or none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment (UK) Aspect Ratios: Widescreen letterbox- anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: Double Disc Presentation: German and English Versions 2 x US Theatrical Trailers Spanish Theatrical Trailer Behind The Scenes Featurette (13 mins) DVD Release Date: Dec 10th, 2001 Keep Case Chapters 29	Release Information: Studio: Anchor Bay Aspect Ratios: Widescreen letterbox - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • All Regions • Color, Widescreen • Commentary by director Werner Herzog interviewed by Norman Hill • Contains both the German language version of the film with optional English subtitles (107 minutes) and the alternate full-length English language of the film on the other side. • Behind-the-Scenes Featurette • 2 U.S. Theatrical Trailers • Spanish Theatrical Trailer • Widescreen letterbox format DVD Release Date: February 16, 1999 Keep Case Chapters 29	Release Information: Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment Aspect Ratios: Widescreen letterbox- anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Region 1 encoded • Color, Widescreen • Commentary by director Werner Herzog interviewed by Norman Hill • Contains both the German language version of the film with optional English subtitles (107 minutes) and the alternate full-length English language of the film on the second disc. • Behind-the-Scenes Featurette • 2 U.S. Theatrical Trailers • Spanish Theatrical Trailer • Anamorphic Widescreen letterbox format • Number of discs: 2 The English version is missing only in the boxset, but is present is the stand-alone edition. The English version on both discs is the same. (The only difference - the old is non-anamorphic and the new is anamorphic) It restores 10 minutes cut for theatrical distribution in the US. DVD Release Date: July 9, 2002 Keep Case Chapters 25	Release Information: Studio: BFI Aspect Ratio - 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,243,152,364 bytes German: 25,330,019,904 bytes English: 22,966,171,008 bytes Video Bitrate: 25.00 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Limited Edition SteelBookTM • Newly remastered presentations of the English and German versions • Original mono audio (German and English) • Alternative 5.1 Surround audio (German) • Feature-length audio commentary with Werner Herzog • On-set documentary (1979, 13 mins): promotional film featuring candid interviews with Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski • Original theatrical trailer • Stills gallery • Fully illustrated booklet with a new essay by Laurie Johnson, full film credits and on-set photographs Blu-ray Release Date: May 19th, 2014 Steelbook Blu-ray Case Chapters: 12 X 2	Release Information: Studio: Shout! Factory Aspect Ratio - 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,320,835,055 bytes German: 27,053,432,832 bytes English: 20,374,671,360 bytes Video Bitrate: 26.00 Mbps / 22.0 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Feature-length audio commentary with Werner Herzog • Vintage Making Of Nosferatu (13:06) • Theatrical Trailers (6:47) • Stills Gallery (3:06) Blu-ray Release Date: May 20th, 2014 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters: 12 X 2

Comments

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

ADDITION: Shout! Factory - Region 'A' Blu-ray - May 2014 - My goodness - the Shout! Factory image is terribly over-digitized! (it seems more notable in the English version but is present on both.) What and incredible circumstance! Check out the image, early in the film, of Adjani clutching her head after a nightmare - toggle between the large captures. The BFI is rich with grain and the Shout! Factory heavy with DNR-style softening. What a blunder. I suppose it comes down to a personal preference but the BFI seems far more film-like to me. The BFI is darker and the Shout! Factory may show more information in the frame, but has lost its texture.

Shout Factory have also added both German and English versions - both in 1080P but the German gets the more robust rendering. I'm far less concerned about the bitrate, though, than the excessive clean-up. I was expecting it to be similar to the BFI - not such a radical difference in the visuals.

The rest of the features seems moot by comparison - but the Shout! Factory add a fairly robust audio - both in original and the surround bump - both in lossless. It has optional English subtitles for both versions. The Blu-ray disc is region 'A'-locked.

Supplements have the Herzog commentary (both English and German one - the latter with optional subtitles), the on-set documentary, stills gallery and trailers but no liner notes.

Pretty obvious the BFI is the one to own in my opinion. Let's hope the other films in the, Shout! Factory, Herzog Blu-ray boxset aren't similarly marred by the same heavy-handed digitization. I'm stunned.

***

ADDITION: BFI - Region 'B' Blu-ray - May 2014 - Okay. BFI, like Shout! Factory in the US - are releasing Herzog's wonderful 1979 Nosferatu the Vampyre on Blu-ray in May, 2014 as well as part of a multi-disc Blu-ray package of a "Werner Herzog Collection" later in the year. Both Blu-rays offer the German and English version of the film. The difference between English and German versions is they are two totally different movies. Herzog filmed two versions at the same time (kind of like The Blue Angel in the 30's), with actors speaking their parts in German for German version, then in English for the English one. So, I compared only the German version as the scenes are different and added some captures of the English version at the bottom. These are, obviously, separate transfers - both 'Newly remastered' - on the lone Blu-ray, not seamlessly-branched but the image quality is on par for both versions with the same bitrate.

The BFI Blu-ray is available in a limited edition Steelcase box. It differs from the DVDs having a slightly different color scheme - leaning brighter, less-green, and, pleasingly, the grain textures are far more prevalent. Flesh tones look more true and contrast is superior supporting a higher level of detail. It remains in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio but shows much more information in the frame than on the SDs. It seems better on all fronts.

The English version is only offered in a linear PCM mono option with no subtitles, but the German version gives both the mono (in LPCM) and an alternate DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround at 2431 kbps. It has some separation, not always crisp but there are some surprising chills from the rear speakers. The score is by Popol Vuh (Cobra Verde) and adds another haunting layer to the atmosphere. The German version has optional English subtitles and is the only version, of the two, that has the feature-length audio commentary with Werner Herzog. Supplements also include the, 1979, 13-minute On-set documentary - promotional film featuring candid interviews with Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, an original theatrical trailer, stills gallery and the package contains a fully illustrated booklet with a new essay by Laurie Johnson, full film credits and on-set photographs.

The BFI Blu-ray Steelbook is a great package - and it was such a pleasure seeing the film again in the higher resolution and lossless audio. We may compare to the upcoming Shout! Factory Blu-ray if we can get a copy but I am fully satisfied with this set presently. Absolutely recommended!

***

ON THE DVDs: The picture quality is best on the anamorphic NTSC versions, but not exceedingly so over the old counterpart. The old disc was a DVD10 (two sides one layer) while the new versions are 2 disc sets. Yes anamorphic is the way to go and I see the new NTSC version as the premium one here although it is a negligible difference. The PAL version has had some contrast boosting. The Extras on the new NTSC are quite complete including a commentary. Buy the new NTSC 2 disc version.

Gary W. Tooze

(Anchor Bay Region 0 PAL LEFT vs. Anchor Bay -Old - Region 0 NTSC- MIDDLE vs. Anchor Bay new - Region 1 NTSC - RIGHT)

BFI - Steelbook - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Shout! Factory - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

1) BFI - Steelbook (German) - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Shout! Factory (German) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Anchor Bay Region 0 PAL TOP

2) Anchor Bay -Old - Region 0 NTSC - SECOND

3) Anchor Bay new - Region 1 NTSC - THIRD

4) BFI - Steelbook (German) - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - FIFTH

5) Shout! Factory (German) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - SIXTH

4) BFI - Steelbook (English) - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - SEVENTH

5) Shout! Factory (English) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Anchor Bay Region 0 PAL TOP

2) Anchor Bay -Old - Region 0 NTSC - SECOND

3) Anchor Bay new - Region 1 NTSC - THIRD

4) BFI - Steelbook (German) - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - FIFTH

5) Shout! Factory (German) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Anchor Bay Region 0 PAL TOP

2) Anchor Bay -Old - Region 0 NTSC - SECOND

3) Anchor Bay new - Region 1 NTSC - THIRD

4) BFI - Steelbook (German) - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - FIFTH

5) Shout! Factory (German) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Anchor Bay Region 0 PAL TOP

2) Anchor Bay -Old - Region 0 NTSC - SECOND

3) Anchor Bay new - Region 1 NTSC - THIRD

4) BFI - Steelbook (German) - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - FIFTH

5) Shout! Factory (German) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Anchor Bay Region 0 PAL TOP

2) Anchor Bay -Old - Region 0 NTSC - SECOND

3) Anchor Bay new - Region 1 NTSC - THIRD

4) BFI - Steelbook (German) - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - FIFTH

5) Shout! Factory (German) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Anchor Bay Region 0 PAL TOP

2) Anchor Bay -Old - Region 0 NTSC - SECOND

3) Anchor Bay new - Region 1 NTSC - THIRD

4) BFI - Steelbook (German) - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - FIFTH

5) Shout! Factory (German) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) BFI - Steelbook (English) - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - TOP

2) Shout! Factory (English) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM