ADDITION: Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray (October 2015): I enjoy when there are differences. The new Kino Lorber is "mastered in HD from archival 35mm elements". It has the same damage marks as the Masters of Cinema but there are some significant differences. Either the MoC is horizontally stretched (fatter faces) or the Kino-Lorber is vertically stretched (slimmer faces.) It is possible that it is a little of both (I took the watch image - a circle- and compared - the MoC is 'more' round - the Kino 'more' oval). The other major difference that I noted was the grain textures. The UK transfer is dual-layered with a max'ed out bitrate and the grain is much thicker - and better supported. The single-layered Kino is smoother and I prefer the MoC textures.

I know some of my screen grabs are not exact frame - but many of them are! You can toggle between the large captures to get a better idea of the disparity. The Kino still looks great but those who are more discerning about the visuals will be more pleased with the MoC assuming the stretching (on either or both) is not overly disturbing.  

Kino Lorber also transfer the audio in a linear PCM 2.0 channel, but at 1536 kbps and only 16-bit (where the MoC was 24-bit). MoC get the nod here as well. It is same very pleasant piano score by Javier Pérez de Aspeitia which is so suitable to the story. And the same as the UK Blu-ray Kino have the German intertitles with optional English subtitles. The disc is region 'A.

Kino include an audio commentary by Thomas Gladysz, the director of The Louise Brooks Society and imparts plenty of information about the tragic star and the production. We also get the 20-minutes Windy Riley Goes Hollywood - 1930 short featuring Louise Brooks that is also on Kino's 2001 DVD as an extra. Lastly, we get a promotional trailer.

Essential Silent Era film - and another strong package - the commentary addition gives it strong value. Certainly recommended although I give the a/v edge to The Masters of Cinema.

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ADDITION: Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray (November 2014): Diary of a Lost Girl has had quite a history. Initial text screens inform us "Due to censorship Diary of a Lost Girl was shortened and changed drastically. In 1997, a reconstruction and photochemical restoration of the film as it had originally been intended was created by The Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna, the Deutsche Filminstitut - DIF, Frankfurt am Main, and the Frederich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, Wiesbaden. It is based on the dupe negative from the Danish Film Institute, Copenhagen. Most of the missing scenes wwere added from a contemporary copy from the Archivo Nacional de la Imagen - Sodre, Montevideo. The reconstruction of the edit that was shown in the film's premiere is based on comparisons of the surviving copies, as well as the censor records of the Filmoberprufstelle Berlin. The wording of the German intertitles was created with the aid of German-French intertitles from a copy at the Cinematheque Royale de Belgique, Brussels. A few surviving German titles from a copy at the Archivo Nacional de la Imagen - Sodre, Montevideo served as a model for the typography. The master negative of this edit was used for the 2K digital version. For this HD mastering, the image has been corrected in places, and heavy damage to the film has been retouched. "  So, unfortunately, the visuals are fraught with occasional damage and marks. The higher resolution can tend to pick-up those imperfections - detailing them as well as the grain textures. The Masters of Cinema Blu-ray easily advances upon the SD transfers - and looks significantly more film-like and the textures come alive.

Audio is transferred in a linear PCM 2.0 channel at 2304 kbps. It is a pleasing piano score of Javier Pérez de Aspeitia which works wonderfully well with the narrative. Once again, MoC have the German intertitles with optional English subtitles. The Blu-ray is region 'B'-locked.

I really enjoyed the new video essay by filmmaker and critic David Cairns entitled Naked on my Goat focusing almost completely on the hypnotic Louise Brooks. It runs almost a dozen minutes. The package also contains a 40-page liner notes booklet including writing by Louise Brooks, Lotte Eisner, Louelle Interim, Craig Keller, and R. Dixon Smith. Being Dual-Format a DVD is included.

For many Silent Era fans this purchase is a no-brainer. The mystique of Louise Brooks permeates Diary of a Lost Girl and having the 1080P looking so significantly more dynamic is a true treat - as is the video essay. A very strong recommendation!   

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