We have determined this to be a bootleg and we do not endorse it. Avoid!

Disc Size: 29,932,764,634 bytes

Feature: 26,801,412,096 bytes

Video Bitrate: 30.00 Mbps

Disc Size: 24,343,647,184 bytes

Feature: 24,147,351,552 bytes

Video Bitrate: 30.00 Mbps

Disc Size: 35,734,617,446 bytes

Feature: 33,209,966,592 bytes

Video Bitrate: 28.97 Mbps

2.55:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray
Disc Size: 29,932,764,634 bytes
Feature: 26,801,412,096 bytes
Video Bitrate: 30.00 Mbps
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Edition Details:
• Patrick Brion (8:50)

B. Tavernier (15:17)

Blu-ray Release Date: April 24th, 2012
Standard Blu-ray case inside cardboard slipcase

Chapters 12

Release Information:
Studio: Twilight Time

ADDITION: Twilight Time - Region FREE Blu-ray May 2016': Twilight Time's new 1080P looks quite different than the other HD transfers. It's darker, teal-leaning and seems vertically more accurate - making the other 2 Blu-rays appear slightly vertically stretched (longer, thinner faces). There is more information on the top and bottom, but about the same on the side edges - and it is still in the original 2.55:1 aspect ratio. The visuals are richer, saturated, black-levels crushed, crisper... and I have no idea whether it is more faithful to the original presentation, but the Sidonis/Resen looks hazy and dull beside it. Honestly, I don't know what to think but it looked decent in-motion, but since I was used to the other 1080P image - it does look odd, at times, to me.

Twilight Time give many audio options - all in DTS-HD Master (24-bit) including the original 4-Track Stereo as well as a 5.1 surround bump and a 2.0 stereo track. The 4.0 channel was my choice and it sounds rich, clean and the intense score by the great Bernard Herrmann (Cape Fear, The Magnificent Ambersons, Taxi Driver, The Wrong Man, Dressed to Kill, etc. etc.) is represented beautifully in lossless. Easy these audio options exceed all other digital editions - and beyond that Twilight Time add their usual isolated score - which is wonderful to listen to. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles - see sample below. The Blu-ray disc is region FREE.

Twilight Time really stack the extras on this brilliant western Blu-ray although none are new. We get an audio commentary with Film and Music Historians John Morgan, Nick Redman, Steven C. Smith and William T. Stromberg. This was originally found on the 2008 Fox Western Classics DVD package release reviewed HERE - as was the 3 featurettes 13-minute Travels of a Gunslinger: The Making of Garden of Evil, the 7-minute piece Susan Hayward: Hollywood’s Straight Shooter and running a dozen minutes Henry Hathaway: When the Going Gets Tough… There are also 2 trailers, a TV Spot, the aforementioned isolated score and the box has liner notes by Julie Kirgo and is limited to 3,000 Copies.

Garden of Evil is a favorite western I could watch repeatedly. I'm very keen on this new Blu-ray and am slowly getting used to the, very different, video - the audio options are impressive. Fans of the genre probably already know that this is a must-own.

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ADDITION: Resen Blu-ray - March 15': The Resen (Spain) has the exact same bitrate as the Sidonis and the image looks like a duplicate, IMO. Strangely, they did not copy over the lossless audio - and it has a standard Dolby track with optional DUBs (Spanish and French) and optional Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The Resen is single-layered as it offers no extras. While we are less sure of the bootleg status of this - it's pretty darn close with the exact same running time of the French 1080P transfer to the 1/1000th of a second. Perhaps Sidonis, or Fox, should pursue these guys legally. Just say'in.

Garden of Evil is a title that receives multiple emails - probably because of the forced subtitles on the Sidonis being so annoying. It's a fabulous western and desirable film to own in the higher resolution as this western is extremely visual with striking sunsets and vistas throughout.

We don't, at all, condone buying bootlegs but I think that we have, again, shown what this company's Blu-ray policy amounts to. 

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ADDITION: Sidonis - Region 'B' Blu-ray - May 2012: Shameful... as Bill informs us - some of these new French Blu-rays (like Pork Chop Hill) - on many players - will NOT remove the French subtitles when the original English audio is chosen. We've seen this in the past from some DVDs out of France. In a word 'silly'. The menu screens do not allow the subtitle change in the original English audio - which we can now presume means many players will be ineffectual at the desired original viewing experience.

From Sidonis (thanks Claude) : ''I confirm to you that subtitles are forced. It's not part of our will but imposed by the producers (most of the time the studios). We are sorry about that but it's a contractual condition.''

The image is a massive leap beyond the SD. Detail, contrast, colors all leap to an improved appearance. Extras include Patrick Brion and Tavernier talking about the film - in French.

Lossless original audio - with the optional French DUB - the Bernard Herrmann score sounds great - typically for the composer - very intense. The subtitle issue is discussed above - and it is probably enough of a reason to, unfortunately, 'pass'. Let's hope an edition arrives without the forced subtitle issue.

Gary W Tooze

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