Shadows and Fog Blu-ray

directed by Woody Allen
USA 1992

Woody Allen’s oxymoronic German Expressionist comedy, Shadows and Fog (1991), features an impressive array of stars including Mia Farrow, John Malkovich, Donald Pleasence, Kathy Bates, Jodie Foster, Lily Tomlin, John Cusack, and Allen himself as a classic nebbish fumbling through a Kafkaesque experience involving a serial killer, a circus, a brothel, and a vigilante mob. Gorgeously photographed in black and white by the great Carlo Di Palma (The Red Desert, Blowup) and featuring the music of Kurt Weill.

***

One of Woody Allen s strangest films, this studio-bound fantasy turned his Kafkaesque one-act play Death (1975) into a full-blown homage to German Expressionist filmmakers like Fritz Lang, F.W. Murnau and G.W. Pabst, brought to life by one of the starriest casts he ever assembled: Kathy Bates, John Cusack, Mia Farrow, Jodie Foster, Julie Kavner, Madonna, John Malkovich, Donald Pleasence and Lily Tomlin, plus Allen himself.

He plays the cowardly Kleinman, reluctantly recruited by a vigilante mob in search of a serial killer. When he finds himself involved with a troupe of circus performers whose sword-swallower Irmy (Farrow) and clown Paul (Malkovich) want to leave to start a family, Kleinman thinks that this is a welcome distraction but the killer has other ideas...

Described by the New York Times as a brazen, irrepressible original , Shadows and Fog is the most visually and narratively unpredictable of Allen s films. Carlo di Palma s dazzling cinematography makes full use of the title elements, but it s the richness of the multi-layered narrative, with its Shakespearean oscillation between burlesque comedy and poignant tragedy that really sticks in the mind.

Posters

Theatrical Release: February 12th, 1992

Arrow Academy's Woody Allen: Seven Films - 1986-1991 Blu-rays

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Comparison:

MGM (US) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. MGM (Europe) - Region 2,4 - PAL vs. Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Peter Mann and Pavel Borodin for the DVD Screen Caps!

1) MGM (US) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT

2) MGM (Europe) - Region 2,4 - PAL SECOND

3) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray RIGHT

Box Covers				Also part of Arrow's Woody Allen Seven Films - 1986-1991 Blu-ray Boxset:
Distribution	MGM (US) Region 1 - NTSC	MGM (Europe) Region 2,4 - PAL	Twilight Time Region FREE - Blu-ray	Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:25:21	1:21:51 (4% PAL speedup)	1:25:39.634	1:25:40.885
Video	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.20 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.27 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	Disc Size: 23,039,849,774 bytes Feature Size: 22,317,889,536 bytes Total Bitrate: 29.99 Mbps Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC	Disc Size: 27,200,673,783 bytes Feature Size: 26,794,010,880 bytes Total Bitrate: 37.48 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: MGM (US)
Bitrate: MGM (Europe)
Bitrate: Twilight Time Blu-ray
Bitrate: Arrow Blu-ray
Audio	English (DD 2.0), DUB: French (DD 2.0), DUB: Spanish (DD 2.0)	English (DD 2.0 surround), DUBS: French (DD 2.0 mono), German (DD 2.0 mono), Spanish (DD 2.0 mono)	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1071 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1071 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit) DTS-HD Master Audio English 1685 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1685 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)	LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles	Spanish, French, none	English (HoH - only), French, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, none	English (SDH) and none	English (SDH) and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: MGM (US) Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Theatrical Trailer DVD Release Date: June 5, 2001 Keep case Chapters 16	Release Information: Studio: MGM (Europe) Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Theatrical Trailer DVD Release Date: April 15, 2002 Keep case Chapters 16	Release Information: Studio: Twilight Time Disc Size: 23,039,849,774 bytes Feature Size: 22,317,889,536 bytes Total Bitrate: 29.99 Mbps Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC Edition Details: • Original Theatrical Trailers (1:07) • Isolated Score Track • 8-page liner notes by Julie Kirgo Limited to 3,000 units Blu-ray Release Date: November, 2015 White Blu-ray case Chapters 24	Release Information: Studio: Arrow Disc Size: 27,200,673,783 bytes Feature Size: 26,794,010,880 bytes Total Bitrate: 37.48 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC Edition Details: Trailer (1:02) Blu-ray Release Date: April 3rd, 2017 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters:9

Comments

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

ADDITION: Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray January 2017: Once again, the Arrow 1080P of Shadows and Fog is almost exactly the same, visually, as the Twilight Time. Like the others that we have compared so far - it has a few pixel shifts but the image quality is identical, for the most part. If I was forced to choose - Arrow, with the higher bitrate, on a dual-layered disc, would get the nod for in-motion although most would find the difference imperceptible.

Audio, linear PCM, is a shade more robust but few could identify differences between it and the Twilight Time - Woody's 'Allen-esque' selections with the wonderful score credited to Kurt Weill with selections from The Cannon Song from Little Threepenny Music, When Day Is Done, Prologue from the Seven Deadly Sins, When the White Lilacs Bloom Again etc. Like the Twilight Time, it, likewise, offers optional English (SDH) subtitles, however the Arrow Blu-ray is region 'B'-locked.

Only a trailer and the Twilight Time does offer that and an isolated score option. I believe that the Arrow Woody Allen Seven Films - 1986-1991 boxset will include a booklet. This is another wonderful reasons to indulge in the Seven Films package!

***

ADDITION: Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray November 15': The new Twilight Time 1080P is brighter than the DVDs and still retains the film's textured look. I did see a few artifacts but I'm unsure if the technique to give the film it's style was not the culprit. While frequently frame-specific they did exist. Generally, it looks quite appealing in-motion adhering to the intended appearance. It's single-layered with a very high bitrate and a leap beyond the SDs.

Twilight Time use a DTS-HD master mono track. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles on the region FREE Blu-ray disc.

Twilight Time include their usual Isolated Score Track in lossless and the package has an 8-page liner notes by Julie Kirgo and is limited to 3,000 units.

This is an underrated Allen film - in the top tier - which is saying loads. I really enjoyed my viewing and recommend - despite the, occasional, niggling artifacts.

***

ON THE DVDS: Without getting overly obsessive with image, this comparison is a wash. No significant difference in either edition. The PAL edition has a few more expected DUB and subtitle options, but as with other MGM's in Europe the English subtitles are only hearing impaired. These DVDs are usually very reasonably priced so I would just nab the one that is most readily available, unless you need those additional subtitles or DUBs.

- Gary Tooze

DVD Menus

(MGM (US) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. MGM (Europe) - Region 2,4 - PAL - RIGHT)

Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Arrow - Region 'B' Blu-ray

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

Screen Captures

1) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray TOP

2) Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

Screen Captures