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

ADDITION: Odeon Entertainment - Region FREE - Blu-ray (October 2015): Regarding the DVDs - this was one of our very old review/comparisons where we relied on 'Rewind" to detail some of the extras. I simply added some matching captures of the new Odeon Blu-ray and will comment on it here.

Firstly, it has a different opening credit sequence (see title above). Since the DVDs were non-anamorphic, and the Criterion interlaced, the improvement in the 1080P is quite apparent. It can look a little shaky at times but is significantly superior to the SDs with much more information in the 1.78:1 frame. The DVDs were around 1.63:1. So, while the Blu-ray takes a giant leap forward - it is still a shade 'jumpy' at times but colors seem far more true and it played reasonably well on my system via this Odeon Blu-ray - which is possibly the best we'll see this film in this format. The transfer is dual-layered (mega extras) with a supportive bitrate and at 24 frames/second. It seems true to source and without some form of restoration this is all we can ask. Grain textures are very prevalent and there is some depth as well. For more on the restoration see HERE.

NOTE: Peter says in email "Firstly, the 1.66 original image has been stretched to fit anamorphic 1.78! That's pretty ridiculous. Everything looks like it has the "Cinemascope mumps".

Secondly, this transfer is clearly a mish-mash of sources, mostly from a good source (like the negative or a fine grain positive), but also from faded and soft stuff which looks like old release prints. Furthermore, this may have been the reissue which actually cuts three or four scenes out entirely (so I have heard). During the whipping scene, there are splices in it which I'm pretty sure are cutting out a reverse shot of Jimmy Cliff nude. In any event, it's a strange transfer for various reasons, and I'd sure like to see the Criterion one again to compare the footage (and the running time, not that I'm sure the Criterion has the missing bits, either.)"

And I dug out the Criterion version, as well. While I haven't identified the potentially missing scenes yet, and the running time is the same between the both.

However, in my estimation, the Blu-ray is actually a serious botch all the way around. The stretching of the image to fake 1.78 widescreen looks terrible. Really terrible. Once you notice how every face has become oblong, it's hard to unsee it.

From a source material standpoint, what is gained in detail is lost in very erratic shifts of color. The Kodachrome lushness of the 16mm "look" of the film is entirely replaced by a flat, often quite faded appearance. This is surely because it was entirely created in the digital domain from less-than-ideal sources at times. One sequence from about 50:20 onwards is cobbled together from material so badly faded that it begs the question why they didn't use an existing un-faded video source (like Criterion's) when the whole thing was done digitally, anyway.

The track is mono, as it should be... until they decide to replace a song here or there in stereo. Terrible idea, since it's very jarring to the ear to have one song in low-fidelity (production-appropriate) and a few minutes later, crystal-clear stereo appears and then disappears again.

Finally, the title sequence which was so unique and playful has been entirely removed (it animated left to right in a unique type style) and replaced by very dull, static white credits. (And the same for the end credits: the equally playful closing type is replaced by a boring credit scroll.) The subtitles are way more accurate to the patois than the Criterion's, but that is about its only asset.

What we have with this HARDER THEY COME is _not_ a restoration. It's a new version, from 2006, which makes questionable decisions. The fact that it is stretched so badly snuffs it out my interest in it entirely, and I found myself much happier watching the colorful original print on Criterion's version, lo-resolution transfer and all, than the Blu-ray." (Thanks Peter!)