ADDITION: Olive (Signature) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - November 2016': As with their Blu-ray releases of Johnny Guitar, High Noon, The Quiet Man and The Night of the Grizzly - Olive Films have raised-the-bar from their initial packages to create a, much-improved, 'Signature' edition. In their double Blu-ray releases they have included both the 1948 and shorter (edited) 1950 version.

Olive have augmented the video with more than 50% of the 2012, bare-bones, Blu-ray release bitrate. It is a darker, richer, better grain-supported image and looks superior in-motion. While less-prevalent in the static screen captures you can still see the better layered contrast and textures appearing much more film-like. Both 1948 (Blu-ray 1) and 1950 (Blu-ray 2) versions have max'ed out bitrates and look similar and extremely impressive.

Audio also gets a notable bump - still DTS-HD Master but 24-bit as opposed to 16-bit. The inconsistencies of the production still exports some echoes but now they sounds deeper and part of the intent supporting the atmosphere well including input from Jacques Ibert's score. Olive also add optional English (SDH) subtitles for both versions. Their Blu-ray discs remain region 'A'-locked.

For many the improvement will be most notable in the extras included in the new Signature release. We get an excellent audio commentary with Welles biographer Joseph McBride - for the 48' version only. The remainder of the supplements are on disc 2 (the 1950 version) where we have 12-minutes of Welles and Shakespeare - an interview with Welles expert, Professor Michael Anderegg, Adapting Shakespeare on Film is an 8.5 minute conversation with directors Carlo Carlei (Romeo & Juliet) and Billy Morrissette (Scotland, PA) discussing Shakespeare etc. There is a 7-minute excerpt from We Work Again, a 1937 WPA documentary containing scenes from Welles' Federal Theatre Project production of Macbeth. That Was Orson Welles is a 10-minute interview with Welles' close friend and co-author, Peter Bogdanovich. Restoring Macbeth spends 8.5 minutes with former UCLA Film & Television Archive Preservation Officer Bob Gitt. Free Republic: The Story of Herbert J. Yates and Republic Pictures was seen on previous Signature releases and there is an essay by critic Jonathan Rosenbaum (in both liner notes and accessible digitally) entitled The Two Macbeths.

Wow - another monumentally impressive Signature Blu-ray release from Olive. It certainly puts the 2012 edition to shame and makes it the definitive package for Orson Welles' haunting Shakespearian adaptation. Our highest recommendation!

***

ON THE DVD: Note: All captures in this review are from the longer restoration cut.

I was not aware that this set was available until I read about it in Jonathan Rosenbaum's article recently posted HERE.

The material is presented in a clean interlaced transfer and spread out over three discs. The DVD containing the shorter version is single layered. The other two discs are dual-layered.

The listed running time for the short version is 85 minutes. My player displayed a running time of 81:31 which could be explained by 4% PAL speedup.  I'm having a harder time evaluating the true running time of the longer cut. The package and my player list this version at 114 minutes. The running time of the restoration is said to be 107 or 103 minutes, depending on whose account one reads. There is a bit over eight minutes of overture music prior to the opening sequence and around three minutes of exit music. This leaves 103 minutes for the feature. If the 4% PAL speed up is present then this may represent a 107 minute feature. But then, why is the actual running time listed correctly as 114 minutes while the shorter version has a 4% difference in it's running time from what is stated on the package? I know I'm splitting hairs here but I find it puzzling.

The video looks pretty good for a film that has undergone extensive digital restoration. The minor digital noise that is evident is preferable to the way the film looked prior to being restored as the comparison demo makes clear.

The audio is also very decent, a bit tinny at times, but not overly distracting.

The extras are rich and extensive but it would have been nice if Wild Side Video had included English subtitles. There is a lot of information being related that is no doubt worth hearing. I particularly enjoyed seeing the four minute clip of Welles "Voodoo Macbeth" from an old newsreel.

My only real complaint with the set is that you cannot turn off the French subtitles even though they are not burned in. Between this and the French only supplements it's apparent that Wild Side Video did not produce this DVD with the overseas market in mind.

Still, it's a great buy for a serious fans of Orson Welles. I am grateful to Mr. Rosenbaum for bringing it to my attention. out of  

 - Gregg Ferencz