ADDITION: Criterion - Region 'A'  Blu-ray - April 2017: This Criterion transfer is cited as being from a "New 2K digital restoration, undertaken by the Cinémathèque royale de Belgique and supervised by director Chantal Akerman and cinematographer Babette Mangolte". The 1080P image is different from the SD transfers - looking thicker, a tweak in colors (slightly warmer flesh tones) and it shows more information in the frame ion the side and top edges - still in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio. It's true value is in-motion looking significantly improved, actually exporting a little 'scope quality' as well not seen on the DVDs. Textures as in sweaters and walls are also more pronounced in HD. The entire 3 1/4 hour film, and the supplements, are housed on one dual-layered Blu-ray disc. Personally, I found the presentation to be beautiful.

The Blu-ray offers linear PCM audio - which tends not to be a large factor in the film, but in a few outdoor scenes you can notice the depth not present on the lossy Dolby transfers. It's minor but exists. Of course, the Criterion has optional English subtitles and their Blu-ray disc is region 'A'-locked.

Extras duplicate the 2009 Criterion DVD package (see comments below), even down to the liner notes.

Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels is impossible to explain/endorse/describe to those who have not seen it - and to those who have - they don't need any words from me. Often I have found people try to 'get' something in Jeanne Dielman when that is not the issue. It is not like almost all other films - purposely! It does not compress time - but deliberately bathes in its own, often mundane, reality. Your reality. There I go again... the Blu-ray is essential and has our strongest recommendation.  

***

ON THE DVDs: Many cineastes were riding a roller coaster of emotion when Carlotta films announced a Coffret Chantal Akerman - The 70's HERE for release in April 2007 - but were later disappointed when it was confirmed that they did not include English subtitles. Cinéart (Belgium) have released a DVD collection (covered by DVDBeaver HERE), with the exact same films (Hôtel Monterey / Je, tu, il, elle / Jeanne Dielman, / News from home and Les Rendez-vous d'Anna), it has many viable supplements, AND does offer optional English (as well as Dutch) subtitles. The PAL package is divided as follows - Hôtel Monterey and Je, tu, il, elle share a dual-layered disc. Jeanne Dielman is on its own (also dual-layered). The third disc has News From Home and the three interviews as extras, then the DVD with Les rendez- vous d’Anna has the two Akerman shorts and the 5th DVD is the bonus disc (Akerman interview and Behind the Scenes) is single-layered. We decided to compare the new Criterion package version of Jeanne Dielman with the Cinéart.

Cinéart vs. Criterion image: It appears as though the source for the transfers is the exact same as there is not much difference at all between the two digital presentations (see bitrate graph similarities). The Criterion can sometimes appear a shade sharper (perhaps some minor tinkering) and its subtitles seem more complete with a different, larger, font. But beyond that as both are progressive (with no other extras sharing the dual-layered disc), have a similar bitrate but the Criterion is in NTSC running time while the Cinéart has 4% PAL speedup.  The Criterion is advertised as "Restored digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Chantal Akerman". Both look and sound marvelous (Criterion mono to Cinéart's 2.0 channel) in my opinion.

Supplements on the Cinéart: Important news on the PAL package is that all of its supplements have optional English and Dutch subtitles. You get two Akerman shorts - Saute ma ville (1968) running 12 minutes plus a silent camera piece, running 11 minutes, called La Chambre (1972). On the Les rendez- vous d’Anna DVD we have 3 separate Interviews - one with Babette Mangolte, a second with the director's mother Natalia Akerman and another with Aurore Clement (total approx. 1 hour 20 minutes). On the supplements disc for Jeanne Dielman there is an interview with Chantal Akerman (17:15) and a featurette called Autour de Jeanne Dielman. It is a limited production behind the scenes expose and runs for 1:18:25. I found it kind of boring.

Supplements on the Criterion: the film is so long and bare that I can't see a full-length commentary being viable. Unless I am incorrect - Autour de “Jeanne Dielman,” seems to run about 10-minutes shorter on the Criterion disc. It's a documentary—shot by actor Sami Frey and edited by Agnes Ravez and Akerman—made during the filming of Jeanne Dielman. It looks at the on-set relationship between Akerman, Delphine Seyrig and the crew. It's still boring BUT did notice that the Criterion subtitling is far more complete than the Cinéart which leaves many gaps without translation. Sauté ma ville (1968) is 13-minutes and is also on the Cinéart. It is Akerman’s first film, but contains an introduction by the director (13:02). Chantal Akerman on Jeanne Dielman is a 20-minute interview conducted in Paris April 2009. Chantal Akerman on Filmmaking runs 17-minutes and is footage excerpted from “Chantal Akerman par Chantal Akerman,” a 1997 episode of the French television program Cinéma de notre temps. This is the same one available on the Cinéart disc. We get about 7-minutes of a Feb. 1976 television interview excerpt featuring Akerman and star Delphine Seyrig from the program Les rendez-vous du dimanche hosted by Michel Drucker. Akerman and Seyrig discuss their work together. There is a new interview with longtime collaborator, cinematographer, Babette Mangolte who shot her films Hôtel Monterey and La Chambre. This runs 22-minutes. There is a 1/2 hour interview with Akerman’s mother Natalia (by the director herself) from 2007 - also available on the Cinéart package. Criterion have included a 20-page liner notes booklet featuring an essay by film scholar Ivone Margulies.

This is a landmark, un-missable, film and both packages represent it to an excellent level - but the Criterion, as a whole, may be marginally more polished with some new interview supplements. Those considering a double-dip should mull over the Cinéart's PAL speedup and less complete subtitle translations as discussed above. Criterion have done their, expectantly, thorough and professional job with this important title and we surely must recommend.