Fritz Lang on DVD/Blu-ray

[TMDaines]

I thought the Cinema Club DVD was supposed to be the best release of You Only Live Once. I know StudioCanal put out a new version this year, but I never saw any reviews. What are you basing your assessment on, matrix?

DVD Times review

Get the StudioCanal. Similar transfer - may be better but I've never directly compared the two - but it has three new extras: an over-an-hour long audio interview with Lang on various topics (that you can rip to an audio file, if you so wish), a 15 minute or so long interview/video essay with George Wilson on the film and a vintage promotional piece that features some behind-the-scene footage. Optional English subtitles too.

Considering you can pick this up for less than a fiver if you watch eBay and Amazon Marketplace, this is one of bargains of the year. A real shame it wasn't put out on Blu-ray but it's a great release all the same.

Whatever you do don't pay money for the Italian Blu of You OnlyLive Once ("Sono INnocente"). The pinching is totally unforgiveable, clearly a human encoding error - the image appears to be pinched to about 1.27:1. Canal should never have left this out on sale.

Obviously an HTPC (or some Blu-ray players even?) could easily correct this error, and then it's a not such a bad buy considering the price has fallen to only €6 on Amazon.it before, but I opted for the StudioCanal DVD for the new extras. There is a Spanish Blu-ray too but I know nothing about it.

[matrixschmatrix]

I thought the Cinema Club DVD was supposed to be the best release of You Only Live Once. I know StudioCanal put out a new version this year, but I never saw any reviews. What are you basing your assessment on, matrix?

I just left anything that I couldn't compare myself as Der Spieler had put it.

[domino harvey]

VLC does it for DVDs and video files but I don't know if you can use it for Blu-rays

[TMDaines]

VLC or MPC can stretch video and both can play Blu-rays in conjunction with something like AnyDVD. That's how I watch the vast majority of my Blu-rays at university.

[rockysds]

Western Union on blu-ray from Koch Media. May 10th.

[hearthesilence]

Fury is playing at MoMA tonight in 35mm at 8 p.m. I can't make it, but I decided to buy it on DVD and when I checked Amazon, I saw this notice under the 'Product Description,' in bold:

NOTE: This Title Is Out Of Print; Limit One Per Customer.

I don't think I've ever noticed them doing this before - is this a new policy for out-of-print discs?

[HitchcockLang]

Unfortunately, I am locked to Region 1/A, NTSC.

A few additions not in the list here, though:

MoC - The Indian Epic (I have read is actually Region 0 NTSC)
Olive - Secret Beyond the Door (Blu-Ray)
Olive - Cloak and Dagger (Blu-Ray)

Does anyone know if the Kock Western Union Blu is Region Free or B?

I am actually in the process of writing a book on the films of Lang (set to be very exhaustive) and am trying to scrounge up the best home video versions available. Any rumors of anything new on the horizon?

[Forrest Taft]

Does anyone know if the Kock Western Union Blu is Region Free or B?

I switched my multiregion player to region A, and Western Union plays fine, so I guess it's safe to import this title for those of you locked to region A!

[HitchcockLang]

I haven't seen any mention of the recent Criterion Collection Blu-Ray of Ministry of Fear. It should be added to any list.

[HitchcockLang]

I imported the Western Union Blu but alas it would not work for me. I just got the message that said "Format not supported" which is different from region messages I have seen so perhaps the menu has PAL content? Any way around that?

In the meantime I just ordered the recently released 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives Region 1 DVD release of Western Union.

I also just ordered their release of Confirm or Deny (which began as a Fritz Lang film but was ultimately turned over to Archie Mayo, just like Moontide)

These two new MOD releases should be added to the list in this thread.

[Forrest Taft]

Thanks for the tip on Confirm or Deny, a film I've been curious about for some time. Co-written by Sam Fuller!

[HitchcockLang]

Thanks for the tip on Confirm or Deny, a film I've been curious about for some time. Co-written by Sam Fuller!

No problem. Here's hoping that Fox releases American Guerrilla in the Philippines even if as part of their MOD Cinema Archives series!

[domino harvey]

Thanks for the tip on Confirm or Deny, a film I've been curious about for some time. Co-written by Sam Fuller!

No problem. Here's hoping that Fox releases American Guerrilla in the Philippines even if as part of their MOD Cinema Archives series!

If you're region free Fox put it out in Spain

[domino harvey]

I have seen every Lang film he made since coming to Hollywood and I probably only like Beyond a Reasonable Doubt less, but that's such an unpopular opinion that you're basically right

[HitchcockLang]

Fox Cinema Archives finally released American Guerrilla in the Philippines on MOD which leaves only You and Me without a Region 1 DVD release. These past couple of years have been pretty good for region 1 Lang with all the Kino releases and upgrades, Olive's two BD releases, and Ministry of Fear's addition to the Criterion Collection.

[bugsy_pal]

I have the French release of House By the River, which is not a bad transfer. I'm a big fan of the film. I always prefer R1 NTSC versions where possible, as I hate the PAL speedup. Is the Kino disc worth pursuing, or is it vastly inferior?

I am hoping that maybe Olive might pick up this film one day and release it on bluray...

[Askew]

The Kino DVD is very interlaced and looks a little green instead of plain black and white. I think Cohen has the rights to House by the River now, but I could be wrong.

[rockysds]

Man Hunt released in a Dual Format book release from Sidonis. I'm not sure whether the French subtitles are forced or not.

[TMDaines]

The Big Heat is out on Blu-ray in Spain. Region free, English subtitles and the exact same transfer as Twilight Time at half the price.

[EddieLarkin]

Gary seems to imply it is a bootleg...

[TMDaines]

Be interested to hear if it is a BD-R. Seemingly that label has a history of them, sadly.

It would be nice if the rumoured Wild Side release ever came out.

Edit: Thankfully it does appear as if the Spanish Blu-ray of The Big Heat is in fact a pressed disc: mundodvd.

[Askew]

The Wild Side release is no longer just a rumour.

[martin]

I recently got this Spanish 3-disc BD set with You Only Live Once, Cloak and Dagger & Scarlet Street.

They're not too bad: 1080p, and (I believe) pressed discs. They all have English audio tracks, and none have forced subs. Scarlet Streeet is based on the same print as the Kino BD (same scratches and dust marks) but it's not digitally identical. But about the same, I think, in terms of PQ, perhaps a tad softer. Likewise, You Only Live Once looks pretty identical to the Italian BD (judging by DVDBeaver's scrrencaptures). I haven't have time to have a closer look at Cloak and Dagger yet.

[perkizitore]

Any reviews of the Odeon DVD of Hangmen Must Die? The transfer is supposedly from a restored print but have no idea how it compares to the German DVD.

[FrauBlucher]

I suspect that Cohen will release a Blu here in the states. I saw their restoration version not long ago. It looked terrific.
Here is a trailer from Cohen