Region 4 Winners and Losers

    I have a copy of the Criterion release of the film from Region 1, so I can make a direct comparison between the two. I popped the disc in immediately after watching the Region 4 feature, and the first thing I noticed was that the Criterion seems to be cropped at the top and sides. It also has fewer film artefacts. It also seems to have had the contrast boosted more than the Region 4, which makes some of the details in bright whites or deep blacks harder to see. Contrast boosting also has the effect of making the details in mid-tones more visible, so it has the appearance of being sharper and more detailed. However I much prefer the tonal range of the Region 4, which looks more natural.

    In terms of extra material the Criterion has the same interview outtakes from My Metier, plus the two outtakes from Carl Th. Dreyer (totalling under 8 minutes) missing from the Madman and a stills gallery

    The Criterion is only available in a four-disc box set that includes Ordet, Gertrud and the documentary My Metier.

    There is also a Region 2 release from the BFI in the UK which appears to have the same transfer as the Region 4. It has an audio commentary as well, and instead of Thorvaldsen it has the short film The Cure For Cancer.

    Comparisons are not easy. I think that the commentary tips the balance in favour of the Region 2, but only just. If you are not interested in the commentary there is no reason not to prefer the Region 4.