Region 4 Winners and Losers

    There does not appear to be a Region 1 version of this disc available, but there have been two distinct versions released in France: one by Polygram, and the other by Tartan Video. The Tartan video version would appear, at first, to be more censored than the version available here, with a running length of 92 minutes. This is actually because it is presented in PAL rather than the NTSC-to-PAL conversion we have in Region 4. It features a 1.66:1 letterboxed video transfer and a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround-encoded audio transfer. The Polygram version features a 1.78:1 16x9 Enhanced video transfer with a Dolby Digital 1.0 audio transfer.

    Reliable information about overseas versions of this disc is very hard to come by, and the decision as to which version represents the best value for money has to rest with the purchaser.

Addendum December 17, 2002: There now appears to be a Region 1 version of this title, released by the good folks at Criterion. Its specifications appear to be the same as the R2 uncensored version, and it is uncensored. The Criterion disc features a 16x9 Enhanced 1.66:1 transfer, 24 chapter stops, a Dolby Digital 2.0 mono soundtrack, and the classic short film Pas De C4 Pour Daniel Daniel. This definitely makes the Region 1 Criterion DVD the version of choice.