Region 4 Winners and Losers

    Effi Briest, Martha and Fear of Fear have not been released together in a box set in any region prior to the Directors Suite release in Region 4 in 2008. The releases of these films may be summarised as follows:

    1) Effi Briest -

     Released in Region 1 (USA) with a booklet, in Region 2 (The Netherlands) with a documentary, in Region 2 (France and United Kingdom)with documentaries and interviews.

     2) Martha -

     Released in Region 1 (USA) with a booklet and documentary, in Region 2 (The Netherlands and Germany)with an interview and Fear of Fear as an extra and in Region 2 (United Kingdom) in a box set with two other films and a documentary and two interviews.

     3) Fear of Fear -

     Released in Region 1 (USA) with a booklet and filmographies extra, in Region 2 (The Netherlands and Germany) as an extra on the Martha release and an interview and Region 2 (United Kingdom) in a box set with seven other films, two documentaries, two interviews and two short films. As the Region 4 release contains a documentary and interview and three essays included in a thirty page booklet, the addition of two expert audio commentaries means that the Region 4 release is the only release where these movies have had an audio commentary added. The commentaries enhance the understanding of the films for the viewer, thus, this is why the region 4 release represents outstanding value and is the best release overall.