Region 4 Winners and Losers

   Le Plaisir was released in region 2 in the United Kingdom in 2006. It contains the exact same video and audio transfer as the Region 4 Directors Suite release. It also has the exact same extras, minus the audio commentary by Adrian Martin.

    The Region 1 United States Criterion Collection release came out in September, 2008. The video transfer on this release is darker than the Region 2 and 4 releases and is also picture-boxed. A black border surrounds the image so that it is not cut off when displayed on Cathode Ray Tube televisions. This is an annoyance for consumers who have high-definition flat-screen televisions as the border is maintained on the display when viewed on these televisions. For extras, the Criterion Collection release has the same introduction by Todd Haynes and the featurette From Script to Screen by Jean-Pierre Berthomé. Unique extras to this release include two narration excerpts in English by Peter Ustinov and in German by Anton Walbrook and three interviews with cast and crew: actor Daniel Gélin, assistant director Tony Abeyant and set decorator Robert Christidès. A sixteen-page written appreciation of the film by film critic Robin Wood is also included on this release.

    The Madman Entertainment Directors Suite Region 4 release in September, 2009 contains all the extras found on the Second Sight Region release with the audio commentary by Dr. Martin unique to the Region 4 version of Le Plaisir. Therefore (due to Dr. Martin's commentary) in my opinion, the Region 4 release is the best version of Le Plaisir currently available.