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| Title | Best |
| Bull Durham | R1 |
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I like this movie, so when it was released (by Image) in Region 1 (early 2001) I ordered it. This version had plenty of extras, and it has that famous "Digitally Mastered THX" band across the bottom of the cover. So I wouldn't have expected it to be replaced in any hurry. Hey, I was wrong — fortunately, our readers let us know (mostly quite politely!) when we miss something, and I got a couple of e-mails... Turns out the version I have has been discontinued, and a limited release Special Edition was released by MGM in early 2002. It must have been popular, because it's being re-released in April 2003. Humorously, right now you can't buy this film in Region 1, unless you get old stock, or a second-hand version. In case you are looking at a second-hand version, I'll tell you what my copy is like (besides, I went to all the trouble of comparing the two!). The discontinued Image Region 1 version has more extras than the Region 4, and has a slightly better transfer in most respects, but shadow detail is still poor. It's a single-sided single-layer disc, just like the Region 4. The Region 4 disc is missing, compared to this version:
The Image Region 1 disc is missing:
There's an odd thing about this R1 disc: the subtitles on/off switch is in the Special Features menu. The R1 soundtrack is 2.0 surround-encoded, unlike the 5.1 soundtrack on the R4, but I really don't think there's much difference in the quality of the sound. The director's commentary is really interesting, because he wrote the film as well. He has the experience to write about minor league baseball — he played minor league baseball for a number of years. This is an insightful commentary, and I think this is a big hole in the Region 4 disc. If this disc were the only one available in Region 1, then I'd feel compelled to recommend it on this basis. OK, now let's move on to the limited edition Region 1 disc (which is not available at the moment). It has still more extras than the Image disc. It's not in a snapper case. It's a double-sided disc, with the wide-screen version on one side and a full-screen version on the other (to be honest, I don't like that sort of disc — they're harder to handle cleanly). By the way, both Region 1 versions are claimed to be 1.85:1, but they are really 1.78:1 — all the same there, too. According to reviews, the limited edition version has a decent transfer, perhaps somewhat better than the others — I don't have a copy to compare, so I can't tell you. The limited edition MGM disc has, in the way of extras:
The English soundtrack is 5.1 (like the R4, unlike the Image R1). OK, so it misses the filmographies — I suspect that's not going to break too many hearts. The disc that's being released in April 2003 is reported by some sources to be a re-release, and to be exactly the same as the limited edition version. I truly hope so, because the Amazon listing doesn't include the director's commentary, and does include a music video (that is on the earlier version only as an Easter egg). If it turns out that Amazon is right, and the director's commentary is omitted, then I have to recommend looking for a second-hand copy (nope, mine ain't for sale!). If the director's commentary is included, then buy the new version with confidence. If you only want the movie, then the Region 4 will give you just that, but because of the quality of the writer/director's commentary, I have to recommend getting a Region 1 version. |
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