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Region 4 Winners and Losers

Region 4 Winners and Losers

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Explanatory Notes
Additions or corrections (Please refer to the Explanatory Notes before emailing an addition or correction to this listing)
Title Best
Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Collector's Edition=

    There has already been a Region 4 release of the film, from Rainbow, that has thus far not been reviewed on this site. That version is presented in an incorrect aspect ratio of 1.49:1, it is not 16x9 enhanced, comes with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack, has no subtitle options and has basically bugger-all extras. Compared to this release, it is a pointless waste of time and should be avoided by all Monty Python fans.

    There have been two Region 1 DVD versions. One was a plain Jane release with bugger-all extras (well apart from some trailers for other films). It also featured a non-16x9 enhanced 1.66:1 aspect ratio transfer that was really not that pleasant to look at. To round out the disappointments, it had a serviceable Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack (presumably the original soundtrack) that did nothing to excite either. It was one of the most anticipated Region 1 releases I ever bought and ended up being one of the worst Region 1 purchases I ever made.

    That release has been supplanted by a two disc Special Edition that is the direct comparison to this Region 4 release. As far as I can ascertain, there is bugger-all difference between the two versions other than the obligatory differences in soundtrack and subtitle options. The main difference is the presence of the original mono soundtrack on the Region 1 release - it is not found on any other release that I am aware of. Likewise, just about every country in Region 2 (Europe) has their own version of the Special Edition and as far as I can see, they are all basically identical to each other, barring soundtrack and subtitle options. However, since my grasp of Spanish, French, Dutch, German, et cetera, et cetera, is pretty poor, I could well be wrong.

    Accordingly, there is no compelling reason to rate either Region 1 or Region 2 (Europe) ahead of the Region 4 release. Some, however, will certainly rate the Region 1 release as the better owing to the presence of the original soundtrack, even if I do not.

    Notwithstanding the previous, it should be noted that on some players, the subtitles on the Region 1 release apparently default to on. Also, there is a far more annoying problem on a range of players in that the subtitles switch on and off throughout playback of the movie. The problem is possibly related to the white rabbit feature and is being looked into by the distributor - along with a problem with the Swedish subtitles not displaying during the opening credits. None of these problems were encountered on the Region 4 release reviewed - but obviously the sample of players is fairly limited thus far!