Region 4 Winners and Losers

    As I mentioned earlier, I bought a copy of this film on Region 2 DVD when it first became available on DVD. Then I bought the Region 1 special edition when it came out. So how does the Region 4 release compare? This is easier than you might expect. The Region 1 release and the Region 4 use exactly the same first disc — only the region coding is different. The second disc has a different menu, and the R1 has a couple of other tiny text-based extras, including a brief filmography for Welles (that omits The Third Man, and many others), but both versions of the second disc contain the same documentary.

    The Region 2 disc I bought is rather interesting, if only because it provides context — it shows what the film could have looked like, with all manner of film artefacts (spots, flecks, scratches, and so forth), with MPEG artefacts, and with a variety of film-to-video artefacts too. Oh, and let's not forget the crackle and pop on the soundtrack, either! I believe this version is still available, but there has been a special edition released in Region 2 since then. It is supposed to feature a re-mastered feature, one audio commentary (from Ken Barnes), and a second disc with a completely different set of extras from the R1/R4. I don't have definitive information on this special edition, but it might be worth further investigation if you cannot play NTSC on your system.

    You can pick the R1 or the R4 with confidence — you're getting the same brilliant film transfer either way (in NTSC on both).