Region 4 Winners and Losers

    The comparison with the overseas competition is not straightforward.

    The Region 1 equivalent was one of the earliest DVD releases from the Criterion Collection (spine number 4). In comparison to the Region 1, the Region 4 misses out on

• Booklet
• Restoration demonstration

    In comparison to the Region 4, the Region 1 misses out on

• 16x9 enhancement
• Theatrical trailer

    The major plus of the Criterion is the restoration, which apparently removes most of the print damage and dirt and leaves the film looking a lot better than the Region 2 equivalent, with greater levels of detail.

    There are several varieties of the Region 2. All sound as though they have the same transfer as the Region 4 and the same extras. However, the French edition is a 2-disc set with the following extras:

• Featurette - The Music of Nino Rota (12 minutes)
• Featurette - Fellini's Amarcord (34 minutes) - this is a recent documentary with interviews with actors and cast
• Featurette - The Magic World of Fellini (27 minutes) - three experts examine the film
• Trailers - Death in Venice and The Damned

    The extras on this set all feature English subtitles.

    Choosing between these three depends on your equipment and whether you like to have extras. If you only have a 4x3 display and are not interested in extras, the Region 1 would be the winner. If you have a 16x9 display and are not interested in extras, you would probably prefer the Region 4 (even though the Region 1 seems to have 16x9-friendly subtitles). If you really want extras, there's the French option. If you want the best of this film, you would probably want to invest in both the Region 1 and the French Region 2, which would be quite expensive. I'm unable to make a definitive recommendation until such time as a restored and 16x9 enhanced edition becomes available.