Am I the only person who prefers the Park Circus/MK2 release of Modern Times to the Criterion? I think the Criterion is too dark and I like the rounded corners on the Park Circus/MK2 release. I'm debating over whether to wait before purchasing the rest of the Chaplins but the Park Circus/MK2 covers match :ohnoes:

Well I guess it's certainly a matter of preference, which looks better. But if you're looking at the whole package, the Criterion has a lot more to offer.

Does the Park Circus release really have rounded corners? I don't see any on the screenshots in the review on this site. The German Kinowelt disc does have them though.

In any case the Criterion easily has the best transfer of the bunch with the fewest number of discernible problems. The brightness is personal preference but I like a bit stronger contrast, I don't think these films need to look so washed out just because they're old.

For image quality I far prefer the MK2 release also. It has less image cropping and preserved the tonal range. In the criterion the blacks are crushed, which looks very strange in bright daylight with such deep shadows. Even the signature shot walking on the road has shadow detail crushed.

It seems wrong to crop so much of the frame away to remove the rounded corner for a modern audience - give us the full frame!

I know it is a personal preference, but that is such wrong headed thinking. Do we demand our modern movies be transferred open matte? If we did, the majority of modern films would be on Blu-ray in 4x3

Hmm...according to DVDBeaver the A/V should be exactly the same. I've just being browsing to decide whether to go for the Criterion or Park Circus you see.

EDIT: Just give it a rent on iTunes, it doesn't have rounded corners (I'm presuming it will be the same for the Blu-Ray). I'm slightly disappointed but I'm not going to bother importing the MK2

That seems to have been an assumption that turned out wrong. There are a number of matching shots between the reviews of the two on this site, and the Park Circus looks to be even more cropped than the Criterion (look at the shot of the gamine in bed for example.)

And again the Criterion has the better transfer, with slightly better definition, more consistent grain, less edge enhancement and a true greyscale image (both the Park Circus and Kinowelt have a slight green tint.) To me the choice seems easy, unless you're really that bothered by the increased contrast on the Criterion.

If it wasn't supposed to be seen, don't include it. The projector aperture is smaller than the image on the film... were the corners of the image ever visible on a properly projected print?

Got a nice little package in the mail today...

http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg619/sca...=640&ysize=640

I've been on a pretty big movie bender the last few days (my wife is out of town), including 8 1/2, Cronos, Night of the Hunter, and Wings of Desire. I was going to stream Antichrist tonight (after the Pens game), but might have to watch one of the Fullers instead.

Glad you finally got your "Pierrot le Fou." Congrats.

Given its hit-or-miss nature I wouldn't suggest a blind buy but if you have the option of renting the BD I would absolutely go that way over streaming. It's not the kind of thing you would pop in to show off your system but it can be very visually striking at times.

And given how dark some scenes are and how generally muted the color scheme is overall I would expect compression to just play hell with it.

It's well worth a watch (or five), though. I enjo...well, that's not the right word...was engaged throughout the first viewing and am very much looking forward to sitting down with it again and trying to figure out just what the hell I was watching.

Thanks. The case has a crack in it, but I'm just glad to get a copy.

Thanks for the tip. I was thinking about getting the BD from Netflix, but thought it might be a good time to watch it, what with the wife out of town. I might end up just buying it next BN sale (assuming one happens)...I have a few of his other movies on DVD that I enjoy.

Started my collection
 

I just started my criterion blu ray collection:
Seven Samurai
The Thin Red Line

What should I get next?

Give "The 400 Blows" a try.

Last Year at Marienbad

M, The Third Man (expensive because it's out of print) and Stagecoach are all very highly regarded and Revanche and Paths of Glory were two of my absolute favorite pickups this year.

Wages of Fear!

EDIT:

Although "Path's of Glory" would be a good pick-up too.

This may be common knowledge, but I figured I'd share it in case it would help someone: Barnes and Noble has most of their blu rays at b2g1 free. Their prices are pretty high normally but the two newest releases, Shock Corridor and Naked Kiss were both 27.99.

Thus, I was able to get them plus Robinson Crusoe on Mars for $60 shipped. I say $20 each shipped for Criterion blu's is a good deal (especially on these new releases).

There was no code or anything, it automatically adjusted when I put these in my cart.

Can't go wrong with this release. I have stated my love for this film several times on this thread. It's one of the best Criterion Blus out there.

Ahhh, the age old question! Many people answered with great suggestions, so I will add my .02.

Charade, The Night of the Hunter, Videodrome, Secret of the Grain, The Magician, and you can't go wrong with Army of Shadows!