Both discs in this set are REGION B LOCKED as indicated on the discs and packaging.
As noted above, this is the Photoplay Productions restoration of the film, which is a different restoration than the one released by Kino in the U.S. in 2011 and Eureka/MoC in the UK in 2013. It also includes a different score for the film (conducted by John Lanchbery), which is presented in either LPCM Stereo or DTS-HD MA 5.1. Since the film uses English-language intertitles, there is no need for any subtitling.
Accompanying the film on the first disc are the 1930 re-issue prologue and intermission, the outtakes and camera tests, the new Melvyn Stokes interview and the Kate Bruce newsreel. All of the other extras and films are on the second BD-50 disc.
Code:
Total Video
Title Codec Length Movie Size Disc Size Bitrate Bitrate Main Audio Track Secondary Audio Track
----- ------ ------- -------------- -------------- ------- ------- ------------------ ---------------------
00000.MPLS AVC 3:11:07 39,095,718,336 49,033,253,801 27.27 19.75 LPCM 2.0 2304Kbps (48kHz/24-bit) DTS-HD Master 5.1 3817Kbps (48kHz/24-bit)
I watched a bunch of this last night... no contest, this is the best presentation of this film ever released. The image quality is excellent, nothing like the dupey, scratched up prints I've had to squint at in the past. The music is a reconstruction of the original release score. This was the first silent film to have a live orchestra perform along with it, so that is important. The commentaries are informative and put the film into perfect context AND for once, they actually touch on the things that make this film great cinematically, beyond just the typical history of the Civil War stuff. I put on The Coward to check it out and ended up watching the whole film. Incredible image quality! Hard to believe these films are 100 years old.
In the past, I've always had to take Birth of a Nation in little chunks. I always assumed that was because of the racism, but now I realize that the uneven density shifting and swarms of scratches were pulling me out of the film. This film has been so hobbled by lackluster releases, it was hard to tell why the film is important at all. But last night I started watching and was totally engaged in the film making and melodrama. The whole package of epic battle scenes, acting, music and pacing was overwhelming. It doesn't mean that I'm going to agree with the racism, but it does mean that finally with this BFI release, I totally understand why audiences were so bowled over by this movie. It really packs an emotional wallop and the sophistication of the way the story is told visually is pure genius.
I plan to spend a day going through the film and studying the staging and cutting. There's as much in here to learn from as Chaplin's and Keaton's best.
Needless to say the BFI blows the old transfer out of the water. It's like the BFI vs. MoC Nosferatu situation, but the other way round!
Oh damn, I'll have to double dip then.
Interesting to see they don't even share the same color tinting (like for the same shot, one is yellow and the other green).
Finally got around to watching this one. Definite improvement in visual quality.
It's been a while since I watched the Eureka release, but upon starting the feature on the BFI release I immediately noticed that the opening cast credits are now gone. This has got me curious about any other notable differences between the Photoplay restoration and the cut that Eureka/Kino accessed. Anybody have any more info?
Another thing I noticed (again, it's been a while since I viewed the Eureka disc) is that the framerate seemed to be more variable in speed. I assume this is inherent to the source or was done to compensate for the score.
I think the BFI tries to get as close to the original roadshow presentation as possible. Griffith continued editing BoaN for months after it was released, and there are so many different cuts, it's not possible to say any one is definitive.
Now, were my eyes playing tricks on me or are some chunks of the movie running below 16fps for extended periods? I also noticed (albeit at a much lower frequency) that there were moments where the framerate felt higher (possibly 24fps?). I'm still learning about silent film framerates and such.
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
The Birth of a Nation (BFI) (Photoplay Restoration) (D.W. Griffith)
Linear Mode
