A Brief History of Time (1991)

[Scottie]

Errol Morris turns his camera on one of the most fascinating men in the world: the pioneering astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, afflicted by a debilitating motor neuron disease that has left him without a voice or the use of his limbs. An adroitly crafted tale of personal adversity, professional triumph, and cosmological inquiry, Morris’s documentary examines the way the collapse of Hawking’s body has been accompanied by the untrammeled broadening of his imagination. Telling the man’s incredible story through the voices of his colleagues and loved ones, while making dynamically accessible some of the theories in Hawking’s best-selling book of the same name, A Brief History of Time is at once as small as a single life and as big as the ever-expanding universe.

Disc Features
DIRECTOR-APPROVED EDITION:

New, restored 4K digital film transfer, supervised by director of photography John Bailey and approved by director Errol Morris, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
New interview with Morris
New interview with Bailey
One Blu-ray and one DVD, with all content available in both formats
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic David Sterritt, a chapter from Stephen Hawking’s 2013 memoir My Brief History, and a short excerpt from Hawking’s 1988 book A Brief History of Time

[Jett Rink]

This looks really exciting! Day one for me, thanks OP!

[MifuneFan]

Another title that likely would have been $29.99 if not for the dual format.

[Jett Rink]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Another title that likely would have been $29.99 if not for the dual format.

It is that price now.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Jett Rink

It is that price now.

Where? It's showing an SRP of $39.95 on Criterion's site. I'm talking about the SRP, not the standard discount Criterion gives to their titles on the site.

[Jett Rink]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Where? It's showing an SRP of $39.95 on Criterion's site. I'm talking about the SRP, not the standard discount Criterion gives to their titles on the site.

Oh, I don't even go by that price. Should I start going by the SRP to get on a level playing field?

[Hypnosifl]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Where? It's showing an SRP of $39.95 on Criterion's site. I'm talking about the SRP, not the standard discount Criterion gives to their titles on the site.

It seems to me that hardly any Criterion titles ever had a SRP under $30 even before they switched to dual format--only ones I could remember were Jubal and Ministry of Fear. And looking at the first 25 results when I search for blu rays on criterion.com, the only one with a SRP that's under $39.95 is The Ballad of Narayama. So what makes you think this title in particular would have "likely" been $29.99, when that price was so rare for Criterion titles in general? (there doesn't seem to be any trend for documentaries to have been cheaper than other titles, for example the blu rays for The War Room and The Times of Harvey Milk were $39.95)

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Hypnosifl

It seems to me that hardly any Criterion titles ever had a SRP under $30 even before they switched to dual format--only ones I could remember were Jubal and Ministry of Fear. And looking at the first 25 results when I search for blu rays on criterion.com, the only one with a SRP that's under $39.95 is The Ballad of Narayama. So what makes you think this title in particular would have "likely" been $29.99, when that price was so rare for Criterion titles in general?

Titles with no extras, or very little usually have a $29.95 MSRP. That includes:

Ministry of Fear
The Makioka Sisters
Jubal
Three Outlaw Samurai
Gate of Hell
The Uninvited
I Married a Witch
The Organizer
Summer Interlude
(possibly others)

Rififi is another that would probably be $29.95 if not for the dual format. It's pretty barebones as far as extras go. I think the Dual Format allows Criterion to justify charging premium despite not having a premium amount of extras included. I think we'll see more and more of this in the upcoming years. On the plus side this likely means more obscure titles may get a BD release now, that may not have otherwise.

[Hypnosifl]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Titles with no extras, or very little usually have a $29.95 MSRP.

Ah ok, that makes sense.

[ArnoldLayne56]

Costco has this for $19.99

[HD Canuck]

Well, this one may see a spike in sales over the next few days. RIP Professor.

[Ray Jackson]

How much does this doc deal with Hawking’s scientific theories?

...or is it primarily an account of his personal struggle?

[Wernski]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

How much does this doc deal with Hawking’s scientific theories?

...or is it primarily an account of his personal struggle?

It explains some basics, but it's essentially a biography, interviewing him, his family and peers.

[amputd]

Not a huge fan of most of the documentaries in the collection. I think For All Mankind is over-rated, for example. Never was convinced it deserved the 4k treatment. Documentaries can also get very dated, as indicated by the article below.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/...-book-is-wrong