Soldier Blue 4K UHD (1970)

[FantasticMrFox]

Originally Posted by Brian81

Do the German and French SteelBooks have region specific titling on the front and spine?

The German one has the English title on the spine. Front and back are without any text. German writing only on the J-card.

[OgamiittoMcJ]

pics of Italian





unfortunately the circular stickers to hold j-card in place have removed some of the coating from feather
most noticeable from top of feather but also slight bit from bottom of feather too
not sure why they even put this type of coating on feather anyway
it's like a dull matt finish in certain light/angle
should have just done it glossy maybe or left like rest of SB

also no need for the stickers either so bit of a shame that's happened
presume other regions may be same if they've used same finish and stickers
while it is annoying it only noticeable at certain angle so it's not as bad as it could've been I suppose

[Dickieduvet]

Still waiting for my French Steelbook to be sent out, preordered it as soon as it went up. Est arrival is 30th July

[HuggyBear73]

Orbit has the German steel up!

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by OgamiittoMcJ

unfortunately the circular stickers to hold j-card in place have removed some of the coating from feather
most noticeable from top of feather but also slight bit from bottom of feather too
not sure why they even put this type of coating on feather anyway
it's like a dull matt finish in certain light/angle
should have just done it glossy maybe or left like rest of SB

also no need for the stickers either so bit of a shame that's happened
presume other regions may be same if they've used same finish and stickers
while it is annoying it only noticeable at certain angle so it's not as bad as it could've been I suppose

Got the UK version from ZAVVI and there are no stickers at all FYI

[OgamiittoMcJ]

Originally Posted by Ruined

Got the UK version from ZAVVI and there are no stickers at all FYI

ah ok thanks for letting us know
shame the UK release has a few cut scenes (horse falls and image of a child)

does it have same type of finish, like dull on feather at certain angle/light ?
&
be interested to know if French & German will be same as they'll be Uncut like Italian too

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by OgamiittoMcJ

ah ok thanks for letting us know
shame the UK release has a few cut scenes (horse falls and image of a child)

does it have same type of finish, like dull on feather at certain angle/light ?
&
be interested to know if French & German will be same as they'll be Uncut like Italian too

Sounds that way, feather is embossed & matte, rest of case is glossy

Also this is not like typical SC 4K release where you can pick a country, its a UK-specific authoring

[McCrutchy]

I got the French SteelBook in from FNAC today and just finished watching the film. The discs carry French silkscreening with the French title and the (vastly superior, in my opinion) new artwork used for the new Blu-rays and the Australian 4K UHD. I again wish Canal had put out a standard amaray case version instead of making people buy a SteelBook to get the 4K UHD disc, but presumably, a standard edition will come along in France or Germany eventually. As for the SteelBook itself, unlike the Italian SteelBook pictured above, the French j-card only wraps around the bottom and was only affixed to the quill of the feather. On my copy, there is a tiny nick on the quill, even though it doesn't look like the sticker took any finish off. Unfortunately, there is also a pinprick dent on the front cover and a slight chip in the paint along one of the bottom edges. Like the Italian edition, the title is in English on the spine, so presumably, these are all from the same printing and have been delivered to the various distributors in Europe (and the UK).

As shown above, the 4K UHD menu is for Germany and France, in that order. The commentary and the interview with Candice Bergen (which is encoded in 4K SDR) both have optional subtitles in either French or German depending on which country menu you select, but the film itself also comes with English SDH subtitles. Oddly, on my Oppo UDP-203, at first I couldn't get any subtitles to display during the film, but restarting the player made them work.

Here is a scan of the disc I found online:

[Show spoiler]

DISC INFO:
Disc Title:     SOLDIER BLUE
Disc Label:
Disc Size:      83,946,749,553 bytes
Protection:     AACS2
Extras:         Ultra HD
BDInfo:         0.8.0.1b

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name:           00010.MPLS
Length:         01:55:20.000 (h:m:s.ms)
Size:           78,107,660,160 bytes
Total Bitrate:  90.30 Mbps

Indicates included stream hidden by this playlist.

VIDEO:

Codec                   Bitrate             Description

MPEG-H HEVC Video       64078 kbps         2160p / 24 fps / 16:9 / Main 10 @ Level 5.1 @ High / 4:2:0 / 10 bits / HDR10 / Limited Range / BT.2020 / PQ / BT.2020 non-constant / Mastering display color primaries: Display P3 / Mastering display luminance: min: 0.0001 cd/m2, max: 1000.0000 cd/m2 / Maximum Content Light Level: 740 cd / m2 / Maximum Frame-Average Light Level: 70 cd/m2
* MPEG-H HEVC Video     12744 kbps         1080p / 24 fps / 16:9 / Main 10 @ Level 5.1 @ High / 4:2:0 / 10 bits / Dolby Vision / Limited Range / BT.2020 / PQ / BT.2020 non-constant / Mastering display color primaries: Display P3 / Mastering display luminance: min: 0.0001 cd/m2, max: 1000.0000 cd/m2

AUDIO:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description

* LPCM Audio                    German           2304 kbps      2.0 / 48 kHz /  2304 kbps / 24-bit
* LPCM Audio                    English          2304 kbps      2.0 / 48 kHz /  2304 kbps / 24-bit
* LPCM Audio                    French           2304 kbps      2.0 / 48 kHz /  2304 kbps / 24-bit
LPCM Audio                      English          2304 kbps      2.0 / 48 kHz /  2304 kbps / 24-bit

SUBTITLES:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description

* Presentation Graphics         German          19.27 kbps      1920x1080 / 625 Captions
* Presentation Graphics         English         25.29 kbps      1920x1080 / 1087 Captions
* Presentation Graphics         French          18.52 kbps      1920x1080 / 867 Captions
* Presentation Graphics         German           1.32 kbps      1920x1080 / 36 Captions
* Presentation Graphics         French           1.52 kbps      1920x1080 / 59 Captions
Presentation Graphics           German          63.53 kbps      1920x1080 / 1816 Captions
* Presentation Graphics         French          61.37 kbps      1920x1080 / 2095 Captions

(This playlist would seem to be the one with the audio commentary activated from the Germany menus.)

After the StudioCanal logo, but before the film starts with its Avco Embassy logo, there is a title card for the 4K remaster. Here is the screen as it appears on the Blu-ray:

[Show spoiler]

I had never seen the film before and don't really know what to make of it. I think perhaps another viewing is in order before I comment, but quality-wise, the image looks good. Some of the blue skies look a bit teal-ish and the black levels seem slightly raised, similar to other Hiventy remasters. The audio is fine, though I did notice that the music is very loud in some places. Unfortunately, there are no credits for disc authoring anywhere on the disc or in the French SteelBook, but I don't think any of the French or German (or the cut UK) versions come with a booklet.

I also watched the interview with Candice Bergen and it's very fun. Based on the credit for StudioCanal GmbH, it would seem the interview was commissioned by StudioCanal Germany. It has a 2024 copyright and runs for 12:03.

[spinningman123]

Does anyone know if the Australian released 4K (From Studio Canal) is UNCUT or is it just a port from the UK disc?

[SpaceBlackKnight]

Originally Posted by spinningman123

Does anyone know if the Australian released 4K (From Studio Canal) is UNCUT or is it just a port from the UK disc?

The AUS release is a port of the DE/FR discs and is uncut.

It's speculated Kino (who released the BD with an older HD master still in print) will be planning to release the 4k+remastered BD over in the US in the near future.

[Jorvic]

If Kino are going to do a 4K then think I'll wait for that.

[grahams76]

Originally Posted by SpaceBlackKnight

The AUS release is a port of the DE/FR discs and is uncut.

Really? People over in the Australia section were pretty confident it would be a port of the cut UK disc. Can I ask how you know it's uncut? Thanks.

[SpaceBlackKnight]

Originally Posted by grahams76

Really? People over in the Australia section were pretty confident it would be a port of the cut UK disc. Can I ask how you know it's uncut? Thanks.

If there's a startup language select screen and if there's more than one audio track, its uncut (the regulars releases have additional French and German tracks and subs). The cut UK release only has one Eng track.

[grahams76]

Originally Posted by SpaceBlackKnight

If there's a startup language select screen and if there's more than one audio track, its uncut (the regulars releases have additional French and German tracks and subs). The cut UK release only has one Eng track.

Do you own the Australian disc? Basically, I'm not going to buy it without a guarantee it's uncut.

[SpaceBlackKnight]

Originally Posted by grahams76

Do you own the Australian disc? Basically, I'm not going to buy it without a guarantee it's uncut.

One person I know said the AU disc has 3 audio tracks and has the horsefall intact.

[grahams76]

Originally Posted by SpaceBlackKnight

One person I know said the AU disc has 3 audio tracks and has the horsefall intact.

So I’ve just naughtily opened a copy in JB Hifi and this info is 99.9% likely to be bullshit. The disc is the UK one with BBFC and Irish 18 certs so is definitely cut.

[rbxz]

Originally Posted by grahams76

So I’ve just naughtily opened a copy in JB Hifi and this info is 99.9% likely to be bullshit. The disc is the UK one with BBFC and Irish 18 certs so is definitely cut.

Legend. Thanks for that. I was just about to purchase from JB...

[McCrutchy]

Originally Posted by grahams76

So I’ve just naughtily opened a copy in JB Hifi and this info is 99.9% likely to be bullshit. The disc is the UK one with BBFC and Irish 18 certs so is definitely cut.

For what it's worth, I've seen the Australian back covers of Soldier Blue and Orca and Soldier Blue lists only English audio and subtitles, while Orca also lists French and German, since the same disc is also sold in Australia, the UK, France and Germany, so that may be another way to tell if Australia is using a cut UK disc in the future.

[Jorvic]

Got the UK edition and putting aside the issue of cuts for a moment, I thought the image on this 4K was excellent. This is probably as good as it's ever going to look. Very healthy indeed. It's a lovely steelbook too.

After a few viewings now this remains a rather bizarre film in which the tonal shifts and different acting styles remain jarring (though Donald Pleasence is always good), but in which there are also a number of undeniably effective scenes. The landscapes are impressive too.

I can only dream of far superior revisionist Westerns like Ulzana's Raid getting this kind of UHD release.

[stigdu]

I won this recently in a competition. Could someone tell me briefly how much has been cut? Is it just a horse falling or two?