The Wages of Fear 4K/UHD BFI release (1 Viewer)

[Angelo Colombus]

On February 5th the BFI will release on 4K disc The Wages of Fear. One of my favorite foreign films and a easy purchase for me but maybe Criterion might release one too?

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin (2017)
• Interview with assistant director Michel Romanoff (2005,23 mins)
• Interview with Clouzot biographer Marc Godin (2005, 10 mins)
• Interview with Professor Lucy Mazdon (2017, 35 mins): an in-depth interview about Henri-Georges Clouzot and The Wages of Fear
• The Guardian Lecture: Yves Montand in conversation with Don Allen (1989, 99 mins, audio only): the star discusses his distinguished career
• Original theatrical trailer
• Other extras TBC
• **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet featuring writing on the film, original reviews and an appreciation of Clouzot by Paul Ryan

 

[JPCinema]

On February 5th the BFI will release on 4K disc The Wages of Fear. One of my favorite foreign films and a easy purchase for me but maybe Criterion might release one too?

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Audio commentary by film critic Adrian Martin (2017)
• Interview with assistant director Michel Romanoff (2005,23 mins)
• Interview with Clouzot biographer Marc Godin (2005, 10 mins)
• Interview with Professor Lucy Mazdon (2017, 35 mins): an in-depth interview about Henri-Georges Clouzot and The Wages of Fear
• The Guardian Lecture: Yves Montand in conversation with Don Allen (1989, 99 mins, audio only): the star discusses his distinguished career
• Original theatrical trailer
• Other extras TBC
• **FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet featuring writing on the film, original reviews and an appreciation of Clouzot by Paul Ryan

View attachment 202953

Fantastic news!

 

[titch]

I have the 2017 BFI blu-ray - which is based on the same 4K restoration - and can attest that it looks magnificent (as well as being five minutes longer than the Criterion). Pretty sure that Criterion will licence this 4K master, as they did with The Seventh Seal. Wages Of Fear is one of their key films, way back from LaserDisc days. That's a very uninspired cover though. Graphically, it resembles the BFI 4K UHD The Proposition. I wish they had carried over the cover from the blu-ray, but I suppose the cigarette dangling out of Yves Montand's mouth is considered très risqué?

 

[Angelo Colombus]

I have the 2017 BFI blu-ray - which is based on the same 4K restoration - and can attest that it looks magnificent (as well as being five minutes longer than the Criterion). Pretty sure that Criterion will licence this 4K master, as they did with The Seventh Seal. Wages Of Fear is one of their key films, way back from LaserDisc days. That's a very uninspired cover though. Graphically, it resembles the BFI 4K UHD The Proposition. I wish they had carried over the cover from the blu-ray, but I suppose the cigarette dangling out of Yves Montand's mouth is considered très risqué?

I still have Criterion laserdisc releases of The Seventh Seal & Wages Of Fear. It was me seeing these discs that made me get a laserdisc player years ago.

 

[Lord Dalek]

I'd say its probably coming in the next year.

 

[titch]

Can't really say I prefer this 4K UHD, over the blu-ray. It's the same master but the 4K UHD is really grainy. Distractingly so. I usually like a sharp, grainy picture from the negative, but not in this case. Projected, the picture's contrast is increased, which isn't a benefit either. I wish the BFI had left out the HDR. I wonder what it would look like on an OLED? If Criterion releases this and smooths the grain a bit, it might look better.

 

[JoshZ]

Can't really say I prefer this 4K UHD, over the blu-ray. It's the same master but the 4K UHD is really grainy.

Out of curiosity, have you compared to the older Criterion Blu-ray?

What's the deal with some of your shots looking so blue?

[Edit: I recall now that we previously discussed the issue with your OLED displaying b&w films with too blue a color temperature in the Wings of Desire thread.]

 

[Konstantinos]

I think it's better to see the comparisons at DVDbeaver, and not screenshots taken from photos of a screen (that is probably what the OP posted).

The Wages of Fear 4K UHD - Yves Montand / Véra Clouzot

There's not an enough grainy film for me. I love grain!

But I'm not sure I'd buy this film. I remember I was bored in the first half (it was quite slow), but of course I loved the 2nd half.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

I viewed the comparisons at DVDBeaver and will wait to see if Criterion will release their 4K version?

 

[Robert Harris]

4k is not nirvana for old films.

 

[Robert Crawford]

4k is not nirvana for old films.

Particularly when viewed on a projector system at home.

 

[JPCinema]

I watched the new BFI 4K of THE WAGES OF FEAR last night. It is the best 4K disc of a classic film I have ever seen! I'm blown away, no pun intended . The PQ is perfection. It looks as good as any new release film. The plethora of extras are fantastic. I highly recommend purchasing this BFI release. With shipping, it was $35 on Amazon.uk

 

[dpippel]

I watched the new BFI 4K of THE WAGES OF FEAR last night. It is the best 4K disc of a classic film I have ever seen! I'm blown away, no pun intended . The PQ is perfection. It looks as good as any new release film. The plethora of extras are fantastic. I highly recommend purchasing this BFI release. With shipping, it was $35 on Amazon.uk

The Wages of Fear BFI 4K UHD

Can't really say I prefer this 4K UHD, over the blu-ray. It's the same master but the 4K UHD is really grainy. Distractingly so. I usually like a sharp, grainy picture from the negative, but not in this case. Projected, the picture's contrast is increased, which isn't a benefit either. I wish...

www.hometheaterforum.com

 

[JPCinema]

I don’t have a projector. A 55” Samsung. It looks great . I compared it to my BFI Blu Ray and the 4K looks much better. Depending on the system I’m sure it will look different for others but for me I’m thrilled. Time for Rififi 4K.

 

[Robert Crawford]

The Wages of Fear BFI 4K UHD

Can't really say I prefer this 4K UHD, over the blu-ray. It's the same master but the 4K UHD is really grainy. Distractingly so. I usually like a sharp, grainy picture from the negative, but not in this case. Projected, the picture's contrast is increased, which isn't a benefit either. I wish...

www.hometheaterforum.com

A projector screen versus a 55” Samsung. Not surprising we have different opinions considering the difference in screen sizes.

 

[titch]

Yes - there is a huge difference between watching a 4K UHD projected onto a 130 inch screen and watching it on a smaller OLED screen. There was also a huge difference between the BFI 4K UHD of The Wages of Fear (which I found too grainy) and the BFI UHD of The Seventh Seal (which had more grain than the blu-ray, but looked really nice). Even before mastering issues, the grain appearance on different films will be subject to the different film stocks, various production issues and the restoration team involved. I've seen quite a few black and white 4K UHD titles and I would not rate BFI 4K UHD of The Wages of Fear as being better than the BFI blu-ray. Of course, both are vastly improved, over the old Criterion blu-ray!

I very much expect Criterion to release their own version in due course and this might be one of the few times their usual filtering of their 4K masters could work to the advantage of the picture appearance.

 

[titch]

I don’t have a projector. A 55” Samsung. It looks great . I compared it to my BFI Blu Ray and the 4K looks much better. Depending on the system I’m sure it will look different for others but for me I’m thrilled. Time for Rififi 4K.

HDR does not work to a projector's advantage.