UHD Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ CITIZEN KANE -- in 4k UHD (1 Viewer)

[Gerani53]

Here's the original ad for CITIZEN KANE when the landmark film debuted on NY TV way back when...

 

[Robert Crawford]

The 4k blu ray played flawlessly up until approximately 46 or 47 minutes into the film. Then it began stuttering and jerking and then just froze. I tried to play the disc again, and the problem recurred in the same spot. I’ve since returned the disc to Amazon.

I detected a similar problem, at what was perceived as a layer change.

I had no issues playing the 4K disc in its entirety on my Oppo 203. I then played the same same 4K disc on my Panny 820 player up to the 50 minute mark without any issues.

 

[Robert Crawford]

IMO, the 4K presentation is simply beautiful and the best it has ever looked to my eyes.

 

[dpippel]

I had no issues playing the 4K disc in its entirety on my Oppo 203. I then played the same same 4K disc on my Panny 820 player up to the 50 minute mark without any issues.

No issues on my Panasonic UB9000 either, and I agree with your opinion of the 4K release, Robert. It looks stellar.

 

[alstein]

Hopefully my experience with the blu ray was a “one off” issue. But I suspect that there are a fairly large number of users who share my experience with the blu ray.

 

[tenia]

RAH, I think you're forgetting the brouhaha that erupted a few years back when Criterion moved to exclusively releasing Blu-ray/DVD combo packs without separate SKUs for each format. DVD-only fans refused to pay a few extra dollars for Blu-rays they didn't want, and Blu-ray fans were outraged by the inclusion of DVDs sullying their precious Criterion Blu-ray shelves. (They actually demanded the right to pay the same price for a copy without the DVD.) It didn't take long for Criterion to relent and separate the formats again.

The issue actually came from institutions not purchasing newer Criterion DF releases because they had no use for the BD and didn't want / couldn't afford to pay the extra charge. This is a position unique to Criterion, who seem (within the market) uniquely dependant on these institutions who are massively DVD-focused, hence a specific over-dependance on DVD sales for Criterion.

Individual consumers, whether they were DVD-only consumers not liking having to pay extra for something they don't need (which is understandable), or BD-only consumers getting coasters (something people should definitely have been less bothered with), most likely had a much lower impact on Criterion's sales and thus on their decision to go back.

Since the currently-discussed DF releases aren't DVD-related, this also means the UHD/BD DF release strategy is totally unrelated to these institutions, thus a completely different matter than what happend with the BD/DVD DF roll-out.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Hopefully my experience with the blu ray was a “one off” issue. But I suspect that there are a fairly large number of users who share my experience with the blu ray.

Well, we'll find out one way or another as more people receive and then watch their 4K disc.

 

[alstein]

Hopefully my experience with the blu ray was a “one off” issue. But I suspect that there are a fairly large number of users who share my experience with the blu ray.

I meant to say 4K blu ray

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Played my 4k disc with no issues and it's the best looking version of Kane i have seen. Did enjoy The Complete Citizen Kane documentary on disc 2.

 

[Robert Harris]

Played my 4k disc with no issues and it's the best looking version of Kane i have seen. Did enjoy The Complete Citizen Kane documentary on disc 2.

Criterion curates extras for a release, they’re generally the best of the best - ferreting materials from around the globe, getting top industry people to speak, et al.

Kane is a wonderful example of their curating abilities.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

I did watch the movie with the new commentary by James Naremore and Jonathan Rosenbaum and it was ok and learned a few things about the movie that i did not know before. They did talk about "the hatred of Orson Welles" a few times and got the impression that alot of folks hated Orson Welles?

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I tested my 4K disc, playing from the 40 minute to 52 minute marks. The disc played fine on my Panasonic 820 player. I will watch the entire film later, but wanted to make sure I didn't have a defective disc that needed returned.

 

[TravisR]

They did talk about "the hatred of Orson Welles" a few times and got the impression that alot of folks hated Orson Welles?

Welles wasn't exactly known for his humbleness so I can imagine that plenty of people did hate him. That hatred was probably exacerbated by Welles actually living up to his hype.

 

[Paul Penna]

What do the initials “DF” stand for, as in “DF release”?

 

[JediFonger]

Welles wasn't exactly known for his humbleness so I can imagine that plenty of people did hate him. That hatred was probably exacerbated by Welles actually living up to his hype.

not many liked jobs, gates, musk, hearst, edison, etc. the list goes on

seems to come with the territory

 

[dpippel]

Yes, sometimes being an asshole goes hand-in-hand with greatness.

 

[Nelson Au]

What do the initials “DF” stand for, as in “DF release”?

I was wondering too. I’m guessing it means “dual format”.

 

[cinemel1]

My 4K Kane disc froze at about the 45 minute mark. I pulled in out of my Oppo 203, wiped it carefully with a soft cloth, re-inserted it, and it played perfectly. Love this set.
Supplements are superb. Still have to watch some I haven’t gotten to yet.

 

[PatrickDA]

Will the blu-ray on the UK release also be region-free like the 4K disc?

 

[KeithDA]

Will the blu-ray on the UK release also be region-free like the 4K disc?

I doubt it. In the same way that the Criterion release will have Region A Blu Rays with those better extras.... (as you can tell, I'm not region free, just region jealous )