What Are Some Good Imports That'll Work in Region A? (1 Viewer)

[Cinescott]

I've only bought two myself so far:


Star Trek: The Motion Picture (theatrical release). UK edition, region free. This is a very nice disc. The video and audio (DTS-HD 7.1) are stellar and until we here in the US get a Blu-ray of the director's edition, this will do just fine. $25 shipped. I think this disc is identical to the one in the boxed set already released in the US, but I didn't want to get all the films.


The Deer Hunter. UK edition, regions A&B. I only recently ordered this, but the reviews are very good. $30 shipped. Will try to get a brief review up after I receive it.


Are there some others out there anyone would care to recommend?

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

The Boat that Rocked is much better, longer, and nuder than the lame American edit called Pirate Radio.


Phantom of the Paradise, Brian De Palma's classic horror satire of 70's music business, is only available through a French import that plays in Region A. But you have to remember to disable the French subtitles.


And I just watched the UK release of Dances With Wolves, which preserves the three-hour theatrical cut and not the unnecessarily longer (not that there's anything wrong with that for super fans) four-hour director's cut, which is the only version available stateside.

 

[Martin Teller]

I've got Once, A Zed and Two Noughts and just yesterday my Taiwanese copy of Vive L'Amour arrived.

 

[cafink]

Like Wayne, I have the UK theatrical version of Dances with Wolves. Same with Watchmen and the shorter international version of The Shining (which was Kubrick's preferred version, as I understand it). I also have the Canadian "Philosopher's Stone" version of the first Harry Potter movie, and the Japanese version of Equilibrium (which was retitled Rebellion there), whose UK & Canadian releases are not OAR.


As for titles that are not available at all in the US, I have Meet Joe Black and Caché/Hidden from the UK, The Cell from Canada, and Cube from the Netherlands. Caché and Cube both have PAL material on them that might cause problems for US players, but the main features play just fine.

 

[Felix Martinez]

I have the following UK discs: Dances With Wolves theatrical, The Elephant Man, and Boys From Brazil. I also have the Canadian Amelie (US version finally announced for July) and City of God. Very happy with each one.

 

[ahollis]

UK disk - TORA, TORA, TORA.

 

[trajan]

Is the UK Tora disc region A friendly?

 

[Rachael B]

The Buddy Holly Story....

 

[jim_falconer]

The UK version of ZULU is outstanding (and region free)

 

[RickER]

I have the Dutch The Never Ending Story, the UK Capricorn One, and the French Dune (1984)


Also have the Canadian Region A From Dusk til Dawn. I understand it along with Halloween H2O to be better than the US versions.

 

[JoHud]

Originally Posted by trajan

Is the UK Tora disc region A friendly?

Yes, as is the UK Blu-ray release of Prince Valiant, Sunrise, and City Girl

 

[cafink]

Originally Posted by RickER

I have the Dutch The Never Ending Story

Is it different than or superior to the US release in some way?

 

[RickER]

Originally Posted by cafink


I had bought the Dutch version a year or two before the US disc came out. I thought what were the odds of this movie coming to Blu, in the US. I believe the running time is the same for the Dutch, and US discs.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Originally Posted by Joseph J.D

Any chance we could talk you into taking a picture of that? That's just a great visual!

 

UK "The Black Shield of Falworth" - first Universal CinemaScope film.

 

[Brian Borst]

StudioCanal's releases of Mulholland Drive, The Elephant Man and Delicatessen are very much worth the trouble of importing. Wild at Heart looks decent too. And of course every region free title released by Eureka. City Girl and Sunrise look amazing.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

I ordered Mulholland Drive, but had to cancel it when I found it was not compatible for Region A. Are you sure this is a 'region-free' release playable in U.S. domestic BD players? Most UK imports are, I realize, but this one supposedly wasn't. If so, I'm all over it. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Brian Borst

StudioCanal's releases of Mulholland Drive, The Elephant Man and Delicatessen are very much worth the trouble of importing. Wild at Heart looks decent too. And of course every region free title released by Eureka. City Girl and Sunrise look amazing.

 

[Claus Nielsen]

Originally Posted by Hollywoodaholic

I ordered Mulholland Drive, but had to cancel it when I found it was not compatible for Region A. Are you sure this is a 'region-free' release playable in U.S. domestic BD players? Most UK imports are, I realize, but this one supposedly wasn't. If so, I'm all over it. Thanks.

Mulholland Drive is region B locked.

 

[Cinescott]

As promised, I said I'd write about my impressions of the UK, StudioCanal edition of The Deer Hunter, regions A&B. While it's unknown to me if this is the same transfer as that used for the HD-DVD, the presentation of this movie on Blu-ray is fantastic.

The issue for me over the many years I have seen this movie on home video has been the intentionally-muted and subtle way in which it was photographed. There are numerous naturally-dark scenes, desaturated colors, fog, and changes in light. This Blu-ray clears up everything. The blacks are black, the fog doesn't dissipate into a mess of 10,000 pixels crawling all over the screen. and the Cascade mountain hunting scenes are majestic, as they should be. Considering TDH clocks in at well over 3 hours plus features, that's pretty impressive to me. There's a ton of detail within The Deer Hunter and the Blu-ray brings it out wonderfully. There's a modest sheen of grain, but the image has been preserved exactly as I had hoped. DTS-MA 5.1 audio. While not a dynamic mix, very pleasant. What a great treasure for the collection.


For those who have never seen it, The Deer Hunter follows a group of Pennsylvanian steel-working friends, led by Robert DeNiro, from their home life to Vietnam and back. It's an extraordinary study about the bonds of friendship and the qualities needed to survive. Like most of the great movies IMO, it causes the viewer to think about the themes within long after the film's over. Even though I've never seen it theatrically, my first video experience on VHS was a powerful one. It's a movie that pulls no punches. There's brutal violence (i.e. the infamous Russian roulette scenes), and the tone isn't always a happy one. However, there are happy moments and a lingering feeling afterwards to never take life for granted. For more than 25 years, this movie has stuck with me.

I feel that too many often get hung up on technicalities when reviewing The Deer Hunter. Yes, it's questionable if Russian roulette was played during Vietnam on any scale. Yes, the Cascade mountains are not in Pennsylvania. However, the point of the movie is not geographical accuracy. The mountains are a character, though, as are the steel mills. There is some suspension of disbelief required here, but not much. The themes, the tone, the unending will to survive, that's what's important. Apart from actually seeing it theatrically, I doubt it could look much better.

 

[Brian Borst]

Originally Posted by Hollywoodaholic

I ordered Mulholland Drive, but had to cancel it when I found it was not compatible for Region A. Are you sure this is a 'region-free' release playable in U.S. domestic BD players? Most UK imports are, I realize, but this one supposedly wasn't. If so, I'm all over it. Thanks.

Jeez, I forgot. Stupid of me. I'm terribly sorry for that.