The Trial: Love Conquers Wretched DVD

[nosenseofharmony]

I've been watching my Laserlight copy of The Trial a lot lately and have come to the conclusion that it is one of my favorite films ever made. The final scene is probably the best death ever. I was wondering about the quality of the Milestone version. Is the synching better and the picture the correct ratio to view on a television? The laserlight version is so absolutely awful. There are portions of the film that drop out for a split second and the framing is distracting. The introduction by Tony Curtis is only enjoyable in an ironic kind of way. Films like this shouldn't be subjected to semi-obsurity and bargain-bin presentation.

[Store Hadji]

I have the Laserlight version, but I've never watched it.

If you want to upgrade, the Focus Films version (in the Citizen Welles set) looks okay and is cheap. The audio is remixed in 5.1 and the original mono is not included. The Milestone version has much better picture quality and the original mono sound, but is very expensive. The Studio Canal version is supposed to be the best, but I've never seen it (that version is titled "Le Proces.") I don't know where you'd find it or how much it is.

Hey, Jeff, can you list the Amazon links for the individual versions on the "video availability" pages? Would that still credit Wellesnet with the sale? There's a lot of Welles stuff on Amazon - you could do a page catalouging all the items and providing links for each one.

Here's the page (from Wellesnet) which compares the picture quality on these three versions:
Trial Comparison

I have another VHS version (Connoisseur Video) with a slightly different sync to the sound than the Milestone sync. There's no clear verdict, though. Dialogue which matches the lip-movements in one version doesn't match in the other. That's one soundtrack I wouldn't mind hearing some fine-tuning done on. It's possible the Focus Films version addressed this issue - they did a lot of work on the audio.

[colwood]

Here's another comparison page,
http://dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompare8/trial.htm

It is a bit pricier than some of the others, but the Studio Canal disc is clearly the best version available. It can be purchased from Amazon.fr (and if you've ever used amazon.com, your login info will work just the same). I think it'll run about $30 for disc and shipping to US, at least it did the last time I checked.

[Store Hadji]

So, the Studio Canal release has French subtitles which cannot be removed - or a special short version of the film that doesn't have subtitles.

Okay, I'm not buying it now.

What's this business about PAL speedup? Is that the Keystone Cops version?

[Jeff Wilson]

The Studio Canal version's subtitles can be removed, at least on my player. You have to turn them off via remote after the movie starts playing. I think we discussed this some time ago, and it may have been a player-based issue.

PAL speed-up is the 4% increase in runtime of material played in the PAL video format; the primary way people notice it is in the soundtrack, which is a half-pitch higher, if I remember correctly. One's tolerance of it seems to depend on familiarity with the material and other factors. Some are violently opposed to it, others don't notice it. It doesn't overly bother me on most things I've seen from Europe.

I will try to get individual Amazon links up at some point soon; it just takes time, and I've been planning on revamping the video pages, so I might do it then.

[Store Hadji]

I'm watching the Focus Film version now...

You know, it really doesn't look bad. It really looks pretty good. It may have been remastered from a video tape, it has some smears, halos, and blurs I associate with VHS tapes, but it looks vastly better than any VHS tape I've ever seen.

Concerning those screen captures... Those look as they would on a high resolution computer monitor. They do not look like that on an American television set. I'm sure the captures are accurate, but the Focus Film version looks much much better on my TV than in those comparisons. TVs are low resolution and hide many flaws.

The 5.1 soundtrack mix is excellent. There's a little bit of hiss in the background, which could be support for the idea that the source was a video tape. The EQ is excellent. The stereo panning is minimal and functional. We aren't talking BWS Othello here. This still sounds like the original soundtrack, though somewhat enhanced - and not changed enough for my money to damage the film. Really, there's very little different in the stereo mix and I like how it sounds. I never even noticed the birds twittering in the background during the balcony scene (between K and the Inspector) in the Milestone version - but they sure as heck are tweeting in this version.

We've been beating this version with a stick for awhile, but it is honestly decent.

AND!!!!!!! The BEST THING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is NO OVERLAY! I do not have to zoom back on the DVD player! The picture proportion is perfect at full screen. This is the ONLY DVD I own that gets this pretty essential factor right.

[dmolson]

I'm truly curious about this latest collection that is hitting the streets this week. It includes a strange bundle and a drab, non-descript cover, which is usually a bad sign -- the Trial, the Stranger, King Lear and David & Goliath -- from Passport Int'l, listed at amazon.ca as $24.49 pre-sale and $34.99 list price. I remember a few months ago a report that said Paramount was putting out Trial and Stranger editions, but that has disappeared and up pops this release. I have no info about Passport Int'l, is it bottom-of-the-barrel pd factory, or is it affiliated with someone who might take some care and stock into their dvds? Ever since dvdverdict dumped their page on dvd companies, I've been lost in getting any info on these kinds of releases. I certainly don't want to support some 'squeezed off an ol' RCA Victor' video to dvd company...

http://www.amazon.ca/exec....2154422

[Store Hadji]

I suspect its Public Domain crap. I too was looking for any info on the set last night. At least you found the titles it includes - I couldn't even find that much!

The Criterion Arkadin is the one I'm waiting (impatiently) for.