Fidelity in Motion doing the encode is the line that made me pre-order before reading the rest. For anyone who has not followed this saga, The Devils spent decades as the film Warner would not release properly. What most of us saw was the trimmed UK X version or the shorter US R version, and the reconstructed director's cut from 2004, put together under Ken Russell with editor Michael Bradsell and Mark Kermode, only ever turned up at festival screenings and on grey copies.
Now it lands on UHD on 20 April 2027 through Warner Bros. Clockwork, after a 4K restoration from the original camera negative at WB Water Tower Color and a theatrical run that apparently got held over at art houses around Halloween. The audio was restored from the original composite 35mm mag and the disc carries the restored mono. No Atmos remix, and good.
Two editions. The Collector's Edition is three discs: the director's cut on 4K, a Blu-ray with all three versions (director's cut, UK X and US R), and a bonus Blu-ray, plus a 96-page book, a rigid slipcase and more than 14 hours of material. HD Report has it at a $79.99 list price. The standard edition is the 4K disc alone in a digipak with more than 4 hours of extras for $39.99.
What neither announcement mentions is HDR. No word on Dolby Vision or HDR10, and for a 1971 film the grade matters more than the resolution. Derek Jarman's white-tiled sets are going to be a highlight torture test for whoever graded it.
If you only want the film, the standard disc has the same FIM encode of the cut that matters. The Collector's earns its price only if having the X and R versions side by side is part of the appeal.
Now it lands on UHD on 20 April 2027 through Warner Bros. Clockwork, after a 4K restoration from the original camera negative at WB Water Tower Color and a theatrical run that apparently got held over at art houses around Halloween. The audio was restored from the original composite 35mm mag and the disc carries the restored mono. No Atmos remix, and good.
Two editions. The Collector's Edition is three discs: the director's cut on 4K, a Blu-ray with all three versions (director's cut, UK X and US R), and a bonus Blu-ray, plus a 96-page book, a rigid slipcase and more than 14 hours of material. HD Report has it at a $79.99 list price. The standard edition is the 4K disc alone in a digipak with more than 4 hours of extras for $39.99.
What neither announcement mentions is HDR. No word on Dolby Vision or HDR10, and for a 1971 film the grade matters more than the resolution. Derek Jarman's white-tiled sets are going to be a highlight torture test for whoever graded it.
If you only want the film, the standard disc has the same FIM encode of the cut that matters. The Collector's earns its price only if having the X and R versions side by side is part of the appeal.
