Updated on June 4, 2014: TCM Shop has not only put out an improved version of The Lady from Shanghai on Blu-ray, there is also an exchange program for those who have already purchased the previous version. If interested, call the TCM Shop at (888) 982-6746 and tell them you want to exchange your copy. They will email you a prepaid label that will let you send back the old Blu-ray set. (They suggest getting a tracking number at the post office). Upon receipt, TCM will then ship you the new version in exchange. They will ask for your original order number.
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TCM Vault released a DVD/ Blu-ray combo pack last week of the Orson Welles thriller “The Lady From Shanghai.”
The video carries a $29.95 list price tag, but is presently available on the TCM website for $24.99. Bonus features include an introduction by Robert Osborne, scene and publicity, Peter Bogdanovich commentary (found on the 2000 DVD release), and posters and lobby cards.
Here is a roundup of what critics have to say:
blu-ray.com: “…part of my disappointment here is no doubt due to expectations. Is there anything downright horrible about this transfer? No, and in fact parts of it look great—it actually is at least marginally cleaner than the old DVD release, and it features well modulated gray scale and some impressively deep blacks, as a glance at the screenshots accompanying this review will prove. But this simply does not have quite the luster, the sheen, and especially the sharpness and clarity that we’ve come to expect from 4K scans of primary elements held by Columbia. It also has occasionally problematic contrast and image depth issues, as well as a slightly variable grain field (beyond understandable issues with opticals). The fact that this title was “passed off” (for want of a better term) to The TCM Vault Collection may indicate some inherent issues with the elements, but I’m more prone to point to a single layer disc and some fairly anemic bitrates (only occasionally ever rising much above 20 Mbps, with only a handful of moments above 30 Mbps) that may (emphasis may) account for at least some of the issues here.”
dvdbeaver.com: While I wouldn’t complain vehemently about one specific item on my list of underwhelming attributes of this package – the totality of the group makes me… well, disappointed. Firstly, (and I know these are not big deals – alone) the package is a standard Keep case (as in DVD-standard sized.) It mentioned nothing about being Blu-ray on the cover. The BD disc says “1” (?) as in region one (I suppose they meant “A”) it is instead region FREE. The transfer is single-layered (this is Welles for gosh sakes!) with a lowish bitrate. It is rendered in VC-1 (?) as opposed to the superior, IMO, AVC encode. It does not have lossless sound (?) or any optional subtitles. At present, the TCM Shop advertises the extras to include an Eddie Muller (perhaps my favorite commentarist – certainly for Noir) commentary. It’s not there (I’m sure they will update this on their site) – it is the same Bogdanovich one from the 2000 DVD. Now, being fair – the 1080P image quality is certainly improved over SD. It shows some nice grain, superior detail, and, notably, more information in the frame. Could it have looked better with dual-layering and a higher, max’ed out, bitrate? I suspect it would have exported more prevalent grain and layered contrast.”
dvdtalk.com: The TCM Vault Collection’s Blu-ray – DVD Combo of The Lady from Shanghai is a very good HD encoding of this great, great picture. The old DVD was a little rough in spots, but the recent restoration by Sony is fine… The packaging is a bit confusing. The disc comes in a DVD-sized keep case holding one Blu-ray disc and one DVD. The only mention that a Blu-ray is involved are small logos on the spine and the back. To the disappointment of hearing-impaired film fans, TCM has continued their policy of providing no English subtitles. That means that a sizable audience has effectively been shoved aside.”
nypost.com: “A handsome new restoration of Orson Welles’ “The Lady From Shanghai” underwritten by Sony and The Film Foundation arrives Tuesday in a dual-format DVD/Blu-ray release from the TCM Vault Collection. It looks vastly better than the last time I watched this title all the way through. It was 1980, and I had copied it on VHS recorder from an over-the-air broadcast on a Boston station that had been relayed by microwave to my local cable provider in North Jersey.”
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