Anyone know where to find a review of the KINO 2-disc release of Birth of a Nation??

[Class316]

I'm talking about this one:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00007CVS7/qid=1054141433/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/102-9174595-1363303

I’m particularly interested in how it compares to the Image Entertainment version in terms of transfer. I know the Image version is slightly cropped from the top and left.

thanks in advance.

[Pants]

Try this thread: http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=269257&highlight=birth+nation+kino

For the record I ended up grabing the Image edition for $14 and am satisfied. I just wanted to see the movie.

[FilmFanSea]

Comparison from DVD Beaver (http://207.136.67.23/film/dvdcompare/birthofanation.htm) says that there's little difference in image quality between the Kino and Image versions.

[Class316]

ohh ok. Thanks. So they're the same thing. I guess you can't be too picky when it comes to something from 1915 :/

By the way what does "restrained sepia and color toning" mean?

[PatrickMcCart]

Kino's is probably better. Most of David Shepard's DVDs released in the early years re-used LD transfers that didn't take advantage of better transferring. Compare the original Nosferatu with his special edition. The quality is vastly better (although, Kino seemed to achieve better framing and more accurate tinting)

[Class316]

so is "restrained sepia and color toning" = good (like WS) while "no restrained sepia and color toning" = bad (like P&S)?

[FilmFanSea]

Griffith used tinting of the film to achieve certain moods and effects (e.g., blue for nighttime). The Image & Kino releases (likely using the same transfer) attempt to reproduce these tinting effects according to Griffith's notes (the British Eureka release [R2 PAL] does not reproduce the tinting).

In the screen captures on DVD Beaver (link is above), the Eureka image is sharper but, to the best of my knowlege, the image quality is not affected by the tinting process (i.e., it would be sharper even if the restorers had decided to tint it).

[Class316]

Originally posted by FilmFanSea
Griffith used tinting of the film to achieve certain moods and effects (e.g., blue for nighttime). The Image & Kino releases (likely using the same transfer) attempt to reproduce these tinting effects according to Griffith's notes (the British Eureka release [R2 PAL] does not reproduce the tinting).

I see...so R1 is overall the best.

[Mutley Hyde]

The Kino version looked great to me, but then I've never seen the Image, and so can't compare. Are all the short films and the extensive textual extras on the Image disc? Whether they are or not, I must say I'm pretty impressed with the Kino set.

[Class316]

Originally posted by Mutley Hyde
The Kino version looked great to me, but then I've never seen the Image, and so can't compare. Are all the short films and the extensive textual extras on the Image disc? Whether they are or not, I must say I'm pretty impressed with the Kino set.

No the Image one only has the 24 minute documentary. But from what I heard it’s slightly misframed from the top and the left. So I guess the KINO one must be too. Regardless the Kino is the best one since it’s tinted(unlike R2) and has all those extras (unlike the Image and R2 ones).