Scream, In 4k But Still Cut... Why, Paramount, Why?!

Scream
Scream is one of the most re-released films that still hasn't managed to get it right. It's frustrating. It's also confusing to fans who aren't patient enough to dig into it all, so I see people just buying low quality discs or cut versions without even realizing. We're talking Dimension Home Video and Lions Gate, so of course the situation's unsatisfying. So I figure I'd tackle it here and do my little bit to try and help tip the scales.

Update 1/8/16 - 11/23/21: Scream is back, now available as a 4k Ultra HD release!  But spoilers: they still obstinately refuse to get it right.  It's the cut version once again.  Wah, wah.
I don't think I even need to talk about the movie itself here. Wes Craven directs then newcomer Kevin Williamson's screenplay that takes the slasher film into the ironic, self-referential teen movie realm. It's filled with stunt casting and pop culture references spilling out of every orifice, but Craven winds up giving us possibly his most powerful, old school horror direction of his entire career. Sure, some of his other films are better for having brilliant ideas and iconic imagery, but just in terms of having really effectively done scare sequences, Scream might be at the top of the list. And Williamson's story structure really works, too. It's tempting to write it off as a teen movie or outdated hipster fare, especially with the mainstream reception it got and the declining sequels; but you'll be invested in the characters and guessing who the killer is right up to the end. So it's worth trying to get this on a really good disc.
So Scream first hit DVD as a new release. The film came out in 1996, and it hit US DVD in 1997. It also hit laserdisc in 1997, with one crucial difference. The laserdisc featured the unrated director's cut, while the DVD had the theatrical, edited R-rated version. And here's where things get complicated, because both the laserdisc and DVD were reissued in 1998. In fact, there's two pressings of the second issue of the DVD, because Scream's a big seller, so they're going to keep putting it out, but don't think that means they're going to start getting it right.
an extended moment from the unrated version, only on the laserdisc.
So let's start with the laserdiscs. Both laserdiscs feature the film in full widescreen 2.35:1 in CLV. They're both the uncut director's cut and they both have the audio commentary by Craven and Williamson. Pretty much every release of Scream has this commentary (except for some foreign discs), but it's interesting because they reference the film being the uncut version... which is just inaccurate when you hear the same commentary on any of the DVD or blu-ray releases, and only adds to the confusion. The difference between the two lasers is just the addition of a DTS track to 1998 version. Reissuing DTS editions of films was a thing for a short time in the late 90s, which I talked a bit about in my Army of Darkness post.
The beginning of this shot is in both versions, where the cameraman gets his throat slit;
but only the unrated stays on him as he looks at the blood on his hand.
Okay, so now for the DVDs. Both the 1997 and 1998 discs feature the R-rated version in non-anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen. The 1998 disc was issued with two different covers, basically with or without that gold "Collector's Series" band across the top. The 1997 has that curved purple "Widescreen" logo across the top. The difference between the 1997 and 1998 versions are the extras. The original disc just has the commentary from the laser, plus the trailer. The 1998s keep those but also add some short featurettes.

Even the 2000 Ultimate Scream Edition, which includes the first two sequels, is still non-anamorphic and the R-rated version. It does feature a couple more short extras on the fourth bonus disc, but that's the only upgrade. And in 2009, the Scream Triple Pack, still only includes the non-anamorphic R-rated cut. It's actually got the exact same disc as the 1998 Collector's Edition inside. And if you can believe it, even the Scream Triple Feature 3-DVD set from 2011 is still the non-anamorphic R-rated cut. Non-Anamorphic in 2011? Jeez Louise! It's a wonder the make the blu-ray 4:3! They didn't, but of course it's still the R-rated cut.  And now in 2021, there's a new UHD from Paramount, which is again the R-rated cut.
1) 1997 Dimension laserdisc; 2) 1998 Dimension DVD;
3) 2011 Lions Gate BD; 4) 2021 Paramount UHD.


It's kind of shocking that even the later DVDs are non-anamorphic, but here you go. Framing for all the old releases is essentially the same 2.35:1 across all three releases, except the blu-ray actually loses a smidgen along all four sides. We're just talking slivers here, but still; if there's anything to add to the disappointment sandwich here, they throw it in. The blu is a lot clearer and more detailed than the DVD and laser (versus non-anamorphic, how could it not be?), we can finally read that the VHS Jamie Kennedy has on top of his TV is for the 1995 Harvey Keitel movie Smoke. But it still looks kind of flat, and in some scenes significantly edge enhanced and otherwise tinkered with. It's a single layer disc that looks like it was taken from an older master.

Happily, or perhaps just frustratingly, given that it's still cut, Paramount's UHD looks heaps better.  It's still 2.35:1, but reveals more information along all four sides, and most importantly gets rid of all that ugly image tampering.  Contrast no longer looks over-sharpened to the point where tiny bright spots peak way out, and the washed colors of the BD are restored (look at that lapshade for a quick idea).  Grain still looks a little light and the edges might still be slightly overworked, but this is a substantial improvement over the BD.

The DVD, BD and UHD all feature essentially the same 5.1 mix, though it is lossless DTS-HD on the BD and UHD.  They also all include optional English subtitles, and the UHD has added a slew of additional foreign language dubs and subs.
So let's talk extras. The commentary is actually quite good. Again, if you're not watching an uncut version, it'll throw you off a bit; but for the most part it's just fun and informative, with a good rapport between Craven and Williamson. Then the DVD adds several things, including the original promo featurette, which is of course clip heavy and plays like a 6-minute trailer, but it has some interview clips and is nice to have. It does show you how bad the movie looks in 4:3 with so much of the sides chopped off. Then there's two very short (about 3 minutes each) featurettes that give you a little glimpse of the film being shot behind-the-scenes. They're basically just B-roll footage set to music, but they're fun. Then there's about 5 minutes of extended interviews from the promo featurette, plus trailers, TV spots and a stills gallery. Essentially, the sum total is just the press kit, but I'd rather have it than not. And that's all the Blu-ray has, too. It's just the same set of small extras, in SD on the blu, too, except the 1997 and 1998 DVDs also include a single sheet insert with chapter titles, which the blu forgoes.
Again, though, you can get about 45 minutes of additional extras, including a 30-minute featurette, screen-tests and outtakes, if you get the 2000 Ultimate Scream 4-disc set. That's a little underwhelming to double-dip on a boxed set for, but it's something. And there's a 4-disc blu-ray set which includes two far more extensive 90+ minute documentaries, called the Scream 5 Film Set. To be clear, they mean parts 1-3 plus the two docs add up to five films. Scream 4 isn't in that set. But if you really love Scream, that's the best version to get of the R-rated cut, in that it has the HD transfer and the most extras... though NOT the Ultimate Scream bonus disc extras. If you want to be a completist, you'll still need to get that set, too. And even then, you have to figure out a way to get the director's cut.

And the new UHD? Pretty much the same deal, with the same limited extras package as the blu, where you'll need to delve into box sets and all for longer docs.  It does add one new, brief (just under seven and a half minutes) featurette that takes a look back at the film, 25 years later with brand new cast and crew interviews.  It's worth a look, but its running tells you all you need to know about how substantive it is, hampered further by the fact that they give a good chunk of that time to the young stars of the upcoming 2022 reboot.  It's as underwhelming as it sounds, but it's not worthless.
Ultimately, as many times as Scream has been repackaged and re-sold, it still badly needs a new edition.  At least it looks better now, but critically, all of these discs are cut! We need the director's cut, which is still essentially only available on laserdisc. Now, if you don't have a laserdisc player, there are a couple of old, foreign DVDs that are comparable. Every single blu-ray in every country is as cut as the USA's, but on DVD there are Korean, Scandinavian and Japanese options. There's plenty of DVD versions in plenty of countries, but they're all cut, too. Korea, Scandinavia and Japan are your only options, and don't get too happy, because they're non-anamorphic, too. Essentially they're just ports of the laserdisc; but there's no other choice [Or maybe not??  See the comments below about a possibly slightly better, but very difficult to track down, German DVD].  Because, for whatever reason, the studios just refuse to give fans what we want.

The Social Network: Raw, Unrated & Uncensored Cut!

Despite being a hugely successful and critically lauded feature by some of Hollywood's most successful players, 2010's The Social Network isn't a blu I imagined I'd ever have cause to replace.  It's a 2k digital film (shot in 4k but edited and finished in 2k) that was already in HD in its initial release.  That's probably as good as it was gonna look, and it was already a thoroughly packed special edition.  Where could you go from there?  Well, it turns out, there was somewhere to take it: a nice little surprise in the Columbia Classics Volume 2 box.
I also didn't see this one getting double-dipped because, as surprisingly impressive as it turned out to be, even for a film written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher, I wasn't sure how well it would hold up.  I mean, "the facebook movie" seemed like a film very much of its fleeting time, touching on a particularly controversial topic that the world was just happened to be hyper-focused on right then.  But no, rewatching it now, when you'd say, "Mark Zuckerberg, yeah, I get it," and we've since had a procession of boring biographical dramas and docs about tech guys from Jobs to Steve Jobs, it still holds up.  It's an honestly human story, presented almost like a thriller, but with a weirdly truthful heart to it.
A large part of that hangs on its cast.  This is the film that turned Jessie Eisenberg from that kid in The Squid & The Whale and Rodger Dodger to a top level film actor, and introduced us to Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer who've both become huge stars while still struggling to match the work they've done here.  And it's supporting cast is just as strong with great characters presented by Rooney Mara, Rashida Jones and of course Justin Timberlake.  Meanwhile, Trent Reznor's first feature score is both subtle and strange.  It's probably actually a more engaging film now that time has passed and its free of all the associations and expectations.  Which is not to say that we, as a culture, are over Facebook or Zuckerberg yet.  Sorkin keeps talking about reconnecting with Fincher for a second one, and when the time is right, it could be quite interesting.  But there's just something about this film, the story of young men and being driven apart by adulthood, that works on a broader and deeper level than all this legal sociopolitical stuff, which is still entertaining in its own right, but would likely feel more casual and weightless in a sequel.
1) 2011 DVD; 2) 2011 BD; 3) 2021 BD; 4) 2021 UHD.

All four discs are 2.40:1, but the DVD is slightly vertically stretched (and therefor also loses slivers along the top and bottom), which the BDs and UHD all fix.  Everything you'd otherwise expect about the DVD being blurrier than its HD counterpart are true and good.  But the purist in me got a little worried when I cracked open the "Upgrade Notes" for the new UHD release.  There's a lot of talk about this "opportunity to revisit" the film, "remaining true to the director's vision," but how "a work of art is never finished."  This is a digital film, so there's no question of re-scanning film; but they have gone back to the digital intermediate files to re-time the film for HDR, stabilize the image and remove flaws like "an errant drop shadow in the title sequence."  Talk of "opening up the framing in places" stood out as the most potentially revisionist; though as you'll see in the comparison shots, most of the framing is untouched, and the changes they did make were subtle enough that I couldn't spot them without scrubbing through but versions side-by-side.

There are flag-raising signs of what I would normally consider tampering, like DNR and edge enhancement, but this is presumably work Fincher did in post-production rather than anything that could be blamed on the home video departments down the line.  And, just to be clear, it is present in every edition, past and present.
2021 BD left; 2021 UHD right.
I bring this up more to say that most of these flaws couldn't have been fixed, but there are a long series of subtle improvements.  Most flared out bright spots are still flared out, but some are less so.  You only have to look at the above enlargements to see how much more lifelike the image is now on the UHD.  Yes, it's an older 2k film, but the resolution really does make a difference, and the new HDR is more naturalistic.  But that's only on the UHD, because the included  2021 BD uses the exact same transfer as the 2011 BD.  It doesn't even have the uncut audio.

Yeah, we gotta talk about this audio.  All that "raw, unrated" talk in the title?  That's actually a real thing.  See, one of the most exciting aspects of this new release is that Sony has included the original, uncensored audio for the first time.  See, in order to get qualify for a PG-13, they had to loop one of Armie Hammer's lines to declare, "let's gut this friggin' nerd."  You can guess what he originally said.  AV Club wrote a whole article about how phony it rings.  Well, for the first time ever, Sony is releasing it with the original, unrated audio restored to their UHD.  And, if you want it, they've included the theatrical audio, too.  In fact, they really deck out the options: DTS-HD 5.1 for both the theatrical and rated tracks, a descriptive audio version of the theatrical audio and a new Atmos mix with the unrated line.  And they also include two sets of optional English subtitles (standard and HoH), eleven foreign language dubs and 26 foreign language subs.
As for extras, nothing's changed.  But that's okay, because the original releases were fully stacked.  There's two great audio commentaries: one by Fincher and one by Sorkin accompanied by most of the stars.  Well, sort of... it's clearly several of them recorded separately and edited together.  Then there's a great, feature-length documentary and a series of additional featurettes to cover every aspect of production, including pre and post.  The 2011 releases came in a digipack housed in an outer slipcase, while the new 2021 set is so far only available as part of the Columbia Classics Volume 2 14-disc set.  It includes a hardcover, 80-page book with some sections devoted to The Social Network, as well as the rest of the films in the set, and the individual 3-disc cast comes in a stylish slipcover.
So this is the definitive way to go.  The UHD is a genuine improvement in picture quality despite whatever misgivings we might've had about the limitations of an older 2k master being upscaled to 4k.  It's still better in terms of resolution and color.  Plus, while it does boil down to only one word, it's great to finally get the uncut audio.  If you're someone who thinks of The Social Network as just a decent, timely drama, that may not be enough to warrant a double-dip.  But Fincher devotees will need this.  And fortunately, the whole set is terrific and well worth having, so it can work as just a "bonus upgrade" alongside the other essential UHDs.

Criterion Breaks Into 4k UHDs with David Lynch's Mulholland Drive

a little pilot-only scene and character
Mulholland Drive seemed to be a comeback film for David Lynch. He got an Academy Award nomination as Best Director for it, despite or perhaps partially because of its long and painful birth process. It was originally shot as a ninety-odd minute television pilot for ABC. A sort of second Twin Peaks. But the network ultimately declined it, and it never aired. A year or two later, Lynch teamed up with the French film company Studio Canal to buy it from ABC bring back the cast, and film all new material to flush it out into a feature film and a complete, self-contained story (the pilot, naturally, was left open-ended, as it was meant to lead into an entire series worth of events).

So it played well theatrically, and eventually in 2002, Universal gave us the slightly controversial DVD. Thanks to Lynch's eccentricity and probably a slight misunderstanding of the medium, it is presented without chapter stops, as per his wishes. As a pleasant surprise, however, it turns out the DVD does have chapter stops, a lot even, they're just not indicated by a chapters menu. But they're there. It also doesn't have any special features (despite some good, on-set interviews being available, as we'll come to later) except for a single page insert with "10 Clues to Unlocking This Thriller." And finally, Lynch personally censored one scene from the film for its home video release. A brief shot of Laura Herring, featuring some below the belt nudity, was optically fogged despite playing uncut in theaters, apparently to prevent nude photos from circulating on the internet.

Meanwhile, in Europe, Studio Canal released a 2-disc special edition. And in 2010, they even upgraded it to blu-ray, something which has yet to happen in the states. So, not for the first time, Lynch fans were compelled to import.

Update: 4/30/15 - 4/6/17 - 5/8/17 - 6/8/17: There is no end!  The Criterion blu did come out, so I updated this post with that.  Then I updated it with the Concorde blu, and now I'm updating it yet again with the new Studio Canal blu (not to be confused with the previous Studio Canal blu).  This one creates even more new special features and uses the updated 4k scan that debuted on the Criterion disc.  Is it the ultimate, definitive Mulholland Drive release?  Is it worth replacing an older edition for?  Let's solve the mystery.

Update 11/17/21: I'm about fed up with updating Mulholland Drive editions, but how could I say no when they've updated an entire format?  Yes, Mulholland Drive has finally been released as a 4k Ultra HD disc (with a standard BD as well).  And it's from Criterion.  They've finally caved to fan demand and started releasing UHDs.  This is an exciting day!
Mulholland Drive is pretty great, but even as a big Lynch fan, I do have minor issues with it. They mostly boil down to what I see as the more conventional characters and story points: like the stuff with the hitmen and the director's subplot. I can't say what was in the writers' heads, of course, but I suspect these elements are concessions for more mainstream television viewers who wouldn't appreciate Lynch's usual work, and as such is more archetypal and less humanistic and compelling than, say, his next film, Inland Empire, even though it's a far less popular work of his. At any rate, even if that's not true about why that material is in there, those points give that impression, which comes down to the same thing. But even accepting all of my quibbles, it's still a smart, creative and gripping drama, with all of Lynch's strengths here in force.

So how does it look on blu-ray and how does the DVD stand up against it? And how does each subsequent blu-ray (and UHD) release stack up against its predecessor?  We've got a lot of comparing to do!
1) Universal 2002 DVD 2) Studio Canal 2010 BD; 3) Concorde 2011 BD;
4) Criterion 2015 BD; 5) Studio Canal 2017 BD; 6) Criterion 2021 BD;
7) Criterion 2021 UHD.


So, not a huge difference, but there is an incremental improvement with each release.  Well, except the 2010 Studio Canal and the Concorde.  They're virtually identical.  In fact, Concorde's encode is slightly worse; so it's a tiny step down.  But the older SC blu-ray clears away all the standard def smudginess of the DVD, and Criterion's 2015 4k scan of the OCN smartens up the image with a touch more clarity and noticeably deeper colors.  They'll be slim upgrades to casual viewers, but aficionados will appreciate each generation's step forward.  All seven releases feature a slightly letterboxed 1.85:1 aspect ratio, but the 4k updates have ever so slightly shifted horizontally and vertically.  And then, again, Studio Canal's 2017 blu uses the same 4k scan as the Criterion, so I have to say I'm surprised how distinct it turned out.  There had been rumblings that perhaps Criterion's encoding could be slightly better, and indeed, I'd say it is on the 2017 SC.  Criterion's encoding does leave things like a hint of horizontal lines running across Naomi's upper lip and cheek, for example.  And areas of grain seem patchy, like little pixelated blocks.  This is real magnifying-glass-to-the-monitor stuff, but it's there, and SC does do a better job of not having that problem.  However, what's much more obvious is how much grainier the 2017 SC blu looks.  It looks like Criterion tried to de-grain the image a bit, whereas SC let it all hang out, which perfectionists always prefer.

But anyone who's looking that close, or whose screen is big enough, can forget all about which BD is better.  Because the UHD obviously boosts the resolution to a whole new level.  It's a new Dolby Vision transfer, made in conjunction with SC and, according to the booklet, "based on the 2015 color transfer."  So it's boosted to HDR and in true 4k now (you can really see jagged edges turned smooth and natural when you zoom in close), but still holding to the spirit of the previous restorations, as supervised by Lynch.  Therefor, it's interesting to note that the BD in the new 2021 set doesn't even use the new 2021 transfer at all; it's still their 2015, even in terms of how it captures/ retains grain.  So SC's 2017 BD is actually still better than Criterion's 2021 BD; and if you can't play UHDs, the SC is still the blu to stick with.  But of course, if you can play it, Criterion's UHD is the best this film has ever looked.
2010 Studio Canal blu-ray on top; bootleg DV-R of the pilot below
So now there's nothing to be gained from noting that the blu-ray trumps the DV-R of the TV pilot. That's just a low quality bootleg. There is no legit release of the pilot version, so don't run yourself ragged searching. It's no great loss, anyway, since there's very little in the pilot that's not in the film... It's mostly the other way around: there's a lot in the film that's missing in the pilot. But I thought it was worth posting the comparison because we see that, naturally, the 90s television image is full-frame. And since it was shot for TV first and converted to cinema second, Lynch clearly matted the 4:3 image down. So that means in the lower image you're seeing the image open matte, with a lot more picture on the top and bottom; and that's the way it was originally composed to be viewed. It's the OAR, at least for the footage that wasn't added later.

Speaking of interesting, alternate presentations of the footage, The 2015 Criterion release is the first uncensored presentation of the film, and yes, Studio Canal's 2017 blu follows suit.  As you may've already been familiar with, Lynch himself blurred a scene of full frontal nudity for the home video release (that played uncensored in the original theatrical run) around the 99 minute mark.  It was already a heavily shadowed scene, so casual viewers wouldn't even notice, but a distinct blur was put over Jeanne Bates Laura Harring in one bedroom scene, and that was on the original US DVD, the 2010 Studio Canal blu, the Concorde blu and pretty much every other version.  But by going back to the original film elements for their new 4k scan, Criterion bypassed it (sorry, no screenshot, kids).  And yes, it's still uncensored on the UHD.

As for audio options, the Universal DVD gave us a choice between DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes, but all four blus and the UHD simply give us uncompressed DTS-HD 5.1 tracks.  Well, Concorde also has a German DTS-HD 5.1 and 2010 Studio Canal gives us Spanish and French DTS-HD 5.1s (2017 SC keeps the French, but drops the Spanish).  They also include Dutch, French and Italian subtitles, while Concorde just have German subs and the original DVD has French and Spanish subtitles.  Only the Criterions and new Studio Canal actually give us (optional) English subtitles... at least for the main feature.
But what about the extras? Like I said, the DVD had nothing, not even the trailer. Just that insert with "clues." The Studio Canal blu-ray trumps even the insert by including a 20 page booklet, which, yes, includes the clues. But there's also some real, meaty extras on the blu as well:

• Introduction by Thierry Jousse - A ten minute lead in by filmmaker Jousse. This, like several of the extras, are in French, but everything's fully subtitled for English viewers.

In the Blue Box - A 28 minute featurette where a bunch of filmmakers (the guy who directed Donnie Darko, the director of Colt 45, etc) talk about the film and their experiences with it.

On the Road To Mulholland Drive - a 24 minute 'making of' documentary, primarily based on interviews with Lynch, Naomi Watts and Laura Herring, inter-cutting between them with some nice behind the scenes B-roll footage. This one's been around a while, even my pilot bootleg DVD has it on there, and was mostly or entirely shot during filming. One wonders why this was left off the Universal DVD. I guess Lynch just didn't want there to be any extras on that?

• Interview with Mary Sweeny - A short but interesting talk with the film's co-producer and editor.

• Interview with Angelo Badalamenti - A little under twenty minutes with the film's composer, who also plays a small role, from around the time of the film's release.

• Interview with Angelo Badalamenti - Yes, another one. But this one's newly recorded, and it's audio only. It's about 17 minutes and unfortunately repeats a lot of anecdotes nearly word for word from the previous interview. There are some unique bits, so it's still worth watching, but one wishes Studio Canal would've edited out all the duplicate material.

Back to Mulholland Drive - A 24 minute featurette that focuses on the mysteries of the film and decoding its more symbolic meanings. It includes some additional interview footage of Lynch, and explains the 10 clues, which is nice, because as written they're not illuminating at all, even when you pretty much get the film. Overall, it's a pretty compelling extra, but it's a little silly and I think they arrive at precisely the wrong conclusion about one of the clues. But for the most part, it pretty much explains and clarifies everything for people who saw the movie and felt they didn't understand any of it. And even if you feel you've got everything worked out, you probably didn't catch all of the little hints and touches they point out.
That was pretty awesome, but now Criterion is here to enter the races!  They've got a healthy collection of special features, too; and they're mostly all new.

• Interview with David Lynch and Naomi Watts - Finally, a proper interview with Lynch on this film besides those vintage promo clips. And here he's alongside star Watts for a really engaging talk.

• New interviews with Justin Theroux, Laura Harring, Naomi Watts and casting director Johanna Ray - A substantial featurette with several of the stars that runs well over half and hour.

• Interview with Angelo Badalamenti - Yes, this is different than the two on the Studio Canal discs, running just under 20 minutes, though he doesn't really say anything he didn't say before.

• Interviews with Peter Deming and Jack Fisk - We get to hear from a couple key people we haven't yet, the cinematographer and production designer.

• On-set footage - About 24 minutes worth of behind-the-scenes footage.  We saw a lot of this in On the Road To Mulholland Drive, but this is basically just the raw, B-roll footage without the framing interviews.

• Deleted scene - Robert Forster at the police station.  I'm surprised they didn't put in all the other material from the pilot - it would've been great to see it restored from film elements, too - but maybe Lynch didn't want it included?

• Trailer

Criterion's release also includes a 48-page booklet, with an interview with Lynch from the book Lynch on Lynch.  And it comes packaged in a stylish fold-out digipack that fits inside a sturdy slipbox.  Overall, both blus have some nice, exclusive stuff.  But overall, I definitely have to give the win to Criterion's collection.  Or I did at the time.
Concorde?  That's the whole reason I tracked this blu down and, well, it's pretty disappointing.  I mean, taken on its own, it's okay.  It sure trumps the DVD.
• Making of featurette - This is actually the On the Road To Mulholland Drive doc.  Still a good little doc, but nothing new if you have any of the other releases.

• Interviews - Interviews with Watts, Lynch, Harring and Theroux.  These are actually the exact same interview clips that appear in On the Road.  That's right; it's the same stuff on the disc twice.  I guess the benefit is this lets you jump right to certain interview clips without watching the whole, 23 minute doc?  Meh.

• 3 TV spots

• Trailer - Surprisingly, only this and the Criterion disc have this.  The old DVD and both Studio Canal releases are missing it.

• German trailer

And it has a couple of bonus German-dubbed trailers.  Pretty disappointing.  I figured the 'making of' doc would turn out to be On the Road again.  But I figured the interviews had to be some exclusive press junket clips or something.  Who knew they'd have the audacity to just reuse the same footage twice?  Oh well.
Studio Canal really went for it this time.  They've got new extras, previous Studio Canal extras, they've got Concorde extras and they've even got Criterion extras.  But they still don't have everything...

• Introduction by Thierry Jousse - As carried over from the previous Studio Canal disc.

• Interview with David Lynch and Naomi Watts - I was surprised to see this one here; it's the one Criterion made for their release.  Sweet!

• New interview with Laura Harring - Even sweeter, some brand new content.  A nicely edited, 14-minute on-camera piece.

• Interview with Mary Sweeny - This is from the previous Studio Canal disc, still quite good.

Back to Mulholland Drive - The look at the mysteries from the previous Studio Canal disc.

In the Blue Box - Again, this is from the previous Studio Canal disc.  But don't take that as dismissive comment.  I'm glad they kept all these goodies.

On the Road To Mulholland Drive - This is the vintage 'making of' that's been on every release except the original DVD.

• EPK Interviews - These are the same, short interview clips with Watts, Lynch, Harring and Theroux that were on the Concorde disc; basically the remaining soundbites that weren't heard in On the Road.

• Interview with Angelo Badalamenti - This is the one from the older Studio Canal disc; the video one.  The audio-only one was not ported over.

• On-set footage - About 24 minutes worth of behind-the-scenes footage.  We saw a lot of this in On the Road To Mulholland Drive, but this is basically just the raw, B-roll footage without the framing interviews.

• Deleted scene - The same Robert Forster scene from the Criterion disc.

So, this may well be the best collection of extras, but even though they brought over the Lynch/ Watts talk, they're still missing a couple featurettes from the Criterion: the interviews with cinematographer Peter Deming and production designer Jack Fisk, the cast featurette interviewing Justin Theroux, Laura Harring, Naomi Watts and Johanna Ray, the on-set footage featurette and their interview with Badalamenti.  And they've dropped the audio-only interview with Badalamenti from their own previous release.  Given how redundant it was, that makes some sense, but it seems odd they'd lose one of their own special features.  Frankly though, the biggest losses are the interviews with Fisk, Deming and Ray, as their voices aren't included anywhere else.  Also, bizarrely, it's missing the trailer.  Why do so many releases of this film keep forgetting the trailer?  But still, the trailer's just the trailer.  In 2017, Studio Canal's assembled a very strong mesh of the best of all the previous releases that's tough to beat.  Also, this release comes in a slip cover and includes six cardstock art cards that you can see in the photo above.

And Criterion's 2021 UHD/ BD set?  Finally a simple answer: exactly the same extras as their 2015 release.  The same book, slipbox (albeit with UHD markings, natch) and everything.
What was once a tough call has been made easy.  Criterion's UHD is the best presentation of this film.  But fans will probably want to hang onto their SC discs for the (mostly) unique set of extras.  Yes, there's some overlap and redundancy (how many Badalamenti interviews does one need?), but SC and Criterion both have some compelling, unique stuff.  You won't need any of the older releases after that, unless you're a real completist and want to hold onto the old Studio Canal release for the audio-only Badalamenti interview (but, like I just said...).