The Piano Teacher, R and Unrated Cuts

So, we've looked at Michael Haneke's first French film, and even his third... it was only a matter of time until we hit on his second, The Piano Teacher. It was released on DVD in the UK and the USA, respectively, in 2002, with two rather different releases. Or three, strictly speaking, as Kino released it in the states as both an "R Rated Version" and an "Unrated Director's Cut."  I was curious exactly what the differences between those two cuts were, and was surprisingly unable to find the answers online. So I've worked it out for myself, and I'm putting them onto the 'net now. 😎 

Update 3/16/16 - 7/8/18: This post has been begging for an update since last year, when we finally got this film on blu-ray, and from the Criterion Collection no less.  Well, it goes without saying that this should be a serious PQ update (though of course we'll delve into that more seriously below); but their special features selection is a little curious and maybe a little disappointing?  Let's have a look.

Update 11/10/20: I've added the French TF1 blu-ray to the mix, too.  It's from their 2013 'Le Cinéma de Michael Haneke' boxed set.

Isabelle Huppert stars as a music instructor (I won't spoil which instrument!) who couldn't be more dissatisfied with her life and secretly lashes out at everyone around her, especially herself. She lives with her very controlling mother and psychologically tortures her star pupil, a young girl who's made the unfortunate mistake of reminding her teacher of herself. She soon seeks refuge in a sexual relationship with another of her students, who she encourages to be violent and abusive. Yeah, this is dark stuff; but it's intense and very authentic.

The Piano Teacher was the first of several collaborations between the Haneke and Huppert (they're currently preparing #4, Happy End, as of this writing). And you only have to watch this film to see why they keep working together. This is one seriously powerful character study. It's based on the autobiographical, and somewhat shocking, novel by Nobel Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek, and as it's from Haneke, you know he's not going to shy away from the dangerous bits. And because of this, it's a little bit more conventional in its structure than most of Haneke's films. But from the locked frames and completely unsentimental deliveries, there's no mistaking whose work this is. This is a Haneke film all the way, and more than that, one of his best.

A scene only included in the unrated cut.

Now there's a moment in The Piano Teacher, where Huppert goes to a porno shop and watches some hardcore pornography in a private booth. What we get a glimpse of is explicitly hardcore, so I was pretty sure this was the difference between the R and unrated cuts. But I'm glad I checked, because it's actually the first of many cuts.

25:55) The hardcore pornography Huppert watches in the booth. First she's shown a split-screen image of four graphic images to choose from. She then selects one: an upside-down blowjob and we see a few seconds of that. In the R-rated version, we only see her reaction shots and hear the sounds of what she's watching.

33:43) The entire three-minute scene in the bathroom [shown above] is cut. The US version jumps right from the shot of the acceptance sheet to Huppert arguing with her mother. So not only do we not see the admittedly shocking thing she does to herself with a handheld mirror and a razor; but we don't hear her mother calling her and then the trouble she goes through to hide the evidence. It seems odd the MPAA would object to her cleaning her bath. More importantly, not seeing this scene totally destroys the next talk with her mother, which you interpret in a totally different way without knowing what Huppert's just done. The decision to cut this whole scene, rather than just trim it like the previous edit, is really destructive.

50:05) The scene of Huppert peeing outside of the lovers' car at the drive-in is heavily shortened.

1:05:20) The handjob scene in the bathroom is shortened. In fact, it's only a handjob scene in the unrated version, because the R-rated version goes right from them starting to get physical to the guy saying "I love you." In the complete version she begins to masturbate him and only says "I love you" after stopping her.

1:06:13) The r-rated cut also snips out the moment where she goes down on him, cutting right from the handjob rejection to Huppert's threats to leave. The guy goes from loving to hostile on a dime in the r-rated cut; but we see the motivations in this longer version with lines like, "I've no desire to touch that now." Even worse, we lose her whole speech about "I'll write down what you can do to me," which is a critical story point.

1:18:51) When Huppert tells the boy "stop being such a leech," the R-rated cuts to them practicing at the piano again, but the unrated version continues with him replying, "you cough because you're uptight." And they have a lengthy argument, where she tells him she has no feelings and forbids him from reading her note or doing anything that doesn't relate to music in that room. It's entirely sex-free, so I'm baffled as to why this has been cut.

1:26:14) Most of the note being read aloud is cut out. Apparently even talking about BDSM sex is too much for an R-rating.

1:43:48) It makes more sense that the sex scene at the hockey rink was cut short. The r-rated version has an awkward fade to black and then fade back to the same scene, while it plays naturally all the way through in the uncut version.  They only wind up losing a few seconds of non-nudity, though.

The trimmed scene from 50:05.

Meanwhile, the entire ending scene, which is perhaps the most extreme of the film, is left uncut. It really is puzzling how they could leave that in, but cut out dialogue in the piano room? These cuts must not have been only MPAA-based. It's a little mystery. Honestly though, it's not terribly important, since Kino did also release an unrated version. And yes, the discs from Artificial Eye and Criterion are also uncut. So there's no reason to bother with the R except as a curiosity piece, which I suppose it does live up to.

But even if you were clever enough to make sure you got the unrated Kino DVD rather than the R-rated one, you'd still have wanted to think about replacing it with Artificial Eye's, as you'll soon see.  Though of course now all the DVDs have been rendered obsolete by the blu-rays, released first by TF1 in France in 2013 and more recently in the US by Criterion in 2017.

1) Kino's 2002 R Rated US DVD; 2) Kino's 2002 Unrated US DVD;
3) Artificial Eye's 2002 UK DVD; 4) TF1's 2013 FR BD;
5) Criterion's 2017 US BD.

Wow, now there's a strong progression from edition to edition if I ever saw one. right off the bat, the Kino discs are non-anamorphic and interlaced. Otherwise, the transfers between the DVDs look fairly similar - presumably they're using the same root master - but those are two pretty major sticking points. The framing is also slightly different, with the AE disc minimally letterboxed to 1.80-1.81:1, and the Kino is window-boxed to about 1.70:1. Basically, this gives the AE disc a sliver of extra picture on the sides, and the Kino a sliver on the top and bottom.

Admittedly, though, the question of which DVD is preferable becomes fairly academic in the wake of the blu-rays.  I refer to them jointly, because they are virtually identical, obviously using the same master.  They've made a new scan of the original camera negative, and it's a massive improvement in detail just overall picture quality.  The film is slightly matted to 1.85:1, shaving not just a little off the top and bottom, but even narrow slivers along the sides.  The color scheme is more muted, too, with a lower contrast, flatter look - for example, compare the whites of the orchestra's sheet music.  Haneke is credited in Criterion's booklet as supervising the color correction, though, so this is the presumably correct look.  It's certainly more natural compared to the DVDs.  And anyway, the real story is in the fine detail and photo realistic clarity; it feels absurd to even spell it all out underneath the screenshots, since it's a night and day improvement.

Another mark against the Kino DVDs, by the way: every disc's subtitles are removable, except Kino's, which are burnt in. And AE's disc has a 5.1 mix in addition to its 2.0 stereo track, while Kino just has the 2.0. TF1 and Criterion both have the 5.1 mix remastered in lossless DTS-HD, though curiously they've chucked the stereo mix all together.  More curiously, TF1 has kept the lossy 5.1 mix as a secondary option.  But the bad news about TF1, and the most important thing to know about that their whole disc, is that it doesn't have any subtitles or English language options at all.  Other discs in the TF1 do have English subs, but not all, and this is one that doesn't.

The extras is where things really further complicated. Now, Kino isn't barebones. It has the theatrical trailer, and a quite good, 20 minute on-camera interview with Isabelle Huppert. And it includes a basic insert with chapter titles. Oh, and all this is the same across both the R and unrated discs, by the way.  But that's it. Artificial Eye has a whole lot more.

AE actually doesn't have the Huppert interview, so score 1 point for Kino. But they do have an audio commentary by her. It's scene specific, and only on seven scenes (totaling up to maybe fifty-ish minutes) rather than the whole movie. But I'd much rather have that than have her stretching to fill the rest of the running time if she didn't have more to say. The commentary, even partial as it is, winds up being more informative than the interview. Then, AE also has a really good interview with Haneke, helped by the fact that whoever's asking the questions seems to have a solid insight into the film. And there's an interesting behind-the-scenes look at an ADR session from the post-production of this movie. AE also has the trailer, plus reversible cover art., and finally, there's an interview with the author, which sounds great; but unfortunately, she just talks about her childhood, parents, and a bit about her novel Lust at the end. She doesn't mention The Piano Teacher - the book or the film - at all, which is a let down. Still, it's better than no interview at all.

TF1 has some stuff, but like their presentation of the film, it isn't English-friendly at all.  For the record - if, say, you're fluent in French - they have a 25-minute interview with Haneke and a short featurette with a French critic.  But it's no use to us English speakers.

And now we come to Criterion.  And to start with, no they don't have the Huppert interview from the Kino disc either.  They did carry over a bunch of the AE extras, though, including the commentary and dubbing session.  But they don't have the Haneke or Jelinek interviews.  Now, the absent Haneke and Huppert interviews are made up for, because Criterion has recorded new on-camera interviews with them both.  But there's no equivalent of the Jelinek interview, and it's just a shame to be losing as many special features as we're gaining with this new edition.  Nothing new is really being brought to the table, so much as a couple of lost features are being replaced.  Like Criterion's set of features, taken on their own, are good and rewarding; but if you already had the DVDs, it's a bit of a strange compromise rather than a boon of new content.  Oh, and Criterion's disc also includes the trailer, and a nice fold-out booklet with an essay by Moira Weigel, by the way.

So, yes, the Criterion is definitely and obviously the way to go at this stage.  Both blus offer a huge boost in picture quality, but only Criterion couples that with a nice set of features.  Owners of the past DVDs may feel compelled to hang onto those as well, though, since they both retain exclusive extras.  It would've been nice to clear those off the shelves with this new edition, but oh well.  I wouldn't go so far as to recommend going back and buying the DVDs in addition to the blu, however, since most of those Haneke and Huppert interviews are fairly redundant, and the Jelinek interview never got around to The Piano Teacher anyway.  Haneke does say some different things across the two interviews, but unless you're a die-hard collector, any one is probably enough.  Something different, like an interview with any other cast or crew member - to feel like we're getting some new content with our purchase - would've been nice.  But this is still a killer upgrade, especially essential if you've only got that non-anamorphic, interlaced mess from Kino.

Getting To the Very Bottom Of Xtro (DVD/ Blu-ray Comparison)

Xtro is a delight.  It's a completely bonkers sci-fi horror outing that just delivers one unexpected wild scene after another.  You never know what will come around the next corner: a shape-shifting monster, a pet snake on the loose, children's toys come to life, a panther in a London apartment, a killer clown and the inspiration for Warlock 2's greatest moment?  You'll find them all here and more.  And what's more impressive: it's all done well.  The production values are high, the acting is good and the human drama is genuinely engaging.  But at the same time, the effects are cool, the set pieces are ambitious.  We're constantly changing locations; this obviously isn't a blockbuster budgeted movie, but nothing was done on the cheap.  We're told in the extras that New Line executive Bob Shay pushed the filmmakers in the direction of Phantasm, and I really think that's what we have to thank for turning what probably would've been an okay but generic little horror film into something special.

For ages, this film has only been available on DVD; though thankfully Image did a better than average job presenting this film, with an anamorphic widescreen picture, and a brief but important selection of special features.  But now there's finally a special edition blu-ray, thanks to Second Sight, and they've really done it up, giving us no less than four versions of the film.  First, we get the original version of the film with the original ending, which is my preferred ending, in case anyone was curious.  It's the ending that takes the story seriously and gives a smarter resolution to our main character, as opposed to just going for one last "gotcha!"  Interestingly, though, it's not the ending that actually played with the film.  It was only included in the DVD special features as a bonus alternate ending.

Anyway, the next version on the blu is the same cut but with the alternate ending.  And perhaps you're thinking, "wait a minute, didn't the DVD have three endings?"  Well remembered; you're not wrong.  The DVD had one ending that played with the film and two alternative endings as extras.  But one of those alternative endings, the one labeled the Alternate Ending on the blu, is the same as the one attached to DVD's main feature, just with a different soundtrack.  Shot-for-shot, it's exactly the same, only the music is different.  So, to clarify, the blu-ray's Alternate Ending is the one with the piano that was one of the DVD extras, not the synthesizer one that was a part of the main DVD feature.

DVD deleted scene.

By the way, since we're talking about the alternate endings from the DVD, you might also remember one more deleted scene from that release, a little over 30 seconds of the kid and his mom in the kitchen, included without sound.  Well happily, that deleted scene has been reinstated into the film on the blu, all versions, and yes, with the sound.  It's not exactly the most thrilling or elucidating scene in the world, but it's still nice to have a more complete version of the film.  And it's also not the only added footage.  The DVD is missing a chunk of dialogue during the dinner scene at the roughly 40 minute mark, jumping right into Analise asking how long Sam plans on staying, but the blu-ray has a bunch of additional conversation about how he looks even younger than his old photo, etc.  And then around the 50 minute mark, there's some missing (just a couple seconds) of the woman opening the door for the soldier before he breaks it in.  Then around the 54 minute mark, there's a whole, short scene with Joe in his apartment that's missing from the DVD but restored on the blu.  I like that one because we see he has a parrot, and after so many nutty things happening in this movie, you don't trust the parrot and feel like it's gonna shoot laser beams at him or something.

Finally, just after the hour mark, when Sam and Rachel return to the cottage, on the DVD there's an awkward jump cut when Rachel calls out for Sam, and than is just seen opening a window.  On the blu, there's more to the scene, where she's calling for Sam because she sees that someone's broken into the cottage, and she looks around suspiciously.  We see that she's opening windows because the gas has been left on, another point dropped from the DVD.  So I don't see anybody really talking about this, but we're not just getting a nice, new HD transfer of Xtro, but a longer, uncut version.

Footage missing from the "Original UK Video Version Edit."

So, that's the first two versions on the blu... still with me?  Next up is a slightly shorter cut that had previously been released on UK home video.  I've seen reviews saying it features dialogue trims or tiny cuts to multiple scenes, but this just tells me most people have no idea what the difference is.  I don't blame them - I was confused, too!  For the majority of the film, all the way up to the 1.13.40 mark in fact, this version is 100% identical to the other versions.  But at that point, the UK cuts from the Range Rover to the sex scene.  In the other versions, it cuts from the Range Rover to Sam walking into the bedroom.  He finds Rachel asleep, walks around the bed, disrobes, gets into bed and kisses her awake.  She says, "darling," and we cut to Tony and Joe in the jeep.  There's an external shot of them driving and then it cuts to the sex scene.  So that's a chunk of one minute and twenty seconds chopped out of the UK version right there.

A shot that's simply been reshuffled in the "Original UK Video Version Edit."

But it gets a little more complicated.  Because then, while both versions are the same for the bulk of that scene, when the end comes, the UK version cuts to the jeep when Sam ejaculates, while the other versions continue on with Rachel recoiling and Sam falling off the bed.  He runs around the room and eventually hits Rachel.  The UK version takes the footage of Tony and Joe in the jeep that it had cut out earlier, putting it here (1.14.11) and then returns to Sam hitting Rachel.  So, some of the shots haven't been totally dropped, just re-ordered, and we only wind up losing a little under a minute of footage total.  Everything else is the same.  Curiously, that means the UK video version cuts stuff from the rape scene, which you'd expect, but winds up dropping mostly just the innocuous footage of Sam walking around the bed while leaving in the racy stuff.  Oh, and it features the same alternate ending with the piano that the Alternate Ending version did.

Original Version top; 2018 Director's Version bottom.

So, that's three versions down!  Ha ha  Finally, Second Sight presents a "new 2018 director's version," where the director makes takes the original edit with the alternate ending, and makes a whole bunch of changes to the colors, effects and even the framing.  See how there's a matte at the bottom of the second shot, above, changing the film from 1.78:1 to, briefly, 1.82:1?  Yeah, the tinkering gets really weird and downright destructive, as broad changes to the colors and heavy use of DNR and other effects wind up corrupting bits of the footage.  Look at this next set of shots:

Original Version top; 2018 Director's Version bottom.

See how there's little black chunks being taken out of the wall where I circled in the second shot?  Yeah, that's happening through the whole scene in the director's version, and it's constantly moving.  Admittedly, casual viewers could probably watch the scene and not even notice anything, but once you see it, it's like there's a cloaked Predator lurking behind that actress.  Still, I'd consider this a minimally altered scene.  Let's take a look at some of the more obvious changes they made for the 2018 version.  Particularly look for the tearing in the director's version's shot of the clown, on his sleeve, the toy and the rays shooting out of it.

Original Version top; 2018 Director's Version bottom.

Crazy, right?  It's not quite the disaster that the Rabid Grannies producer's "remastered edition" was, but it's kind of a mess.  I definitely wouldn't suggest starting with this version if you've never seen it before, but since this 2018 version is meant to be an additional creative exercise, I'm not mad at it as a bonus novelty.  Sure, throw it in the pot!  As long as the original version's included as well.  The bummer isn't that Lucas altered Star Wars, it's that he scrapped the original and withholds it from us.  And as you can see, the original Xtro has been offered up to us in spades.  Oh, and for the record, the 2018 director's version also utilizes the alternate ending with the piano.  So I'm not sure it's any great loss, but strictly speaking, one thing that this new special edition blu does not carry over from the DVD is the synth-scored version of the alternate ending.  Every time they use that ending on any cut, it's the piano version.

1) 2005 US Image DVD 2) 2018 UK Second Sight blu Original Ending
3) SS Alternate Ending 4) SS UK Video 5) SS Director's Version

So, the Original Ending, Alternate Ending and UK Video Version on the Second Sight blu are all utilizing the same encode, only with alternate endings via seamless branching.  Still, I screenshotted all five in the first set of shots just to be thorough.  But that second set of shots is from the ending, so you can see the differences there (most obviously the choices in color timing).  I won't say much about the Director's Version because it's not supposed to be an accurate representation of the film; I'll just point out that it's been DNR'd to a crazily waxy degree, and that final panther shot is just ridiculous.

So, the US DVD is anamorphic widescreen with slight matting all around the overscan area, leaving an AR of 1.82:1.  All of the blu-ray transfers (except when the Director's Version randomly occasionally shifts) are 1.78:1, revealing more picture all around.  Generally, grain is pretty clear and nicely resolved, if maybe just a teensy bit light.  Deep shadows look a little crushy, but that could just be how the movie was filmed.  Overall, it's a very filmic, attractive transfer.  The colors are warmer on the DVD and cooler on the blu, with the blu looking overall truer.  The DVD's palette feels a bit flat, with a bit of a hue cast over everything that the blu clears away.  And detail is definitely clearer on the blu, although the DVD was already looking pretty decent.  And of course, all the subtle compression noise of the standard definition DVD has been cleaned away.

DVD Davenport interview, and that same interview ported over onto the blu.

Now, the DVD just featured a Dolby Digital 2.0 treatment of the original mono track, with no subtitles.  The blu-ray bumps it up to DTS-HD of the mono on the Original and Alternate Ending cuts, and a DTS-HD stereo mix for the UK Video and Director's Versions.  And they all also include optional English subs.

As if this post hasn't been long enough, now let's delve into the special features.  The DVD wasn't exactly packed, but like I said, it had some great, important stuff.  I've already covered the alternate endings and deleted scene to death, so I'll just add here that unlike the feature itself, they were interlaced (as you could clearly see in the screenshot earlier).  Besides that, the main feature the DVD had was an interview with the director, Harry Bromley Davenport.  It's pretty good, rather self-critical, and for a long time, all we had.  Though as you can see, it's non-anamorphic and problematically interlaced.  Besides that, the DVD had the trailer and a stills gallery.

Second Sight brought a lot more to the table, starting with an impressive, hour-long documentary, which is a lot of fun.  It talks to so many key personnel, from Davenport and his producer Mark Forstater to star Bernice Stegers, and even lots of the supporting cast, including yes, Tik and Tok.  That's followed up by a talk with Xtro's "number one fan," which sounds like it would be silly; but he actually gives a rather smart and informed analysis, and he's occasionally intercut with Davenport or Forstater to collaborate or contrast a few of his points.  It's less like one of those looks at a quirky fan and his merchandise and more of a legit critical evaluation.

Then Davenport and Forstater introduce a bunch of footage from a new sequel they're developing, Xtro: The Big One.  It looks pretty rough, but there's an on-screen warning that the effects are still in progress.  Than there's a brief tribute to star Philip Sayer, with the people from the documentary each saying a bit about him, followed by a song.  The DVD interview with Davenport is also carried over here, and cleaned up, but it's disappointingly shorter.  Basically, on the DVD, for the last seven or eight minutes, he talked about his sequels, Xtro 2 & 3.  That section's been cut, and we only get the part where he talks about the first Xtro.  That's a bummer, because he had some funny stuff to say about Xtro 2.  Oh well.  Second Sight's release also includes the trailer, a TV spot, and a video introduction to the 2018 version by Davenport.

Now this version is a limited edition (though nowhere do they seem to specify just how limited), with a basic single disc edition presumably to follow.  Everything I just described is on the one blu-ray.  But this version also includes a soundtrack CD.  The music was all composed and performed by Davenport himself.  I wouldn't exactly put him on par with John Carpenter, but it's effective within the film.  Anyway, the limited edition also includes a stylish, 40-page full-color booklet by Kevin Lyons and comes in an attractive and sturdy slip box.

Second Sight's release is an essential release of a terrific cult film.  If you already have it, it's worth holding onto the US DVD (and/ or the German blu-ray that came out last year, which has even more exclusive special features) for the few tidbits missing from the new blu.  But they're minor and redundant enough that they're not worth tracking down now.  Second Sight really gives you all need... in fact, with the four cuts, it's already more than you need.  And it's region free, so top recommendations for all. 

Let the Rediscovery of Alien Predators Begin! (DVD/ Blu-ray Comparison)

Okay, you guys have probably never seen The Falling (perhaps better known as Alien Predators), right? I saw just about everything in the 80s, and I never saw this. I didn't catch it until a couple years ago, when I was on a jag of tracking down and watching all the 80s horror flicks I missed in my youth. And I don't know what I expected from The Falling... I think some sort of cheap, passionless knock-off, like Carnosaur crossed with Forbidden World, at best maybe a peer of Inseminoid. Can't say I'm a fan of that stuff, zero heart and stock characters boring you for 80 minutes of mindless exposition and keeping you on the hook with the promise of lame kills by a cheesy rubber suited monster. But you know, you gotta sift through a lot of dirt to find the golden nuggets, and like I said, I was determined to burn through every 80s horror flick, bar none, to discover something good. And I did!

Update 8/27/15 - 6/19/18: I guess I can't call this post, "The Movie Scream Factory Let Slip Through Their Fingers" anymore!  😁  Yes, that was this post's original title, and yes, Scream Factory has finally picked it up and released it on blu!  How's it look?  Are there any good features?  Come see!

The Falling (terrible title, by the way) is a little bit weird, a little bit funny... a little crazy and even a little action-y. I really like it. Far from the kind of film I described above, this is everything you want from an 80s horror. It's like Night Of the Creeps or Fright Night. I mean, those are two major highlights of the genre, and admittedly it's not quite as polished or engaging as those. There's no delightful Roddy McDowall or Tom Atkins level character... although The Falling does take one or two stabs at it, and come up with a couple characters - these two government/scientist guys - that don't reach those heights but are still pretty fun. Dude in the beard definitely makes you want to see more scenes with him, and the three young leads are all pretty good and likeable. The jokier sidekick guy is no Evil Eddie, but he's definitely a more enjoyable character than most generic horror dudes.

And damn it, this film delivers. You want great rubber effects? This film's got 'em. You want genuinely funny gags and moments? They're here. Gore? Yup, some pretty gross stuff. Creepy atmospheric points, including a creepy killer in a clown mask? Uh-huh. Stunts, including car chases, explosions and a menacing truck right out of Duel or Maximum Overdrive? Exotic foreign locales, colorful lighting, high production values, a rocking soundtrack, space aliens, conspiracy and a really ambitious, unpredictable plot? This film has it all, and yet nobody had ever released it on DVD! There wasn't even been a cheap, barebones fullframe DVD on the greyer side of the market, much less any fancy special edition blu-rays like the kind Scream Factory puts out.

And there could have been! In 2012, Scream Factory made a deal with MGM, and if you've noticed, they've been releasing tons of their back catalog titles ever since. And The Falling just so happens to be one of their titles, rotting away in their vaults, waiting to be re-discovered. And they even had a widescreen HD master, I know, because they gave it to Netflix to stream (it may not be there anymore' I quit Netflix last year). All Scream had to do was scoop it up off the floor, and I requested it whenever the question came up; but everybody ignored it, because hardly anybody's seen or remembers this movie. So, okay, they didn't release it in their first couple batches... okay, year two, and still no Alien Predators. Every announcement they made I checked for The Falling and then thought, alright, it'll be in their next one. It's a total freebie, and a great "never before on blu or DVD option." Sure, they want to focus on the big money makers first, but they had to get to it eventually... right? But the door seemed officially closed once MGM themselves finally put it out as a generic MOD DV-R on Amazon.  Though hope never entirely dissipated, because there had been a very similar case where they released a pretty awesome special edition of New Year's Evil in 2015, even after MGM released that as a MOD.

But order it I did, because I absolutely need this film in my collection. And I grabbed that Netflix stream, too; because I wasn't sure I'd ever get a second chance at it. But, in fact, we actually wound up getting multiple chances at it.  Because a few months after this post, filmArt announced a German blu-ray (see the comments).  But I held out, and sure enough, just... today, Scream Factory has finally released it on blu here in the states!  Huzzah!

Netflix stream on top; MGM DV-R middle; Scream Factory blu bottom.

So unsurprisingly, everybody used the same 1.85:1 master.  But it's interesting to see the improvement just from the format shift.  There's more detail on the DVD than the stream, but there's definitely still compression issues. But you have to expect that, because it's not even a proper DVD but a single layer, made on demand DV-R (4 gigs, ladies and gentlemen!).  There's ugly artifacting all over it, and it even looks like maybe they tried to edge enhance it a bit to make up for it.  All of that is happily cleared away on the very crisp blu-ray.  This may not be boasting a fresh 2 or 4k scan for this new blu, but the HD master they used must be new enough, because it looks quite good, with subtle yet naturalistic grain and much cleaner detail.  There's the occasional white fleck, but really, The Falling looks downright pristine here.

The DV-R and the blu both preserve the original mono in 2.0 and it sounds great.  Scream Factory naturally bumped it up to DTS-HD, and included optional subtitles which the DVD lacked.

And of course that DV-R was barebones, including a fairly generic menu and no extras. Not even a trailer. The chapters are even at arbitrary 10 minute intervals. Well, Scream Factory hasn't issued this as one of their packed "Collector's Edition"s, but they did come through for this title by creating an all new audio commentary track with the director.  It's not perfect; he tends to lapse into periods of dead air, especially at the very beginning and I started to worry this listen would be a real grind.  but stick with it, folks!  He actually has a lot of great stuff to say, helped enormously by the fact that this movie has never had any special features before, so it's all new and exciting to hear.  It's also got a pretty good story behind it, with the director explaining things like how he got the effects artist from John Carpenter's The Thing to give him an amazing prosthetic for free; or how, far from it being Alien or Predator, his primary inspiration for the film was An American Werewolf In London, which really does come through in the final product.  In addition to the commentary, we finally get the trailer, which bears the on-screen title of The Falling, as does the film itself.  And while this release doesn't exactly have reversible artwork, it certainly has a pretty awesome reverse image for whenever you open the case.

The director's a bit self-effacing and embarrassed by some of the flaws that slipped into his first film, but watching Scream's blu, I find I keep getting more impressed with each rewatch.  Yeah, a few jokey lines fall flat; but for the most part, it all works really well.  In the commentary, he talks about how at the time of filming they felt like they were making the world's greatest horror movie and super excited watching the dailies.  Unfortunately, the world seems to have beat down that enthusiasm since then.  So I really hope some critical rediscovery spawns out of Scream Factory including it in their line-up.  This is a really rewarding release, and it shouldn't get lost under the radar.