Writings > DVD Image Comparisons > Phenomena

Phenomena

Region 0 (USA) - Anchor Bay
vs. Region 2 (Italy) - Medusa
vs. Region 2 (UK) - Platinum Media
vs. Region 2 (Japan) - Cinefil Imagica

Details

Bit Rate

R0 USA

R2 Italy

R2 UK

R2 Japan

Screen Captures

Example 1

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R0 USA | R2 Italy | R2 UK | R2 Japan

Example 2

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R0 USA | R2 Italy | R2 UK | R2 Japan

Example 3

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R0 USA | R2 Italy | R2 UK | R2 Japan

Example 4

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R0 USA | R2 Italy | R2 UK | R2 Japan

Example 5

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R0 USA | R2 Italy | R2 UK | R2 Japan

Comments

Note: I'm aware that some of the images don't match up properly. They were taken back before I had a proper system for ensuring that each version showed exactly the same frame.

I've now viewed four different versions of Phenomena, three anamorphic and one non-anamorphic; three on dual-layer discs and one on a single-layer disc. The results are quite surprising, as the one that should theoretically be the weakest - the non-anamorphic NTSC US disc - often stands side-by-side with the sharpest, the Japanese disc. The problem with the Japanese transfer is its overly high brightness: it looks washed out in comparison to the other three transfers, although this can be corrected by playing with your display's brightness settings. This is most visible in night scenes, where the black level really suffers. Three of the four transfers show a noticeable blue tint, but the fact that all were sourced from different prints (one English, one Italian, one French) suggests that these colours are correct, and that the more natural-looking Italian transfer is wrong. The Italian release is also quite inconsistent in terms of sharpness, with a nice crisp opening sequence but some noticeable softness from then on. In terms of encoding, the UK disc is quite weak, with some noticeable artefacts and a couple of what look like tape drop-outs. Overall I favour the Japanese transfer.

Phenomena was shot in English and post-dubbed, but the Italian release includes only Italian audio. Both the UK and US releases include the original English dialogue, but the UK release seems to be mono. The Japanese release includes both English and Italian audio, but a number of scenes on the English track are in fact in Italian, for some bizarre reason, despite English audio existing for these scenes, as evidenced by the UK and US releases. The lack of English subtitles means that this is something of a problem for viewers with no knowledge of the story. The US release is therefore the winner in this category.

It is important to note, though, that the Italian and Japanese releases feature the full-length "integral" cut, which is approximately 6 minutes longer than the version on the UK and US DVDs. This is most likely the reason for the lack of an English audio track on the Italian version: no English audio was ever created for the extra 6 minutes. Still, it would have been nice if Medusa had done what Anchor Bay did for their Profondo Rosso DVD: including an English audio track but switching to Italian for the scenes where no English audio existed. Essentially, this was done to some extent on the Japanese DVD, but as previously mentioned, a number of additional scenes are bizarrely presented in Italian.

The UK release includes some interesting extras, such as an interview with Argento and a behind-the-scenes segment, both of which are different from the similar ones included on the US release. The US disc wins out, however, for the inclusion of an audio commentary.

Overall, I'm giving the edge to the US release, for its superior extras and the inclusion of the original stereo English audio. If you don't mind the lack of extras and English audio in a handful of scenes, though, the Japanese disc might be the way to go. This really is case where there is no easy answer, since all four discs have their strengths and weaknesses, but I think that the US disc represents the best buy at the end of the day, at least for the casual viewer. Of course, if you want to buy all four versions like I did, that would be the best course of action (although the UK release doesn't have much going for it).

PS. The UK release seems very unprofessional, with some of the worst packaging I have ever seen in my life. It also appears to be sourced from a French print (the French distribution logo appears for approximately 1/12th of a second at the start of the film, and the opening credits are in French).

Summary