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Anna Boleyn
(1920)

This early Ernst Lubitsch feature film stars Emil Jannings and Henny Porten, with support from Paul Hartmann, Ludwig Hartau, Aud Egede Nissen, Hedwig Pauly-Winterstein and Hilde Müller.

Kino Classics
2024 Blu-ray Disc edition

Anna Boleyn (1920), color-tinted black & white and color-toned black & white, 124 minutes, not rated.

Kino Lorber, K26629, UPC 7-38329-26629-5.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region A Blu-ray Disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in pillarboxed 16:9 (1920 x 1080 pixels) 24 fps progressive scan image encoded in SDR AVC format at 39.2 Mbps average video bit rate; DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 1.6 Mbps audio bit rate; German language intertitles, optional English language subtitles; 10 chapter stops; standard BD keepcase; $29.95.
Release date: 18 June 2024.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 9 / audio: 9 / additional content: 0 / overall: 9.

This Blu-ray Disc edition has been mastered from a 2K digital restoration of the 2001 photochemical preservation which worked from the incomplete original camera negative and a color-tinted 35mm nitrate print.

No digital stabilization or clean-up has been performed on the restoration scan leaving a typical amount of dust, speckling, frame jumpiness, emulsion chipping, exposure fluctuations, and other print flaws in the otherwise excellent picture. Compared to Kino’s DVD edition noted below, there is a considerable improvement in image quality in this Blu-ray Disc edition. Highlight details are reasonably well maintained while there is excellent clarity in shadow details. We only wish that some digital work had been done to further improve the viewing experience.

The film is accompanied by a fine music score composed and performed on piano by Javier Perez de Azpeitia.

There is no supplemental material to this edition as the documentary Ernst Lubitsch in Berlin (2006), originally announced for rerelease in this edition, was deleted before publication leaving room on the disc for a higher video bit rate for the main feature.

A pleasure to watch, this is our recommended home video edition of the film.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

This Region A Blu-ray Disc edition is also available directly from . . .

Kino International
2006 DVD edition

Anna Boleyn (1920), color-tinted black & white and color-toned black & white, 118 minutes, not rated.

Kino International, K517, UPC 7-38329-05172-3.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at 5.2 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 192 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; 16 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $29.95.
Release date: 5 December 2006.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 7 / audio: 7 / additional content: 4 / overall: 7.

This DVD edition has been mastered from the 35mm restoration print prepared by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, and shows us a relatively clear, natural-speed video transfer from a very-good source print that has been color-toned. Some light dust and speckling remains, as does a moderate amount of frame jitters. Intertitles have been color-tinted blue.

The film is presented with a music score composed and performed on piano by Javier Perez de Azpeitia.

The lean supplemental material includes an image gallery (22 images); and a Lubitsch filmography.

This remains our recommended DVD home video edition of the film for North American collectors.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Eureka Entertainment
2010 DVD edition

Lubitsch in Berlin (1919-1921), black & white, color-toned black & white, and color and black & white, 581 minutes total, BBFC Classification PG, including Anna Boleyn (1920), color-toned black & white, 118 minutes, BBFC Classification PG.

Eureka Entertainment,
unknown catalog number (MoC98), unknown UPC number.
One single-sided, dual-layered, Region 2 PAL DVD disc (six DVDs in the set); 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 576 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at ? Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to ? fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at ? Kbps audio bit rate; German language intertitles, optional English language subtitles; chapter stops; six slimline DVD keepcases in cardboard slipcase; £49.99.
Release date: 25 January 2010.
Country of origin: England

This PAL DVD edition has been mastered from the same 35mm restoration materials prepared by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung as for the 2006 Kino International edition noted above.

Among the supplemental material is a short essay on the film by David Cairns.

Sight unseen, this is our recommended DVD home video edition of the film for European collectors. North American collectors will need a region-free PAL DVD player capable of outputting an NTSC-compatible signal to view this edition.