Some pictures of Criterion Collection’s 4K release for Chilean/Spanish director Alejandro Amenábar’s critically acclaimed gothic supernatural psychological horrorThe Others (2001), starring Nicole Kidman.

I kinda feel this movie was rather underrated and also overlooked at the box-office during its initial release because just 2 years ago (1999) another supernatural film called The Sixth Sense had a similar twist ending, but I really really like the super moody lighting and cinematography of this one.

This 2 disc set comes with a 4K UHD presentation on one disc and the regular blu-ray + supplementary materials on the 2nd. Here are some pictures of the set, with the cover art done by the ever amazing Greg Ruth who has also illustrated many other stunning covers for Criterion titles, including Jane Campion’s The Piano, which I previously reviewed here. I very highly recommend following the artist on X.

Now about the 4K presentation – this is a tremendous upgrade from the SD edition of the film. I’ve you are familiar with the movie, you will likely remember that the look has a strong film grain presence which is not ideally represented by the lower bitrate and muddies up the image quite a bit. The 4K edition however, with its increased fidelity, resolves the details beautifully, and the film grain can for the first time be appreciated as part of the look that is intended by the filmmakers, rather than unwanted visual artifacts. Long story short – the overall image quality is much higher in fidelity, and the images feel much more “3-dimensional”, for lack of a better description.

The making of material and supplements are excellent as well, and watching them is something I always look forward to for all of Criterion’s releases. The one that I got the most out of and learned from are the new interviews with the director Alejandro Amenábar, Nicole Kidman as well as Christopher Eccleston, all of which helped me understanding the nuances of the film better than before.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

– New 4K digital restoration, approved by director Alejandro Amenábar, with Dolby Atmos soundtrack
– One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
– Audio commentary featuring Amenábar
– New conversation between Amenábar and film critic Pau Gómez
– New making-of program from Studiocanal UK featuring Amenábar, actors Nicole Kidman and Christopher Eccleston, and producer Fernando Bovaira
– Archival programs about the film’s production, soundtrack, and visual effects, featuring interviews and footage recorded on the set
– Audition footage of actors Alakina Mann and James Bentley and photography from the “Book of the Dead”
– Seven deleted scenes
– Trailer
– English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
– PLUS: An essay by scholar Philip Horne


Yet another 4K release by Criterion that smacks it out of the park. This version is by far the best one to enjoy the film. Thoroughly recommended.

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