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Arrow Video 4K UHD Limited Edition
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Release: May 18, 2025 - Author: Muck47 - Translator: Muck47 - external link: IMDB Comparison between the English version and the Italian version, both included on the British 4K UHD Blu-ray from Arrow Video // Comparison of the bonus material on the US 4K Blu-ray from Kino Lorber
You can already find quite a bit about Sergio Leone's Dollar trilogy in our archive. Blu-rays were released in Germany in 2013, and the second part, For A Few Dollars More, was particularly worthy of mention here, as the film was virtually a worldwide uncut premiere. Abroad, they were already one step ahead in 2022, but the American 4K premiere with better color grading was longer than the MGM version, but still slightly shortened. Parts 1 (uncut) and 3 (international version) have also been released worldwide on 4K Blu-ray by Kino Lorber in the US for the first time. Fans had long suspected this would happen after a few vague teasers from Arrow Video, and on May 12, 2025, the collector's label released a lavishly equipped edition ofA Fistful of Dollars in the UK. On May 26, 2025, For a Few Dollars More will follow, and on June 23, 2025, the trilogy will be completed with The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, all as 4K UHD Limited Editions with lavish bonus material. Unsurprisingly, the first release we have now received raises the bar in terms of quality compared to the already very good release from Kino Lorber, starting with the main film (image comparison). The original mono audio is also available again instead of the distorted version from Kino Lorber. In addition to the 50-page booklet, the bonus material also includes several newly produced featurettes and two exciting easter eggs. Let's get this out of the way right away: This is not a classic report, because the two version options mentioned above are basically quite unspectacular. The difference is limited to the opening credits and an end credit. The American 4K Blu-ray naturally only had the English version and the Italian 4K Blu-ray presumably had the local language, but here you can now choose between the two. Apart from that, the same film restoration is used with playlists (quasi seamless branching). This is also completely uncut and, according to our separate comparison, frame-for-frame identical to the previous 4K Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. We also compared this US version from Kino Lorber with the German Blu-ray at the time. Arrow's emphasis on “now fully uncut” in its announcement probably refers to the fact that a 3-minute shortened version was available in the UK at the time, even though both the DVD and Blu-ray were already complete. The easter eggs mentioned above are also worth mentioning. On the one hand, a mini-featurette hidden as an addition to the Italian trailer reveals alternative Italian credits. It was curious that Sergio Leone was given an English pseudonym in both the Italian opening credits and the original trailer from Italy, newly scanned in 4K. Arrow also found some overlays in the archives, probably used for re-releases, where the later world-famous name was used. Being able to see these snippets side by side once again shows how much attention to detail Arrow has put into this edition.
On the other hand, the English version also has a hidden option to add the prologue filmed for the US TV premiere in 1974, which has never been broadcasted since. In principle, fans should already be familiar with this from the bonus material on various DVDs/Blu-rays: The filmmakers wanted to give Eastwood's cynical character a more conventional motivation, so they shot a nearly 5-minute sequence with acting legend Harry Dean Stanton, in which he plays a prison warden who orders Eastwood (= a double sitting in the room and shabby recycled close-ups of his eyes) to maintain law and order in the town. The sequence itself was apparently still not found in better quality, so once again a Betamax recording by a fan served as the source. But for the first time, it is now available separately and somewhat remastered. Since the 2005 DVD and on all previous Blu-rays, including the 4K disc from Kino Lorber, there have only been two featurettes about it: One contained the sequence with an introduction and nasty tape interference at the bottom of the screen, while the other only showed snippets with constant commentary interruptions. Last but not least, a look at the outtakes is a small revelation for fans interested in such special insights. They were found for the first time in 2014 during restoration work by Cineteca around the time of a Cannes screening. After Kino Lorber was able to offer a 2.5-minute featurette that was not available on previous releases in Germany or internationally from MGM, Arrow now has a full 36 minutes of original material from the set in good HD quality on board for the first time. As mentioned, this is of course only a side note for us. But it's always exciting to get a few previously unseen first-hand insights into the making of this film history milestone. First, let's take a look at the additional prologue from the 1974 US TV premiere. This is played as a 4:50-minute easter egg at the beginning when you press right next to the Play English Version option. An Eastwood double runs through dark rooms and then talks to the prison warden, played by Harry Dean Stanton, who offers him a chance not to spend the rest of his life in prison. The warden describes the precarious situation in the town and the criminal activities of the two gangs, which are clearly identified as adversaries. He says he has already lost seven men there. The nameless man is supposed to clean up the town once and for all and is given 60 days to do so. He is given a gun and rides off.
Here are the two featurettes from the old DVDs and Blu-rays for comparison. In Not Quite Ready, only excerpts are shown, interrupted several times by comments/interviews and also with voiceovers or inserts at the moments in question. In The Network Prologue, Leone collector Howard Fridkin talks for just over two minutes about his experience at the time, saying that he took out a loan specifically to buy a Betamax recorder so he could record the TV premiere in 1974. He said he was confused by the prologue and wanted to stop the recording, but over 20 years later, it turned out that he had archived the particularly rare scene, which was never broadcast or released again. After that, starting at 2:02 in the featurette, this exact recording is shown, matching frame for frame the version presented by Arrow albeit still with green tape marks at the bottom of the image, which Arrow has removed. Now the image has also been stabilized somewhat and smoothed with filters.
00:29-01:59 After the first credit for Clint Eastwood, which is identical, the first differing credit appears after about half a minute with the film title. Shortly thereafter, it becomes apparent that the English version refers to John Wels, while the Italian version refers to Wells. Afterwards, the person responsible for the English dialogue is also mentioned in the corresponding version. A little later, Roberto Cinquini is mentioned for the Italian version. But the real highlight is, of course, the pseudonym Bob Robertson for Sergio Leone, whom the Italians preferred to give a typically English name, as Westerns were typically American at the time.
There is another easter egg related to this pseudonym, which can be discovered by clicking at the top on the menu item for the Italian trailer. During the restoration work on the Italian trailer, further text inserts were discovered, which were probably created for a re-release.
The following compilation shows inserts at the same moments as in the Italian trailer, but with the correct name and also in English.
For the sake of completeness, here is the localized opening credits, which can be found on the main film of the German Blu-ray and as a bonus feature on the Arrow release.
A small example of additional restoration work by Arrow: At 25:40, the Kino Lorber version still showed a hair on the top right of the lens, which has now been retouched.
Kino Lorber 50:34 / Arrow 50:34-50:35 In the Arrow version, a black screen during a scene change is slightly longer than in the previous 4K version from Kino Lorber. This allows the score to fade out a little better and does not transition directly into the bell that can be heard when the next scene fades in. The shot of the bell is shown here for reference, but only the black screen immediately before it is longer. Incidentally, the German Blu-ray corresponds exactly to the shorter version from Kino Lorber in terms of image quality. 1.2 sec
English audio on British 4K Blu-ray from Arrow Video Italian audio on British 4K Blu-ray from Arrow Video First German dubbing on German Blu-ray from Universum Film German second dubbing (Rainer Brandt) on German Blu-ray from Universum Film 99:31-99:37 Finally, the end credits differ.
In the Kino Lorber version, this insert appears a little earlier and is also placed slightly lower or in a different position in the image.
Incidentally, unlike the German opening credits, the German Blu-ray also shows the Italian fine print here.
Outtakes in the bonus material, which were first seen in short form on the Kino Lorber release and are now significantly longer in Arrow's version: After a different intro (in the Arrow version with a reference to the fact that there is actually much more material in the archives), both versions start with the scene that was completely removed from the final film, in which the nameless man kicks a man into the water and steals his poncho. It is already noticeable here how the Arrow version has an additional newspaper clipping before this and various other shots of the man on the shore before Eastwood arrives. Then the old 2.5-minute featurette continues immediately after this first scene at 0:20 with the scene where they are tinkering with the malfunctioning film clapperboard. In the longer Arrow version, this doesn't happen until 6:16, preceded by lots of other/new footage.
After a few identical shots, there's lots of exclusive material from Arrow again...
...and only at 0:37 / 11:06 is there another identical scene, when Clint and Gian Maria Volonté are joking around together.
This continues throughout the remaining two minutes (Kino Lorber) and 25 minutes (Arrow): Several more shots, some more spectacular than others, can now be seen for the first time in Arrow's version.
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