NOTE : The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Criterion - Region 'A' / 'B' - Blu-ray - June 17': This is being released in both the US and the UK (one week later.) The Criterion is advertised as a 'New 2K digital restoration'. The film looks so beautiful... it's the most dramatic comparison of the past few years. The detail is massively improved. The sepia remains but is yellow-ish. Skin tones cool and colors get richer and bolder. The Criterion 1080P is much brighter. There are always concerns that the original appearance of a film is adhered to in a digital restoration. In many cases no one can be positive - prints fade or are lost, filmmakers die (so true of Stalker) etc.. This is such a case. Criterion did go to great lengths to replicate the original appearance - of that I was made aware of their research and investigations many months ago. I can only add to the appearance of the matched screen captures below by telling you that Stalker has some of the most beautiful sequences in all of film and they look absolutely brilliant on Criterion's new Blu-ray . I've never seen this particular Tarkovsky film look so visually impressive. It was, definitely, the most impacting Stalker has ever had on me. I've watched the Criterion Blu-ray three times now and I was amazed in each viewing. In a word this, visually, is truly 'stunning'. Criterion also advance upon the AE Blu-ray with the audio. They use a linear PCM mono track - at 24-bit (as opposed to 16-bit.) The resulting sounds of the film are richer, deeper and darker while remaining authentically flat. The, often eerie and haunting, score by Eduard Artemev certainly benefits adding another layer onto the atmosphere. The Criterion has optional English subtitles and the discs are coded respectively to their region ('A' in North America, 'B' in UK/Europe.) For the supplements, Criterion add a new, 1/2 hour, interview with Geoff Dyer, author of Zona: A Book About a Film About a Journey to a Room who discusses how his impatient first viewing of Stalker gave way to a decades-long love of the film. There are 3 interviews from 2000-2002; 22-minuts with composer Eduard Artemyev, a pioneer in the field of electronic music, he composed scores for three Andrei Tarkovsky films (Solaris and Mirror, in addition to Stalker) and here he recalls the process for composing for Stalker. Included is 6-minutes with cinematographer Alexander Knyazhinsky (also found on the AE Blu-ray ). Knyazhinsky was the second cinematographer associated with Stalker. In this interview, the last he gave before his death in 1996, he recounts his arrival midway through the famously difficult production, and describes his working relationship with director Andrei Tarkovsky. Also available is 1/4 hour with set designer Rashit Safiullin who discusses working on Stalker. The package has a liner notes booklet with an essay by critic Mark Le Fanu. For many, myself included, this represents the Blu-ray release of the year to date. I am 'blown away' by this presentation. I only have the screener disc sat present but can't wait to have the complete package in my hands. Our highest recommendation! *** ADDITION: Artificial Eye - Region 'B' Blu-ray - August 2016: Curzon / Artificial Eye provide another two- Blu-ray package for one of their new Tarkovsky film-to-1080P release - one disc for the feature a second for the extras. Stalker seems to be from a Films Sans Frontières source (who have released their own, English-friendly Blu-ray version HERE) and it looks radically different from the DVDs (see the title captures below.) It looks quite soft and the print has speckles and small marks. General consensus is that the a/v quality is sub-par - and underachieving from people's hopes. A shame. The audio too is rather scratchy and inferior. We can only hope for a better release down the road - hopefully Criterion! *** ADDITION: MK2 (May 2005) - The MK2 is an exact duplicate of the AE/RusCiCo. It comes in a slim digipak without sleeve. At present this is the definitive edition - so buy the AE or the MK2 - whichever you find least expensive. **** ADDITION: Spectrum (October 2004) - Not much to say, the Spectrum is NTSC and has the same problems as the Image Entertainment. It also has the same extras, but its big failing is only having the 5.1 audio and no option for the original mono. The Spectrum may have slightly better contrast than the Image Entertainment. It differs in that it offers Korean subtitles and some pretty cool appearing menus. In actuality they are not as nice as the animated RusCiCo ones. Stick with the PAL edition.