You guys probably know of this already but I would like to inform all Indian dvd collectors that the best version of "Sholay" (in my opinion) to date is actually available in France! There is a 2 disc version by Carlotta available at http://www.amazon.fr for approximately 19 euros. Carlotta are a highly reputable French company who specialize in mainly classic American films but have tried to expand their catalogue by adding a few popular Hindi titles.

The film itself is the theatrical version. The ratio is 2.35:1 Anamorphic and has been remastered from a new inter positive made from the original work print (to the best of my knowledge). However, as Sholay was actually filmed in the Academy ratio and then released in a matted 2.35: 1 ratio on 70mm, the Carlotta version will present more information than the DEI version but less than the Eros version although the information dropped is not vital. Whilst I wish that the Carlotta version had retained the Academy ratio, I can live with what they have done, primarily because the picture is far more accurate than the Eros version and has been cleaned up as much as possible. Where the Carlotta version also scores is in the audio which is Hindi Dolby 2.0 mono and has virtually no distortion or noise and no echoing problems. Despite only having a mono track and no bombast a la a sub, in my opinion, the Carlotta version has the best audio of all the versions as it is clean, clear and noise free. The picture itself is sharp and quite detailed but not as rich in colour as the DEI version although I feel that the detail presented compensates more than enough. I am actually convinced that the Carlotta version is the more accurate representation than both the Eros and DEI versions. The colours have not been artificially boosted and the clarity is far better.

Disc 1 also has menu options allowing you to select chapters, songs as well as use them for Karaoke!. A trailer is also present.

Disc 2 has two supplements. A 52 minute documentary made in 1989 by Nasreen Munni Kabir on Amitabh called "Follow That Star". There is also an 8 minute interview with Ramesh Sippy.

I like the Carlotta version because it is not cheap and is a sincere effort to present the film at it's best. The discs are DVD 9 and the good quality keepcase is a slimline one with a small colour booklet within, although this is in French. There are no English subs but I didn't need any! The keepcase is housed in a paperboard sleeve.

I have also heard rumours that Criterion are considering Sholay for release in late 2007 using the Academy ratio and presenting both cuts but these are unsubstantiated. I have sent them an e-mail seeking further information.

I would give the Carlotta version a rating of 8.

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Ali

There's going to be a "Criterion" release of Sholay?

Would be great, but highly unlikely!

As I stated in my earlier post, thr rumor was unsubstantiated and I have sent Criterion an e-mail for confirmation and I suspect the answer will be that there are no such plans. Perhaps even the existence of "Sholay" will be news to them but you never know...

Citerion know about Sholay. I have mailed them myself (a couple of years ago). At that time they said that they had no plans for releasing it.

I wonder, has any DVD of Sholay been mastered (as [I feel] it should be) from the 70mm print of the film, rather than from the 3mm one? As far as I know, Sholay was shot on 70mm film, which means that its "aspect ratio" was — not 4:3/1.33:1 (or 1.37:1, if we're to account for the sound track) or 2.35:1 (it couldn't have been 2.39:1, as that ratio wasn't in use as early as the 1970s, and certainly wouldn't have been used in India in 1975) — 2.2:1. As 70mm-film projectors were not common back then (hell, they've never really been "common" anywhere in the world, at any time), the movie was likely converted to 35mm for the purpose of usability, at which point a decision was probably made to project the picture in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio (35mm film, I doubt, could be projected at 2.2:1; 1.33:1 would have been a ludicrous choice to make, as the sides would have been just unacceptably cut off). At 2.35:1, of course, picture information couldn't be "added" at the sides, so a bit would have to have been chopped off at the top and at the bottom. This all said, the Eros DVD of the film is presented 4:3, and it doesn't look as though we're missing a hell of a lot of important information at the sides. This, indeed, makes me feel that it's possible that Sholay was shot both in both the 70mm format (for the few cinema halls that supported it) and the 35mm format (for the remaining majority). Regarding "versions," I've always been exposed to the "Asrani" scenes (though I've been told, by family, that they were inserted later on, when the film had proved a success) and the "Gabbar-goes-to-jail ending"; of course, I don't remember about the smaller things, such as the "Basanti chase" (that leads to the song, "Jab Tak Hai Jaan") and the "spiking of Thakur Saheb's shoes." (I don't remember about Gabbar's torturing Sachin's character, either... I think I remember the latter's simply having gone out, seen two dacoits and Gabbar, and being brought back to the village, dead, on his horse.)

As for the sound, with the 70mm print, it must have been four-channel surround sound. If, indeed, there's an "original" 35mm version, as well, I can't fathom the sound it should have.

At last week's showing of the film (on Monday, September 4, 2006, at 8:00 P.M.) at the Walter Reade Theater of the Lincoln Center (in New York City), I believe that picture was in the 2.2:1 aspect ratio. Gabbar was arrested at the end, Sachin's character wasn't shown being tortured, and Asrani made his appearance.

commando303, i thought this was explained:


http://www.zulm.net/modules.php?op=modl ... 1df7fb97f3[/url]

Screenshots at BWT, I guess somebody converted Eros/B4U DVD to progressive. Thanks to Canuckerfan of BWT.

Is Canuckerfan somebody from Zulmi, as I see zulm.net link in the write-up.

Why the hell do the French get the best version of Sholay and here in the UK we get the worse? Do the French actually look at Bollywood films? There's alot less Indians in France than the UK.

Actually I've heard France has got the best version of Devdas too, that puts Eros to shame.

Bollywood films are massive in France and Germany at the moment. These good DVDs are still few and far between though, even over there.

Unbelievable, but seems like Canuckerfan et al's efforts succeeded in making a copy lot better than the source. Well Done.

I own Carlotta Sholay -- the DVD presents the movie in 2.35:1. The shots above are NOT from Carlotta... right ?

Yep, that's corect.

These shots and DVD available for download is an enthusiast's effort on fixing the evils in EROS-B4U Director's Cut DVD and believe it or not, improving the quality a lot, despite using lesser bit space.

How ??

They did it by removing the repeat (un-neccessary) fields from EROS-B4U DVD, thus making this Pseudo-Progressive code into Progressive (and saving 20% on bit space too). They also re-adjusted brightness, sharpness etc that were way off in EROS-B4U DVD. Cleaned up audio too.

I wish, they had used superior audio from DEI-EROS DVD, wherever content is the same. But, that involves another complication.

Director's Cut contains extra pic at the top and at the bottom (and nothing cut from the sides). Director may or may not have intended to include this extra pic, but I like it.