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Releases Reviewed:

Ninth Gate offers a couple of DVD packages and a newer Blu release. I've seen the DVD but don't actually own it so my info will be more limited than usual.

If you're going for Blu's you'll be able to get a fair package for this one.

There are 2 DVD versions. Details are unfortunately sketchy, but I've read that they are essentially the exact same DVD with different cover art.

The Artisan DVD is a single disc release.

Video:

2.35 widescreen: It's a solid DVD presentation but nothing impressive.

Audio:

5.1 Dolby: It's clean and clear but nothing to get excited about.

Packaging:

It comes with a standard case.

Extras:

-Roman Polanski provides a commentary which is mildly interesting. He talks about the identity of the mysterious girl from the story but doesn’t reveal anything else of note about the ending except that he wasn't completely satisfied with how the presentation of the final clue came out.

-There are 3 trailers.

-There's a behind the scenes feature which is basically a trailer itself.

-There are 8 cast and crew bios with filmographies.

-A set of production notes provides notes on the production for your reading pleasure.

-The script/storyboard feature displays, in slideshow format, the script pages and corresponding storyboard art for 6 scenes. The storyboard art isn’t that great and in some cases there is very little art compared to the number of script pages.

-A gallery provides a close up view of each of the important drawings from the movie. This includes the misleading image and the LCF image so you can search for the differences. The very last one is noticeably different from the image in the movie, though, or, more accurately, one of the versions of the image is missing. The gallery provides the image title and a description of its contents for further clarification.

-My favorite feature is the isolated score. It is just music, no commentary. Unfortunately this means that when there is no music to play you’re stuck just watching silent screen. The score isn’t my favorite, but I still enjoy this feature. I wish more DVD’s had it.

Easter Eggs:

-An easy-to-spot Easter Egg provides access to a short teaser trailer.

Other Editions:

I haven't seen the Blu at all, but here's what I know from product listings. The video is offered in 2.35 widescreen at 1080p. It sounds like this is far less than impressive though I don't know how it compares to the DVD. The audio is listed as 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Comments suggest that the audio quality is far above the video quality. Extras sound like they are exactly the same as the DVD.

As I said before, all the details I can find on the other DVD version suggest that it is simply a repackaging of the one I've already covered.

Final Thoughts:

A couple of the features here are interesting though not enough to make me want to buy the DVD after I borrowed it from my friend (it didn't help that I wasn't fond of the movie itself). If you really like the movie I think you should find the gallery worth checking out and the commentary potentially worth a listen.