How to identify (and avoid) Criterion bootlegs

[Gigi M.]

I am shopping around for a copy of Hard Boiled. I am wondering if there are two different versions of the release out there.

The only editions that are supposed to be legit, are the ones with the clear / white rings and the nimbus logo on the play side.

[zombeaner]

I'd wait, probably some time in April Dragon Dynasty will be releasing a 2 disc edition that is bound to be superior to this old Criterion.

[dx23]

I am shopping around for a copy of Hard Boiled. I am wondering if there are two different versions of the release out there.

Check on wherehouse.com. i bought mine there and have seen it pop up several times during the past year.

[mbalson]

I'd wait, probably some time in April Dragon Dynasty will be releasing a 2 disc edition that is bound to be superior to this old Criterion.

Better versions have existed for years

[zombeaner]

I'd wait, probably some time in April Dragon Dynasty will be releasing a 2 disc edition that is bound to be superior to this old Criterion.

Better versions have existed for years

I know, I meant R1 though, I have the Tartan disc and I'm very happy with it, but I will buy this when it comes out on DD

[Toddarino]

I'm planning on buying this from someone from the uk. He sent me pics of the top side of the dvd and of the insert. He also gave me a list of the serial number on the botttom by the Nimbus logo.
Is there anyone who has a legit version of this I could email the pics to? I have a bootleg of this already and I really don't want two.

[Cinesimilitude]

keep your boot, wait for the 2 disc anamorphic edition. the CC edition will be pretty much worthless once Dragon Dynasty puts it out.

[tholly]

Question about the Four Samurai Classics box set and the non-bootleggedness of my set:

Concerned about a box set (I know, who would bootleg a box set....)

Just wanted to check to see if these numbers were on your discs:

Akira Kurosawa: Four Samurai Classics

2 - golden bottom w/ "SEVEN SAMVRAI 9A" & "SEVEN SAMVRAI 9B"
52 - silver bottom w/ "Yojimbo DVD5"
53 - silver bottom w/ "SANJURO DVD5"
116 - goldish bottom w/ "THE HIDDEN FOR TRESS 9A" & "THE HIDDEN FOR TRESS 9B"


EDIT - This information is all bootlegs. I figured it out the day after I posted. Noticed some barely noticable spelling mistakes on the artwork. So, if you have those discs with those numbers, you likely have a fake.

[Bloody Benten]

Anyone have serial numbers for Dead Ringers? also how much does a sealed Criterion copy go for on Ebay? I'm watching a few auctions but they're all pretty cheap, one auction even has a $29 buy it now and the seller claims they don't sell bootlegs and he's at 99.2% should I go for it?

Also I'm afraid my Silence of the Lambs used criterion I got a couple of years ago might be a bootleg. My serial numbers don't match to what you guys posted and the disc itself is gold on the information side. Plus there are NO numbers printed on the front of the ring (the artwork side of the disc) but all the info is printed on the back of the ring. I'm worried.

[Telstar]

So are all the Silence of the Lambs bootlegs floating around the reason that my genuine OOP Criterion SOTL now seems to be basically worthless?

[arsonfilms]

So are all the Silence of the Lambs bootlegs floating around the reason that my genuine OOP Criterion SOTL now seems to be basically worthless?

That and the fact it was reasonably available before it went out of print, and has come out once or twice since then. In this economy, not a lot of people are gonna pay a premium for a movie you can buy for $14 in a two-disc edition.

[jayhalsey]

Not to beat a dead horse, but DVDProfiler is not a good resource to tell if you have a bootleg disc. I have gotten obvious bootlegs that it recognizes as the real thing. I also have store bought dvds that I know to be genuine that it doesnt recognize.

[jordof131]

I just bought Sid & Nancy off ebay and the seller said it was authentic. The artwork and insert look real and the disc has the nimbus logo on it but when i put it in my dvd player the disc name is undefined. Can anybody help me out with this

[redbill]

I just bought Sid & Nancy off ebay and the seller said it was authentic. The artwork and insert look real and the disc has the nimbus logo on it but when i put it in my dvd player the disc name is undefined. Can anybody help me out with this

I just threw mine in, which I bought used, but I think is real,and it also says UNDEFINED.

[HarryLong]

I've had a few discs from various companies kick up that information. All were bought new from brick & mortar stores, so I doubt any of them were bootlegs. (A boot of ALTERED STATES????)

[jordof131]

thank you guys so much

[Erikht]

I just got my "The 400 blows" disc from Criterion, and I am a bit unsure about it. The spine looks different from the others, and I am unable to find serialnumbers anywhere. But it does say "First printing 1998" at the back, so it might be a disc that came out before the design departement was up and running.

[BigPun]

I recently bought Hard Boiled and the killer off Ebay. I researched for weeks before I bought them. From what I gathered Hard Boiled was never made with a frosted ring just the clear ring, it is a dual layer DVD so the serial number and nimbus logo are printed twice once for each layer, and they kind of overlap one another. My friend has a bootleg copy of hard boiled, the biggest and most important difference is it doesn't have the serial code and nimbus logo, from what i understand bootleggers cannot copy this. The real copy of Hard Boiled that I have, the front of the disc when held the right way in the light you can see tiny, almost bumpy surface, not smooth like the bootleg. The copy of the killer I bought has the white frosted ring with the serial code and nimbus logo and like I said that cannot be copied by bootleggers. As long as you ask a lot of questions before you buy then you should be alright. I got Hard Boiled for $15, but I ended up paying $60 for The Killer. Also I made sure to look at what else the sellers are selling at that time, and what they have sold in the past. I would not buy one that is unopened, because like I said the determining factor is the serial code and the nimbus logo. If it is not a bootleg most people will put a couple of pictures of the case and disc and the will stress the fact it is a rare out of print original. People who are trying to sell the bootlegs usually just put the stock photo from the internet and sometimes say it is a fourth printing with no serial code and nimbus. From what I gathered they only ever made one run of each of these movies and they all should have the serial code with the nimbus. People have been talking about this for years its too bad criterion didn't do something to help us all out like post some kind of page or something.

[Matango]

The quality of Criterion bootlegs in China is so good now, even featuring the commentaries and extra features (except booklets) on pretty much every release for about US$2 each. But where the pirates actually have the advantage is that they add Chinese subtitles, making them very desirable to much of the enormous movie-watching population of China.

[lady wakasa]

You know, back when Mon Oncle was OOP, I bought a copy from Singapore on eBay. It had one tag which said "LASERflair / DVD video code 1 / Imported from USA" and another from the Board of Film Censors in Singapore. I always assumed that it was a bootleg, and some day I'd get the real thing.

...But now that I'm reading through this thread and checking the information given, it really looks like it's authentic.

If anybody might have an explanation, I wouldn't complain.

:scratching head:

[spocker]

A couple of weeks ago I bought Alphaville from Axelmusic, seeing that it had gone OOP. I doubt that it is a bootleg, but the printing on the disc is kinda blurry, not sharp like it seems to be from the packaging shots on this site. It almost seems like the different colors is kinda misaligned. Should I be worried that I got a fake from a retailer? Or is this just a manufacturing error as I think?

[Bleddyn Williams]

Hi,

some time ago I bought the Silence of the Lambs and Robocop CC on eBay. But now I'm concerned that they are bootlegs.
Both surfaces are golden. THe serial number of SotL is identical to the one Morbii posted at the beginning of this thread:
CMCA L810 7982 CC15300 T00930-14 Y

But the number of Robocop seems strange to me. It is L810 7918 ROBOVER21 T81226-12 Z

Can anybody tell me whether I have bootlegs? Of course I can show some pictures if that helps...

I have both of these discs, bought very close to original release.

My Robo matches your description, being golden, but the number is SLIGHTLY different... number visible on front of disc L810 7918 ROBOVER21 T81106-01 Z
number visible on silver side - 2nd layer... L810 7918 ROBOVER20 T81109-09 Y

My Silence is pressed by Nimbus. Its hard to read the numbers ... CC1530DVD L1 (D0711)

[seezee]

Regarding the question about Alphaville, I have a copy purchased directly from Criterion a couple of months ago. The printing on the disc is blurry. The ink is semi-matte & metallic. The title features a subtle drop-shadow, which increases the impression of blurriness.

The center ring is clear, and features no information, either printed or embossed; however, there is information around the ring under the label printing: ALP030DVD, plus other stuff.

[spocker]

Regarding the question about Alphaville, I have a copy purchased directly from Criterion a couple of months ago. The printing on the disc is blurry. The ink is semi-matte & metallic. The title features a subtle drop-shadow, which increases the impression of blurriness.

The center ring is clear, and features no information, either printed or embossed; however, there is information around the ring under the label printing: ALP030DVD, plus other stuff.

Thanks. Seems I got a valid copy then.

[AALFW]

glad this page has resurfaced, i just bought a few old oops off ebay: the killer, hard boiled, spinal tap, dracula and frankenstein. if anybodys got serials for those discs please either respond or pm. thanks.