On Blu-ray - David Hare is, er, disappointed with the Criterion Dietrich/Sternberg box set

Bad news regarding the Dietrich/Sternberg Criterion boxset coming out today, Tuesday. The dialogue which was cut from a shot in Shanghai Express at approx 40 minutes is still cut in the new 1080p transfer for BD. 

This problem first cropped up back in the early 90s when the first Laserdisc of the title appeared ca. 94, then on all subsequent VHS and DVD incarnations in both PAL and NTSC formats the missing dialogue is here and is in the middle of the 40 second odd single take:

"CHANG. Then why does he wear that uniform?
LILY. Why do you wear that uniform then?
LENARD. I'm going to see my sister and I dont want her to know I've been discharged. It would cause too much shame and sorrow.
LILY. HE is going to visit his sister and he doesn't want her to know about his disgrace."

This includes an additional two lines in which Chang and Lenard speak French before she translates for Chang. 

Here is a link to the shot as it has existed since 94 with the snip as it appeared then and - alas - now. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_7WuFcV5LcCHANG

Surely someone at Universal, if not Criterion as well, could have foreseen this issue which has now been public knowledge (I made it so in 1994) for 24 fucking years.

Or is this a reflection of the relatively low esteem which Criterion now holds for deep catalogue titles for provenance and element harvest, not to mention respect? 

Really, really pissed off with this