I'd recommend a third alternative--the entire Alec Guinness collection, which is from Anchor Bay. It's about half again as much as the Criterion edition of Kind Hearts, but also includes three other classic Ealing comedies starring Guiness (The Ladykillers, The Lavender Hill Mob, and The Man in the White Suit) and the non-Ealing (but similar in tone) The Captain's Paradise. The first three (as well as Kind Hearts) are among the best comedies ever made, and the fourth is very good, if not on the same level. I have not seen the Criterion version so I can't comment on the quality of their transfer. The Anchor Bay transfer is watchable, but no more than OK; Criterion does an admirable job, but unless their transfer was done from different source materials, it may not be markedly better. As much as I love Criterion (I have been a fan for twenty years, since their laserdisc days), I disagree about the value of their discs. I appreciate all that they have done for film buffs over that time. Indeed, their laserdiscs pioneered alternate track commentaries and special features, virtually inventing today's commonplace DVD "extras." I also recognize that their small volume probably necessitates the high prices on their discs. But given the quality of modern DVD transfers, it is hard to agree that Criterion editions, even with the special features, are good value when comparable quality versions are available from other sources for less than half the price.
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