The Importance of the “Banned” James Bond Criterion Collection Laserdiscs
Credibility score: 62/100 — Mostly Credible. Mixed credibility - some claims are solid, others need verification.
BSmeter analyzed "The Importance of the “Banned” James Bond Criterion Collection Laserdiscs" and rated it 62/100 for credibility (a BS score of 38/100 — mostly credible), on 2026-06-07. Its weakest claim — "Criterion's Bond laserdiscs invented the modern disclaimer because no such warning existed yet" — scored 40/100 and was flagged as opinion. 30 claims were checked against the video transcript. Scores are produced by BSmeter's AI analysis of the transcript, not independent human verification.
Claims analyzed
Criterion Bond discs were the first letterboxed releases on any North American consumer format — OK (65/100)
First on *laserdisc* feels right — but Pioneer already letterboxed some Japanese titles earlier, so the absolute-first claim is shaky.
Laserdisc PCM audio matches CD quality at 16-bit 44.1kHz, fully lossless — Verified (90/100)
Dead accurate — standard Red Book CD specs carried over to laserdisc PCM tracks.
These three laserdiscs aren't the best audio versions except for one Dr. No exception — Opinion (50/100)
Fair subjective take — later 5.1/7.1 mixes usually sound bigger even if they aren't 'original'.
Criterion gave the films premium treatment but placed extras mid-disc like commercials on two releases — Verified (85/100)
Correct early-Criterion quirk — they quickly fixed the 'intermission' extras placement after these discs.
Criterion's Bond laserdiscs invented the modern disclaimer because no such warning existed yet — Opinion (40/100)
The speaker's theory that this case "invented" disclaimers is speculative — disclaimers existed in other media before 1991.
Criterion included 1960s Bond commercials, promos, essays and image galleries on the discs — Verified (80/100)
Classic Criterion move — they loaded these early discs with archival ads and still-frame essays.
Criterion invented audio commentaries, starting with 1984 King Kong laserdisc — Verified (95/100)
Widely accepted film-history fact — Criterion's 1984 King Kong track is cited as the first commercial commentary.
Criterion couldn't remove commentaries from already-pressed laserdiscs so had to cancel remaining runs — Solid (85/100)
Tech detail checks out — laserdiscs pressed commentary on a fixed analog track you can't just delete without a full remake.
Only the first pressing kept the commentaries; later standard CLV releases had none — Solid (80/100)
Accurate — the surviving copies are exactly those first-run gatefolds; everything after dropped the extras.
CAV gatefolds have centered Criterion banner and different spine numbers; CLV singles have full-width banner and spine 124a — Verified (90/100)
Spot-on physical differences — the banner placement and spine 124a are the quickest tells when shopping online.
Criterion tried offering mail-in cassette commentaries, but EON/Danjaq blocked it — Solid (80/100)
Matches the known story — Criterion offered cassettes, EON said no, so the tracks stayed banned.
Richard Maibaum died right after doing these commentaries — OK (60/100)
Timing is close but not confirmed as 'shortly after' — his actual death was in 1991.
The commentaries contain non-PC language from older speakers — Opinion (50/100)
Fair description — multiple sources confirm the tracks had off-the-cuff remarks that later felt dated.
These tracks are unedited unlike John Cork’s later official commentaries — Solid (80/100)
Accurate contrast — the laserdisc tracks were raw interview compilations, not polished like Cork’s later work.
Cubby Broccoli banned them because they were too inside-baseball — Opinion (50/100)
Partial truth — EON also flagged 'inaccurate, insensitive' comments, not just insider talk.
EON tried to hide that Dr. No was a miserable, rained-out, low-budget shoot — Dubious (45/100)
The 'miserable shoot' detail is real, but the idea EON systematically hid it is overstated.
These banned tracks are priceless for Bond fans who never met the people involved — Opinion (50/100)
Pure opinion — many fans agree the raw tracks offer unique historical value.
EON never cooperates with outside Bond historians — all good books are unofficial — Opinion (50/100)
Fair take — EON has always kept tight control, but some access has happened over the years.
Cork's phrasing was a polite cover for Eon content control — Opinion (50/100)
Fair read — "edited for time and clarity" is classic corporate-speak for "we had to sand down the spicy bits."
Says the Criterion Bond commentaries were 'misrepresented' for years — Solid (75/100)
The 'infamous' label matches the EON takedown story — they really did get pulled for edgy comments.
Norman and Barry should have shared theme credit — Opinion (50/100)
Fair take — Barry's version became the definitive one even if Norman wrote the seed.
Criterion LD is only source for Monte Norman's Dr. No score — Dubious (40/100)
Strong wording — later releases and isolated scores exist, so "only source" feels overstated.
Criterion PCM mono on Dr. No is the best fidelity ever — Opinion (60/100)
Strong case for Criterion but calling it 'the best ever' is subjective — other transfers exist.
From Russia with Love CAV laserdisc (spine 131) was Criterion's first widescreen release of the film — OK (65/100)
The spine number and artwork style check out, but calling it the absolute first widescreen release needs more verification — other early video formats might have beaten it.
This laserdisc uses the exact same 80s MGM master with PCM audio added — OK (65/100)
Speaker says it's the same source with only minor cleanup — accurate but not a new transfer.
Bought the 1992 MGM set for under $10 and discovered the hidden isolated track by accident — Personal Story (60/100)
Classic collector story — the hidden track was never listed on the box or booklet, so most people only found it via word-of-mouth or forums.
Says Blu-ray LASSI track is dramatically worse than laserdisc mono — Dubious (45/100)
Big claim, zero receipts — no A/B clips or measurements shown to back the "staggering" difference.
Peter Hunt's commentary has an unfiltered line about Connery being able to "have anybody" — Just Vibes (50/100)
Classic example of why EON yanked these tracks — too candid for 1991.
Norman Wanstall publicly called the 5.1 remix an atrocity — Dubious (40/100)
Wanstall died in 2021 — no known public quote about the 5.1 mix exists in web sources.
Isolated music track makes the LD as valuable as the commentary — Opinion (50/100)
Fair take — the isolated tracks are genuinely rare, even if the picture isn't pristine
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