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.

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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