However, within that complaint is a compliment because at least Reel Vault didn't annihilate the grain with heavy-handed digital denoising. Along with an equally refreshing absence of digital edge enhancement, detail, contrast, and depth are also quite good, and even with its issues, the picture is still more stable than the version currently jerking and herking to a cheesy synth score on the Tubi streaming platform.
In at least one significant area, I actually prefer the Reel Vault edition to Kino's. While the Kino disc uses a great deal of inappropriate tinting in garish shades of green, peach, and yellow, Reel Vault's applies the tint more conservatively and realistically. Most of the film plays in black and white with a bluish-white apparent in Murnau's brightly lit "evening" scenes and a more sepia tone in several daylight ones. Deep color is rarely used at all (a close up of a Venus flytrap is tinted green). Perhaps in a few instances, a bit more creativity would have been welcome, such as a bit of pale yellow or pink during the big sunrise finale instead of straight black and white, but overall, the lighter touch of Reel Vault's tinting preserves the über-Goth atmosphere much better than Kino's candy palette. I also liked Keith Taylor's reserved piano score, which also taps into Murnau's brooding spirit.
