Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		2.0

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 31, 2026

Marty Scorsese's "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (1974) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new program with Ellen Burstyn; new program with film editor Marcia Lucas; archival audio commentary with Martin Scorsese and cast members; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It is very easy to tell exactly how good Marty Scorsese’s film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is. Its biggest strength is supposed to be its unfiltered realism. All one has to do is think whether what Ellen Burstyn’s character goes through, which is not pretty, is relatable to another, real person. One may not even have to look elsewhere for this real person because, sooner or later, everyone experiences elements of Burstyn’s story.

One of these elements is succinctly encapsulated in a famous quote many have misattributed to John Lennon. “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” Another concerns one’s inevitable search for a soulmate. A segment of Burstyn’s story is about the inevitable realization that happiness is a state of mind.

Burstyn plays Alice Hyatt, a middle-aged wife and mother whose reality is permanently transformed after her husband dies in a tragic accident. While still grieving, Hyatt decides to relocate with her teenage son, Tommy (Alfred Lutter II), from Socorro, New Mexico to Monterey, California, where she grew up, to pursue a career as a singer. However, on the way to Monterey, Hyatt looks for temporary work in Arizona -- first in Phoenix, then Amado, and eventually Tucson -- and quickly realizes there is significantly more demand for waitresses than aspiring middle-aged singers. Following a disastrous fling with an abusive cheater (Harvey Keitel), Hyatt eventually allows a handsome rancher (Kris Kristofferson) to enter her life, but begins questioning whether he is the right man for her.

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is structured as a mosaic of seemingly random events, virtually all beginning and ending abruptly, emulating the chaotic nature of real life. Each of these events is also part of an ongoing struggle for survival in a world that appears reluctant to notice strangers like Hyatt. To make progress, strangers like Hyatt must make themselves noticed, give the people around them a chance to want to help them, too.

The absence of a conventional storyline is what makes Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore an intriguing but also somewhat frustrating film. Indeed, it is a genuinely realistic film that easily forces its audience to ponder the nature of contemporary existence. (The fact that Scorsese directed it more than fifty years ago does not make it any less relevant. The game of survival remains the same). From there, comparisons with individual experiences, usually surprising ones, that have profoundly altered one’s life become inevitable. In other words, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is pretty effective at deconstructing the big picture.

At the same time, it must be acknowledged that there is intimate material in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore that feels unexplored. For example, Burstyn’s relationship with Diane Ladd’s character, also a hardworking survivor, is abandoned as it becomes most intriguing. Kristofferson’s rancher needs more time to undergo a proper transformation as well.

Apparently, there was some uncertainty about Scorsese’s ability to direct a film whose star was not a dominant male character. While all events in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore are seen from Burstyn’s point of view, her character’s struggle is universal.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the Blu-ray. We have not provided screencaptures from the 4K Blu-ray.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this release:

"Supervised and approved by director Martin Scorsese, this new 4K restoration was created from the 35mm original camera negative. A 35mm print from Scorsese's personal collection was used as a color reference. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm magnetic track.

Mastering supervisors: Lee Kline, Giles Sherwood.
Colorist: Greg Fisher, Company 3, London.
Image restoration: Resillion, New York.
Audio restoration: The Criterion Collection."

In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision. Later, I also spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

The new 4K restoration is very disappointing. It gives the film an unnaturally cool, tealed appearance, which makes it impossible for it to retain its native 1970s identity. In many areas, the tealing is as damaging as the one seen on the recent 4K restoration of Point Blank. (Both 4K restorations were graded at Company 3, London). Elsewhere, the smaller but still damaging color shifts are similar or identical to the ones present on the recent 4K restorations of Testament and The Hitcher. This is a very frustrating situation because delineation, clarity, and depth are very easy to describe as excellent. The consistent density levels of all visuals are quite impressive as well. The Dolby Vision grade tends to exacerbate the effects of the tealing, especially in outdoor footage, where the Arizona landscape often looks like an elaborate set from a sci-fi film. (The neon-esque quality of the tealing is most distracting). There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. Image stability is outstanding.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Music has an important role in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. However, it is not used to create big and memorable dynamic contrasts. The original soundtrack incorporates plenty of organic sounds and noises to support the film's pursuit of realism. All exchanges are very clear and easy to follow, but in some areas small, inherited fluctuations are easy to notice. I did not encounter any troubling encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Martin Scorsese, Ellen Burstyn, Alfred Lutter, Jodie Foster, Kris Kristofferson, and Diane Ladd for Warner Bros. in 2003. Burstyn reveals that she contacted Francis Ford Coppola with a request to recommend a director for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and was told to take a look at Mean Streets. Scorsese then describes in great detail how Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore was put together and what the shooting process was like. Foster recalls her initial encounter with Scorsese as well. Later in the commentary, Ladd has some quite interesting comments about her character and what she was going through in her real life. The commentary was enhanced by Criterion in 2026.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Martin Scorsese, Ellen Burstyn, Alfred Lutter, Jodie Foster, Kris Kristofferson, and Diane Ladd for Warner Bros. in 2003. Burstyn reveals that she contacted Francis Ford Coppola with a request to recommend a director for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and was told to take a look at Mean Streets. Scorsese then describes in great detail how Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore was put together and what the shooting process was like. Foster recalls her initial encounter with Scorsese as well. Later in the commentary, Ladd has some quite interesting comments about her character and what she was going through in her real life. The commentary was enhanced by Criterion in 2026.

• Ellen Burstyn - in this new program, Ellen Burstyn discusses her career and contribution to Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore with critic Farran Smith Nehme. The program was produced by Criterion in 2026. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Marcia Lucas - in this new program, film editor Marcia Lucas discusses her career and her work on Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The program was produced by Criterion in 2026. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Second Chances - in this archival program, Ellen Burstyn and Kris Kristofferson discuss the production of Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The program was produced in 2003. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Stephanie Zacharek's essay essay "At Home in the World", as well as technical credits.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This release of Marty Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore was highly anticipated by many people. I was one of them. Unfortunately, it brings a new 4K restoration that effectively replaces the film's native period appearance. The switch is very similar, almost identical to the one that made the recent 4K restoration of Point Blank problematic. This is most unfortunate because the raw 4K files are of exceptionally high quality. If you wish to have Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore in your library, you should definitely test Criterion's release before committing to a purchase.