Best Picture Essentials Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Best Picture Essentials Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 16, 2021

Paramount has released a ten film, 14-disc collection of Best Picture winners in one boxed set. The discs are all identical to previous releases and the packaging is very basic; the studio hasn't gone to any length to make a special, collectible presentation. It's simply two large Amaray cases packed inside a simple, flimsy slipcover. See below for links to the films included, which range from 1927's Wings to 2007's No Country for Old Men, as well as a few more words on the packaging and which Blu-ray versions of the films are included, where applicable.

Each of the films are linked below to the equivalent individual release. Some of these were released by others studios (Disney, Warner Brothers, Lionsgate). Note that the set includes newer versions of Forrest Gump and My Fair Lady and the 2010 remastered version of Gladiator. The disc for The Godfather is the "Sapphire Series" disc that includes no extras beyond a commentary track. Perhaps the one drawback is that this set does not include the 2009 release of No Country for Old Men with additional supplements, bundling in the 2008 disc instead.

For full film reviews, please click through the following links:

• Titanic
• Forrest Gump
• No Country for Old Men
• Terms of Endearment
• The Godfather
• Gladiator
• The English Patient
• American Beauty
• Wings
• My Fair Lady

Best Picture Essentials Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For full Blu-ray video reviews, please click through the following links:

• Titanic
• Forrest Gump
• No Country for Old Men
• Terms of Endearment
• The Godfather
• Gladiator
• The English Patient
• American Beauty
• Wings
• My Fair Lady

Best Picture Essentials Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For full Blu-ray audio reviews, please click through the following links:

• Titanic
• Forrest Gump
• No Country for Old Men
• Terms of Endearment
• The Godfather
• Gladiator
• The English Patient
• American Beauty
• Wings
• My Fair Lady

Best Picture Essentials Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There's nothing particularly special about the packaging on this one. Rather than an ornate boxed set worthy of the Best Picture winners included inside, Paramount has simply thrown all of the discs into two oversized Amaray cases, at least each on their own hub (no disc stacking). The two Amaray cases are housed inside a very basic, non-embossed, and not overly sturdy slipcover. There's not even a slip-box. Paramount definitely gets a big thumbs down for the packaging; with 10 legendary films there's no reason not to spruce things up a bit.

For full supplemental content coverage, please click through the following links. Note that several of these films (Titanic, Forrest Gump, Gladiator, My Fair Lady) feature supplements spread over two discs or exclusively on a second disc:

• Titanic
• Forrest Gump
• No Country for Old Men
• Terms of Endearment
• The Godfather
• Gladiator
• The English Patient
• American Beauty
• Wings
• My Fair Lady

Best Picture Essentials Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

These 10 great movies and 14 discs span much of the history of motion pictures. It's a solid selection of films and Paramount has chosen the best Blu-ray presentation available for each film, with the exception of No Country for Old Men. Some of these films are screaming for new releases, particularly on UHD, and it's curious to consider some of the omissions (The Greatest Show on Earth which was technically not on Blu-ray when this set released but would release a week later; Ordinary People which is, for whatever reason, not yet on Blu-ray; and Braveheart, the biggest head-scratcher of them all). The packaging is also not particularly noteworthy. If there's a Blu-ray collector who doesn't yet own all, or most, of these movies this isn't a bad, or expensive, way to go.