Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Brokeback Mountain 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 13, 2024

Brokeback Mountain features a timeline in 1963, when perhaps not so coincidentally a perceived "Camelot" was about to descend into chaos, but which gives even the mention of that year a certain immediate archival imprimatur. But kind of interestingly, some, maybe especially those in the LGBTQ+ communities, might even consider the film adaptation's 2005 production date as something of an "antique" or at least historical curiosity of sorts, given that it would be another ten years before legality was established for same sex marriages. Perhaps understandably, only heterosexual marriages are on display in Brokeback Mountain, a film which in 2005 probably "broke" all sorts of taboos, engendering both admiration and rage in the process. The film's somewhat soap operatic elements may frankly not play quite as authentically now in an ostensibly more tolerant environment, but the story still packs quite a wallop, and Ang Lee manages to "reinvent" both the "western" and the "romance movie" in (here comes today's most blatant understatement) provocative ways.

Also rather interestingly in the "historical" department, Brokeback Mountain had a very early release on 1080 Blu-ray. While I'm frankly not familiar with this particular writer, our Brokeback Mountain Blu-ray review provides a good plot summary, though given hindsight and the fact that a 4.5 in 2009 probably wouldn't rate the same score in 2024, I might quibble with some of the technical analyses. This release ports over all of the SD supplements that were on the old Universal 1080 release.

Brokeback Mountain 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package, since I frankly feel that gives a better overall representation of the palette in particular, rather than sourcing screenshots from the 4K disc which would by necessity be downscaled to 1080 and SDR.

Brokeback Mountain is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Kino Lorber with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. The back cover of this release states "brand new HDR / Dolby Vision master - from a 4K scan of the 35mm original camera negative". This is an often stunning looking 4K presentation, and first and foremost I was actually kind of thrilled to see how generally tightly the grain resolved, as I'm frankly not always a fan of what shot on film productions look like in 4K. While things can look a bit "gritty" against the brightest blue skies, overall there's a nicely organic quality to the grain that was never overpowering. The cinematography of this film is one of its undeniable assets, and the kind of almost gobsmacking increase in fine detail levels even in some relatively wide framings of the gorgeous mountains and countryside are noticeable throughout. Fine detail is typically excellent in close-ups. HDR / Dolby Vision add some nice, if at times rather subtle, highlights to a lot of the outdoor material, and the first nighttime campfire scene has a much more intense cobalt blue hue in this version when compared to Kino Lorber's 1080 release. As I mentioned in our review of that 1080 release, there is some very minor but fleetingly noticeable age related wear and tear that the most eagle eyed may catch sight of.

Brokeback Mountain 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Brokeback Mountain features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks. As has probably already been alluded to above, my mantra of "different reviewers means different opinions" comes into play as even way back in the Dark Ages of 2009 I don't think I personally would have given the Universal Blu-ray release a 4.5 for audio, and in fact that old review mentions a reason why: as generally excellent as this track is, and as noticeably as the surround track opens up elements like (especially) scoring and ambient environmental effects, it really isn't the consistently immersive listening experience one might assume given the glut of outdoor material. That said, there is enough surround activity here to actively establish spatial relationships in virtually all of the outdoor material, and some of the more intense "up close and personal" scenes can even have moments of directionality. While the old 1080 review lauded the lossless track's ability to deliver Heath Ledger's dialogue more clearly, I'd still probably argue this is Mumblecore at its finest (?), meaning the optional English subtitles may come in handy.

Brokeback Mountain 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As mentioned above, the 1080 disc in this release ports over the supplements that were on the old Universal 1080 Blu-ray (with the exception of BD- Live). There's a bit more information on these archival supplements in the above linked review. The commentary is new to this release.

4K UHD Disc

• Audio Commentary by Film Historian / Writer Julie Kirgo

1080 Disc

• Audio Commentary by Film Historian / Writer Julie Kirgo


• Sharing the Story: The Making of Brokeback Mountain (SD; 20:48)


• From Script to Screen: Interview with Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana (SD; 10:53)


• A Groundbreaking Success (SD; 17:14)


• Directing from the Heart (SD; 7:27) features Ang Lee.


• Music from the Moutnaing (SD; 11:18) features Gustavo Santaolalla.


• On Being a Cowboy (SD; 5:44)


• Impressions from the Film (SD; 2:33) is a photo gallery.


• Brokeback Mountain - TV Spots (HD; 3:46)


• Brokeback Mountain - Trailer (HD; 2:23)

Trailers for other releases from Kino Lorber are also included.

Packaging features a slipcover.

Brokeback Mountain 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I wonder if in another decade or two Brokeback Mountain will strike that era's viewers the way some of Douglas Sirk's melodramas strike us these days. If some of the more soap operatic elements here may now seem unnecessarily hyperbolic, the underlying story is both provocative and moving, and it's both figuratively and literally framed so majestically that any passing qualms tend to be just that: passing. Technical merits are first rate, with the 4K presentation improving on already excellent 1080 merits, and the minimal supplements very enjoyable. Highly recommended.