Bull Durham Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Bull Durham Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 8, 2018

Ron Shelton "Bull Durham" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film; exclusive new video interview with the director; archival documentary program; two audio commentaries, one with the director, and one with Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins; and a lot more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring excerpts from a 1989 piece by longtime New Yorker baseball writer Roger Angell, with comments from the author. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The winner

Bull Durham was shot by a former baseball player for baseball players -- and not the pros that made it to the MLB and lived the good life, but the ‘other’ guys that reached the minor league and ended their careers there. It is a bit like a quirky confession that sums up the lifestyle that these guys commit to pretty much exactly as it is. The only controversial bit of it is the one that suggests that they were able to make love to their female admirers right in their locker rooms and no one really cared, not even their coaches. But maybe a few decades ago it really was that easy.

Veteran catcher Crash Davis (Kevin Costner) is brought to North Carolina to help the Durham Bulls’ talented but foolish pitcher Ebby LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) improve his game. However, their first encounter in a local bar leaves LaLoosh with a bloody nose and then initiates a hilarious competition for the affection of local diehard baseball fan Annie Savoy (Susan Sarandon) who each season welcomes a new player to her bed. Sparks continue to fly until Davis makes it absoolutely impossible for LaLoosh to discredit his professional suggestions and he reluctantly agrees to change his game. Around the same time Annie also teaches LaLoosh how to better focus while wearing a garter belt and the Bulls go on a historic winning streak. But the good times end when LaLoosh is invited to join the big boys and Davis is informed that a much younger catcher has been chosen to replace him.

Director Ron Shelton spent a considerable amount of his life playing baseball in the minor league and his love for the game is felt throughout the entire film. There is a lot of unbiased respect for it as well which allows him to manage the wide range of emotions on display in a way that supports authenticity, not erode it. During the second half, in particular, where most of the team bonding occurs, a lot of the casualness that makes the film special could have been wiped out by soapy melodrama and the conventional messages that Hollywood likes to plant in these types of projects, but Shelton remains an honest storyteller who simply unloads the good and the bad without ever trying to be politically correct.

The romantic subplot does not collapse the film for the same reason. Shelton brings the three leads together and then documents their romantic triumphs and failures pretty much like a baseball player would, not a seasoned director who has done a ton of romantic comedies. There are some pretty awkward scenes but the awkward is of the kind that looks charming and authentic, not scripted and awful. It is quite wonderful to watch, really.

The two small but obvious flaws that some viewers will rightfully point out are these: first, Sarandon's accent frequently sounds very suspicious and she never becomes a genuine Southern belle; second, there are a couple of scenes that quickly reveal that the supposedly hot summer ball games actually do not take place during the summer.

The soundtrack features a number of top tracks by John Fogerty, Edith Piaf, George Thorogood, and Los Lobos. This film was also the main reason why a lot of folks that did not follow closely the music charts discovered one of Joe Cocker's greatest hits, "When a Woman Loves a Man".

*Sarandon and Robbins really fell in love while making the film, and later on married.

Bull Durham Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bull Durham arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text is included inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Supervised by director Ron Shelton, this new digital transfer was created in 10-bit 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, and small dirt.

The 2.0 surround soundtrack was remastered from the original 35mm magnetic Dolby A track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotopeRX. Please be sure to enable Dolby Pro Logic decoding on your receiver to properly play the Dolby 2.0 surround soundtrack.

Transfer supervisors: Lee Kline, Ron Shelton.
Colorist: Gregg Garvin/Roundabout Entertainment, Burbank, CA."

The release is sourced from a brand new 4K restoration which was supervised and approved by director Ron Shelton. The upgrade in quality is significant. In some areas -- typically the indoor and darker footage -- the improved shadow definition and overall clarity are so big that there are actually big details that are just now becoming easy to see. Also, folks with large screens who own the first Blu-ray release that MGM produced early into the high-definition format's cycle will instantly recognize the vastly superior fluidity -- instead of quite soft, flat and mushy visuals now the entire film boasts solid organic visuals with plenty of striking nuances. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. The color palette is better as well, promoting richer primaries and restoring proper new nuances. Needless to say, as it was the case with the recent 4K restoration of Midnight Cowboy the overall balance is much more convincing. Image stability is excellent. There are absolutely no damage marks, cuts, scratches, stains, or other conventional age-related imperfections. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Bull Durham Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and did not encounter any technical anomalies to report in our review. Depth and clarity are excellent, while overall balance remains pleasing. Dynamic intensity is excellent, and at times the film actually pulls a few surprises with some terrific separation that has an effect on it. I also tested the 5.1 track and as far as I could tell it expands some of the backgrounds -- especially during the games -- quite well. Dynamic intensity, however, remains similar.

Bull Durham Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Bull Durham. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Going to the Show - in this brand new filmed interview, director Ron Shelton discusses his past as a baseball player and his transition to the film business, some of the popular half-truths about the minor league and the guys that make a living playing in it, the production history of Bull Durham, his image as a 'sports director', his dislike for The Pride of the Yankees, etc. The interview was conducted by film critic Michael Sragow for Criterion in Los Angeles in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080p).

• Between the Lines: The Making of "Bull Durham" - this archival program focuses on the production history of Bull Durham as well as its reception and success. Included in it are lengthy interviews with Ron Shelton, Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Wes Currin (former Bulls player), Theron Todd (former Bulls players), and producer Tom Mount. The program was produced in 2001. In English, not subtitled. (30 min, 1080i).

• The Greatest Show on Dirt - in this archival program examines the lasting appeal of Bull Durham. Included in it are interviews with Ron Shelton, actor William O;Leary, author Randy Williams (Sports Cinema: 100 Movies), coach Steve Smith (Philadelphia Phillies), first baseman Lance Niekro (Fresno Grizzlies), and catcher Ken Huckaby (Las Vegas 51s), amongst others. The program was produced in 2008. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080i).

• Today - presented here is an excerpt from an episode of NBC's Today show which profiles Max Patkin, better known as the Clown Prince of Baseball. The episode was broadcast on September 19, 1991. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080i).

• NBC Nightly News - presented here is an archival report on the final season of baseball at the Durham Athletic Park in North Carolina, where Ron Shelton shot Bull Durham. The report aired on NBC Nightly News in September 1993. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080i).

• Audio Commentary One: Ron Shelton - in this archival commentary, Ron Shelton recalls how his conviction that before he stepped behind the camera no one had made a sports film right inspired him to shoot Bull Durham, and then discusses in great detail the film's production process as well as the type of atmosphere that existed in the minor league while he played baseball there. The commentary was recorded in 1998.

• Audio Commentary Two: Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins - in this archival commentary, Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins recall how difficult it was to fund Bull Durham (the final bill that Orion Pictures paid was apparently around $8 million), and discuss the casting of Susan Sarandon, the shooting of various scenes (including the lovemaking scene in the locker room), Ron Shelton's working methods, the dreams of the minor leaguers, the manner in which players age, the lasting impact that the film had on its three leads, etc. The commentary was recorded in 2001.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring excerpts from a 1989 piece by longtime New Yorker baseball writer Roger Angell, with comments from the author.

Bull Durham Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This film comes from a different era -- it is loose and funny in a way that seems virtually impossible to replicate today. Kevin Costner mentions in one of the two commentaries that are included on this release that while he was making it Ron Shelton did not care about language and political correctness and just went where he felt he had to go to get it right, and this is basically why the film works. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release is sourced from yet another outstanding 4K restoration that I predict will remain the definitive presentation of Bull Durham. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.