Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Deliverance Blu-ray Movie Review

'Deliverance's second Blu-ray release delivers on all fronts...

Unlike the 20th Anniversary Edition Unforgiven DigiBook, the 40th Anniversary Edition Deliverance DigiBook involves more than a simple repackaging. It not only includes a newly produced, thirty-minute high definition retrospective with Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, Burt Reynolds and Ronny Cox, it delivers the real upgrade fans have been clamoring for since Warner's 2007 Blu-ray release: a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Together, the new lossless mix and the actors' must-see retrospective make Deliverance's latest incarnation a tempting one. Twenty-five dollars tempting? That depends on how much of an audiophile you are and, to a lesser extent, how much the cast's look-back, engrossing as it may be, is worth to you. For me, the two easily justify purchasing director John Boorman's Oscar-nominated classic all over again. For you? Perhaps some convincing is in order...

Deliverance Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The 40th Anniversary Edition release of Deliverance features a fine video transfer; it's just the same 1080p/VC-1 encode that first appeared on Warner's 2007 Blu-ray release. Not that much of an upgrade was required. Boorman's film is soft and muggy, extremely so at times, and detail is dependent on everything from the film's natural lighting to its budgetary constraints, shooting conditions and off-the-beaten path production. That said, the high definition presentation handily bests its DVD counterparts, and many a scene boasts well-resolved closeups, pleasing fine textures, and natural edges free of ringing. Anything less is a product of the source and shouldn't be attributed to deficiencies in the encode or master. The same goes for other apparent issues. Black levels are sometimes muted, noise spikes here and there, and a few scenes are riddled with eyesores. (Ed's climb at 1:09:50 is especially problematic, with all manner of unsightly anomalies. However, each one traces back to the fact that Boorman filmed the scene during the day and used the limited techniques available to him in 1972 to make it look as if Ed were scaling the rocks at night.) Grain is largely natural and unobtrusive, though, contrast is fairly consistent, colors are restrained but lifelike, skintones are properly saturated, and very little disappoints. Could the image be improved? Perhaps, given a full overhaul. But I'm happy with Deliverance as is, intrinsic flaws and all.

Deliverance Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The real draw to Warner's 40th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray release is its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. The rear speakers are more assertive, more arresting even, than in most catalog remixes but never at the expense of the film's original sound design. The chorus of the forest -- the chirping, croaking and rustling -- join the rhythms of the river -- the rushing, surging and roaring -- to create an enveloping, unexpectedly immersive soundfield that defies forty years of age. It not only revitalizes Deliverance, it makes it that much more thrilling, harrowing and, eventually, unsettling. LFE output isn't as impressive, particularly when Ed and his friends are canoeing downstream, even if it lends a bit of welcome weight to several scenes. Dialogue is clear and intelligible throughout, though, with hardly a lost line to complain about. Yes, both voices and effects sometimes have a thin, tinny tone common to films of the era. But it isn't a distraction or shortcoming so much as it is an inherent quirk cinephiles will shrug off within minutes (if it takes that long). Simply put, Deliverance has never sounded better.

Deliverance Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deliverance: The Cast Looks Back (HD, 30 minutes): In this newly produced retrospective, Deliverance's leading men -- Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, Burt Reynolds and Ronny Cox -- gather to remember the film that changed their lives. Their candid, anecdotal and wholly amusing conversation covers the breadth of the production, the challenges the actors faced from being cast to seeing it all through to the end, and the film's ongoing legacy. While "The Cast Looks Back" is the only new extra on the 40th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray release, it's an excellent one, backed by a steady flow of stories, recollections and reflections from the men whose work still stands tall some four decades after Deliverance's debut.
• Four-Part Retrospective (SD, 55 minutes): The 2007 Blu-ray edition's special features are available as well, beginning with a terrific four-part documentary that digs into author James Dickey's best-selling novel, the film's sequential shoot, its locations and rivers, the now famous Dueling Banjos scene, its rape sequence, the subsequent controversies that accompanied its theatrical release, and the final shot of the film. Segments include "The Beginning," "The Journey," "Betraying the River" and "Delivered."
• Audio Commentary: Director John Boorman grows quiet at times but his commentary is never dry or boring. Instead, he discusses everything from the project's development to its budgetary constraints, location shoot, performances, difficult scenes, stunts (which the actors performed themselves), impact and more. He even touches on the differences between classic and modern filmmaking, the trouble with Hollywood's new methodology, and the reasons Deliverance still works in spite of its age.
• Vintage Featurette (SD, 10 minutes): Don't dismiss "The Dangerous World of Deliverance" outright just because it's a vintage featurette. Though dated, its behind-the-scenes footage and tidbits are worth watching.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD, 3 minutes)

Deliverance Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Should you add the 40th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray release of Deliverance to your wish list or shopping cart? In a word: absolutely. In a few more words: especially if it isn't already a part of your collection. As if the inclusion of an excellent DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track weren't enough to whet your appetite, Warner tosses in a terrific retrospective roundtable with Boorman's four leading men. Some may complain that there isn't a new video transfer to be found but, I have to say, the 2007 encode doesn't leave much room for improvement; certainly not enough to warrant any long-lasting complaints. Deliverance remains a powerful, character-driven drama, and this latest release only makes it that much more immersive.