Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

An essential 4K UHD upgrade.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a mind-trip romantic comedy-drama with equal parts science-fiction. Produced by Anthony Bregman (In the Heights, Foxcatcher) and Steve Golin (Being John Malkovich, The Revenant), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of the most creative, entertaining, and memorable romantic films of the 2000’s. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind became an instant classic.

Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) is shocked to discover that his beloved girlfriend Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet) no longer has any memories of him. Confused by how Clementine’s memories of him were erased, Joel discovers inventor Dr. Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson) created a device capable of erasing memories and wiping out painful past experiences. Yet the question remains: what is love without memory?

As Joel begins to understand what happened with Clementine and her memories, the story evolves as Dr. Mierzwiak’s lab assistants Stan (Mark Ruffalo) and Mary (Kirsten Dunst) become intertwined in another tale of forgotten memories. Mary has her own lost memories because of the strange new device. Will these erased memories recover?

Yet at the core of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is the connection between Joel and Clementine – a tale of love, friendship, and first encounters. The tale that unfolds explores the tumultuous ups and downs of romantic relationships and the fickle nature of memories.  There is one thing Joel will never forget – an unyielding love for Clementine. Will Clementine ever remember their relationship again?

Carrey has arguably never been better as an actor than he is in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Though the actor gave several great dramatic performances during this time-period in filmmaking, Carrey was so perfect in portraying Joel in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind that the film still resonates as one of his most personal and significant works. A superb turn for Carrey.

Winslet is equally exceptional and she delivers one of her best-ever performances as well. Winslet has a lot of fun with her undeniably charming role. Winslet enjoys the multitude of hairstyling changes by Michelle Johnson (American Hustle, Avengers: Infinity War) as well. There is something magnetic – captivating – and hypnotic about her performance in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

The production is a beautiful one. The production design by Dan Leigh (Be Kind Rewind, John Wick) exudes confidence and creativity. There are plenty of excellent dimensions to the filmmaking and certainly the production design is one of the key takeaways visually – especially with key scenes showcasing some strange use of production-design (such as the highlighted bed out in the open coldness of snow).

The costumes by Melissa Toth (Manchester by the Sea, Adventureland) are excellent and manage to highlight the characters well. Winslet is especially beautiful here and she has a lot of great costume changes throughout the film (highlighting the personality of her character). Toth does a great job with the entire cast and makes the characters feel believable.

The score composed by Jon Brion (Lady Bird, I Heart Huckabees) is one of my favorite scores from the 2000s and it stands as one of the best efforts from its composer. Brion is an interesting composer to consider – though he sometimes delves in to blockbuster fare it is the smaller, quieter, quirkier indie productions that showcase his talents as a composer the best. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind certainly is a key showcase for the genius of Brion as a composer.

The cinematography by Ellen Kuras (Be Kind Rewind, Away We Go) is breathtakingly beautiful at times. The visual element is essential to the viewing experience. Kuras did a great job of showcasing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and highlighting the moments of serenity and darkness within the turbulent relationship between Joel and Clementine.

Edited by Valdís Óskarsdóttir (Sigur Rós: Varúð, Lost River), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a perfectly paced film. The editing is hypnotic and there is never a dull moment. That is the work of an excellent editor. Óskarsdóttir did an outstanding job.

Written by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Synecdoche, New York), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has one of the best screenplays ever written. This is the key reason the film became such a beloved classic. The script had all the right ingredients for a classic. The story is just outstanding and so are the characters. The concept and themes are so rewarding and enriching. There is always something new and special to appreciate about the film with each viewing.

Directed by Michel Gondry (The Science of Sleep, Mood Indigo), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a testament to the filmmaker and his creative sensibilities. Gondry has long been one of my favorite directors – and not only because of his great independent films but because of his well-known music videos. Gondry directed music videos for some of my favorite artists including The Chemical Brothers, The White Stripes, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Bjork, Cibo Matto, and others.

Gondry is a talented filmmaker and he takes the creative energy he used with his music videos to make Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind one of the most unique and creative films ever made. Every frame is hypnotic. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind almost seems to reinvent the romantic-comedy genre in some respects – and it couldn’t have done so without such a gifted auteur at the helm. Few films even approach displaying so much creative energy and understanding of the language of cinema. Gondry is a gift to cinema and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is his masterpiece.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on 4K UHD from Kino Lorber, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is presented in 2160p HEVC / H.265 in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 widescreen. The new 4K restoration and master was supervised and color graded by cinematographer Ellen Kuras. The 4K restoration is sublime and is one of the best masters I have seen or reviewed from distributor Kino Lorber to date. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has a surprisingly spotty record on home media. After seeing the film theatrically upon release, I have subsequently purchased the DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray editions. None of the other home media presentations ever satisfied me the way the theatrical viewing did (and these release were all flawed looking – even the previous Blu-ray edition was shockingly poor compared to the theatrical viewing).

The 4K UHD restoration is an entirely different matter. The 4K represents the best presentation of the film to date. I never felt as strongly watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (from a visual standpoint) while watching the other home media editions because the picture- quality was underwhelming on each previous edition.

A myriad of issues on each previous home-media edition made it more difficult to simply enjoy viewing the film in the same way as I did during the theatrical release. The 4K UHD corrects all of these issues and stands as the definitive presentation of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The color reproduction is simply beautiful. Detail is exceptional.

There are a lot of intricacies to the visuals that have never looked more mesmerizing than on the 4K disc from Kino Lorber. The transfer is more natural looking and filmic visually. This is exactly what one wants to be able to become completely absorbed in to the filmmaking. Kino Lorber knocked it out of the park with this first-rate presentation.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. The lossless, high-resolution, 24-bit encoding sounds superb throughout the presentation. Dialogue reproduction is excellent and the track is clear throughout. The score sounds sublime. This is a great audio encode and a first- rate accompaniment to the excellent video presentation.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Director Michel Gondry and Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman

Memory Light: An Interview with Cinematographer Ellen Kuras (HD, 18:27)

A Look Inside Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (SD, 11:32)

A Conversation with Jim Carrey and Michel Gondry (SD, 15:35)

A Conversation with Kate Winslet and Michel Gondry (SD, 14:24)

Inside the Mind of Director Michel Gondry (SD, 19:46)

Anatomy of a Scene: Saratoga Avenue (SD, 17:18)

Deleted and Extended Scenes (SD, 25:44)

The Polyphonic Spree "Light & Day" Music Video (SD, 3:03)

Lacuna Infomercial (SD, 00:35)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Trailer 1 (SD, 1:38)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Trailer 2 (SD, 2:06)

Man on the Moon – Trailer (HD, 2:35)

Jude – Trailer (HD, 2:17)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is one of the best films ever made. Hyperbole? I don't think so. The filmmaking is exquisite. The performances by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are exceptional – both actors are wonderful here. The script by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) reinvents science-fiction romantic comedies, so to speak, and is one of the most creative screenplays ever penned.

Directed by Michel Gondry (The Science of Sleep), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a deeply moving masterpiece. Gondry made one of the most inventive films ever with this gem. The 4K UHD presentation is mind-blowing too (yes, pun intended). The 4K easily bests all previous home releases. I was never pleased with the previous home media releases and the 4K is the best the film has ever looked since the original theatrical release. Fans of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind should consider the 4K UHD upgrade essential. Highly recommended.