Gilda 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Gilda 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 17, 2026

Charles Vidor's "Gilda" (1946) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include archival program with film noir historian Eddie Muller; archival audio commentary by critic Richard Schickel; short video piece with comments from Martin Scorsese and Baz Luhrmann; archival documentary; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Glenn Ford is Johnny Farrell, a petty gambler who makes ends meet by separating fools from their money on the dark and dirty streets of Buenos Aires. It is there that someone tries to kill Johnny, but the wealthy loner Ballin Mundsen (George Macready, Vera Cruz) saves his life and then hires him to manage his casino.

Soon after Johnny gets comfortable working in the casino, Ballin shows him his latest acquisition — the stunningly beautiful Gilda (Rita Hayworth, The Lady from Shanghai), who knows how to seduce men with deep pockets. What Ballin does not know is that Johnny and Gilda have a long history together.

Eventually, Ballin realizes that Gilda might have had a plan when she agreed to marry him. However, he has little time to question her because two German businessmen enter the casino and create a lot of tension after they demand that he sign some important documents. A local government agent (Joseph Calleia, Touch of Evil) further complicates things when he approaches Johnny and reveals that his boss’s interests extend far beyond his gambling business. All hell breaks loose when Ballin kills one of the Germans and then his private plane crashes in the ocean.

Charles Vidor’s Gilda works because of three simple reasons. The first is the presence of the gorgeous Hayworth. The camera loves her so much that it often seems to have difficulty spending time with the other actors. Hayworth is fully aware of her sex appeal and loves the attention, too. The confidence she exudes makes even casual close-ups look breathtakingly beautiful.

The second reason is the terrific screenplay. In post-war Hollywood, it is one of the best to be penned for a film noir. For example, the exchanges between the main protagonists are frequently exceptionally bold yet vague enough not to upset the watchdogs. (Years later, a similar style of writing was mastered by various screenwriters living behind the Iron Curtain, where powerful red apparatchiks would carefully scrutinize their work to make sure that it did not undermine the Party’s legitimacy).

The third reason is Jack Cole’s choreography. Hayworth sings, dances, and flirts with her audience, and then suddenly takes off the beautiful mask she wears so that everyone can see she is a real woman who wants to be loved, cared for, and protected. Gilda has several such glamorous acts, carefully put together and executed, yet looking entirely organic.

Ford also looks very handsome and leaves a lasting impression as the petty gambler who gets a second chance in life. However, his final character transformation is a bit premature. Macready is appropriately cold and unpredictable. Though his time in front of the camera is limited, Steven Geray is simply outstanding as the casino's washroom attendant, Uncle Pio.

Gilda was lensed by Polish-born cinematographer Rudolph Mate, who lensed Carl Theodor Dreyer’s masterpieces Vampyr and The Passion of Joan of Arc. All supplemental music was composed by Hugo Friedhofer (Fritz Lang’s Cloak and Dagger, Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca).

In 2013, Gilda was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Gilda 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Gilda is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-5 are taken from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #7-21 are taken from the 4K Blu-ray.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this release:

"Undertaken by Sony Pictures Entertainment, the new 4K restoration presented on the 4K Blu-ray was created from the 35mm original camera negative and a 35mm nitrate duplicate negative. The monaural soundtrack was remastered from the original 35mm nitrate optical soundtrack negative.

Restoration supervisor: Grover Crisp.
Colorist: Sheri Eisenberg/Motion Picture Imaging, Burbank, CA.
Image restoration: Cineric Inc., New York, with additional work by Motion Picture Imaging.
Audio restoration: John Polito/Audio Mechanics, Burbank."

In America, an earlier restoration of Gilda was introduced with this release, also produced by Criterion, in 2016. The same restoration is retained on the Blu-ray included in this combo pack release. Only the 4K Blu-ray has the new 4K restoration of Gilda.

I like the previous restoration quite a lot because it produces good organic visuals. They are healthy visuals, too. However, there were certain inconsistencies there that I felt could be minimized or eliminated in a future presentation. It is exactly what the new 4K restoration accomplishes. To be clear, there are still areas with small grain fluctuations, but they are not coupled with other inconsistencies and source limitations. Also, the density levels of all visuals are now superior, and delineation and sharpness benefit enough to ensure that on a large screen, the entire film looks better. The new 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I viewed it with Dolby Vision, and on my system, the expanded dynamic range of the visuals was another unmissable improvement. In areas where highlights and darker nuances are adjusted, the upgrade in quality was pretty significant. These areas look richer, tighter too. In the previous presentation, highlights and darker nuances are not problematic, but they are not as diverse and healthy. Finally, I could not help but notice that some very minor flicker is eliminated, and the overall stability of the visuals is improved as well.

Gilda 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is very good, but for a film of the 1940s. Indeed, while all exchanges are clear and easy to follow, some unevenness is noticeable. The music can be slightly thin, too. However, these are inherited limitations. I did not perform any direct comparisons between the lossless track from the previous Blu-ray release and this track because of the nature of the soundtrack. I do not believe that the previous track had any significant weaknesses.

Gilda 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - in this archival audio commentary, film critic Richard Schickel discusses the plot of Gilda, the relationships between the main characters and some of the obvious and not so obvious sexual overtones, interesting details from Rita Hayworth's career, etc. The commentary was recorded for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 2010. In English, not subtitled.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - in this archival audio commentary, film critic Richard Schickel discusses the plot of Gilda, the relationships between the main characters and some of the obvious and not so obvious sexual overtones, interesting details from Rita Hayworth's career, etc. The commentary was recorded for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 2010. In English, not subtitled.

• Martin Scorsese and Baz Luhrmann - acclaimed directors Martin Scorsese and Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!) discuss the unique qualities of Gilda and Rita Hayworth's legendary performance. The featurette was produced in 2010. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Hollywood and the Stars: "The Odyssey of Rita Hayworth" - this episode of the 1964 television series Hollywood and the Stars takes a closer look at the life and legacy of one of Hollywood's greatest stars, Rita Hayworth. The featurette is narrated by Joseph Cotten (The Third Man, Citizen Kane). In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Eddie Muller - in this archival program, film noir historian Eddie Muller discusses the subversive nature of Gilda, the unusual relationship between Johnny Farrell and his employer as well as the elusive gay subtexts in the film, the creative environment in Hollywood at the time when the film was made, the different motivations driving the main characters, etc. The program was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for Gilda. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Leaflet - illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Sheila O'Malley.

Gilda 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Everything that was great about Hollywood is on display in Gilda. It is an ultra-stylish film noir with real stars who knew what it takes to create something truly special. This combo pack release brings a predictably terrific 4K restoration of Gilda, prepared under the supervision of Grover Crisp at Sony Pictures Entertainment. However, the 4K restoration is made available only on 4K Blu-ray. The Blu-ray in the combo pack retains the previous restoration of Gilda, undertaken by the UCLA Film and Television Archive, which is several decades old. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.