His Girl Friday 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

His Girl Friday 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 4, 2025

Howard Hawks' "His Girl Friday" (1940) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include taped audio conversations between director Howard Hawks and Peter Bogdanovich; archival featurettes; archival documentary about Ben Hecht; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Note: The text below was first used in our review of the two-disc Blu-ray release of His Girl Friday, also produced by Criterion, in 2017.

A short text that appears immediately after the opening credits seems quite ironic now. It warns that the image of the media that is preserved by the film is from the “dark ages of the newspaper game”, which implies that at the time when the film was released, a lot had already changed for the better. But fast-forward to the present day, and the hypocrisy that is highlighted in the film feels entirely harmless. In fact, even the most ridiculous behind-the-scenes bargaining and factual fabrications shown in it look perfectly normal because, after this year's election cycle, there is enough evidence that they are essential elements of the daily routine for many contemporary professional reporters who continue to play the game. Sad but true.

The key characters in this very good remake of Lewis Milestone's film The Front Page are Walter Burns (Cary Grant), a prominent editor of a popular Chicago newspaper, and Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell), a brilliant reporter with an impressive record. The two are former colleagues and spouses who have recently parted ways and agreed to stay out of each other’s lives so they can quickly rebuild. But Walter has not been entirely honest. He has hatched a desperate plan to stop Hildy from relocating to Albany with her next husband (Ralph Bellamy), a gullible, old-fashioned insurance agent, convinced that his future wife cannot wait to share his family house with his mother. Walter plans to distract Hildy with a big case and convince her to cover it for him in exchange for a big fat check. Hildy’s final job will accomplish two things -- it will make Hildy and her fiancé miss their train and, while she works on her article, turn them against each other. Walter will then intervene in the middle of the inevitable drama and make the two realize that they cannot marry because of their incompatibility. The plan works as intended until a high-profile prisoner (John Qualen), who could guarantee the reelection of the city’s corrupt mayor (Clarence Kolb), escapes from jail and ends up hiding in Walter’s office, where Hildy is putting the final touches on her article.

Howard Hawks’ His Girl Friday is effective in the same way and for the same reasons Preston Sturges’ Sullivan's Travels is. These films are based on brilliant screenplays that very effectively blend comedy and social criticism, giving them dual identities. So on one hand, they are very charming, at times irresistibly funny films, but on the other hand, they are socially aware films that quite accurately dissect the reality in which their characters exist.

However, the two films have different styles. Hawks’ film quickly pits its characters against each other and unapologetically forces them to use all of their tricks while pursuing their goals. As a result, at times, they essentially engage in uncontrolled verbal battles, and some become so fierce that they devolve into what can only be described as small cacophonies. (Indeed, there is a great deal of overlapping lines, a lot of group talk with abrupt interruptions, and even some completely unfiltered noise that would have been a lot more appropriate for a documentary, not a feature film from the early 1940s). Sturges' film produces a fascinating rivalry as well, but the best hits there are delivered by brilliant, carefully timed one-liners.

The plot has numerous twists that introduce various secondary players with big ambitions who are also willing to bend and even break the rules to accomplish their goals. These players then find ways to engage the reporters and further promote the hypocrisy that has corrupted their business. It is quite the circus.

*Also included on this release is Milestone's The Front Page with Adolphe Menjou, Pat O'Brien, and Mary Brian. Though The Front Page and His Girl Friday are both based on the same classic comedy play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, in the original film, Hildy is played by O’Brien. In 2016, The Front Page was fully restored in 4K by the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation.

His Girl Friday 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of His Girl Friday is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the two Blu-rays are Region-A "locked".

Please note that all 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.

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

"Undertaken by Sony Pictures Entertainment, this new 4K restoration was created from the 35mm original camera negative. The monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm original soundtrack negative.

Restoration supervisor: Grover Crisp.
Colorist: Sheri Eisenberg/Motion Picture Imaging, Burbank, CA.
Image restoration: Cineric, Inc., New York, with additional restoration by Morion Picture Imaging.
Audio restoration: Deluxe Audio Services, Hollywood."

In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision. Later, I did various comparisons with the previous presentation of His Girl Friday on this Blu-ray release, also produced by Criterion in 2017.

On my system, the entire film looked great in native 4K. Because the previous presentation of it revealed some areas where blacks appeared elevated and produced noticeable crushing, I was paying close attention to the grayscale. I have to say that the new presentation is significantly better balanced, frequently boasting superior delineation, and all of the crushing that I was seeing before is eliminated. On a large screen, in darker areas, it is easier to see more nuanced details, and this improvement is clearly not introduced only by the higher resolution. Also, many close-ups, brighter and darker, look noticeably better. There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections. Grain is very nicely and, perhaps more importantly, evenly distributed. The Dolby Vision grade is gentle and effective, and my impression is that it was very carefully managed to avoid any potential crushing issues, like the ones noted above. I liked it a lot. Image stability is excellent. In summary, I think it is very easy to predict that the native 4K presentation of His Girl Friday will remain the definitive presentation of the film.

His Girl Friday 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

On the 4K Blu-ray, His Girl Friday is presented with an English LPCM 1.0 track. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

While re-watching the film in native 4K the other night, I could not detect any meaningful new improvements. The dialog was again very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. The music does sound a bit thin at times, but this is an inherited limitation, not a weakness of the lossless track. There are no encoding anomalies to report in our review.

His Girl Friday 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Bonus Features - there are no bonus features on the disc.

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Hawks on Hawks - this archival program features clips from taped audio conversations between director Howard Hawks and Peter Bogdanovich from 1972, and a 1973 interview with the director conducted by Richard Schickel. The material covers the casting process, some of the major differences and similarities between Lewis Milestone's The Front Page and His Girl Friday, some specific lensing and editing choices, the use of dialogue (and specifically the decision to use overlapping lines), etc. With clips and stills. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Lighting Up with Hildy Johnson - in this archival visual essay, film scholar David Bordwell, coauthor of Film Art: An Introduction, discusses the auteur qualities of Howard Hawks' films and the brilliant structure and style of His Girl Friday. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Featurettes - presented here are four short archival featurettes that focus on the history, legacy, and success His Girl Friday and the career of its creator, director Howard Hawks.
  
  1. On Assignment: His Girl Friday - featuring clips from archival interviews with author David Thompson (The Biographical Dictionary of Film) and critic Molly Haskell. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).
  
  2. Howard Hawks: Reporter's Notebook - featuring clips from an archival interview with author Todd McCarthy (Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood). In English, not subtitled. (4 min).
  
  3. Funny Pages - featuring archival footage from The Front Page and His Girl Friday and information about the classic play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).
  
  4. Rosalind Russell: The Inside Scoop - featuring information about the life and career of actress Rosalind Russell, plus archival footage. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Lux Radio Theatre - presented here is a Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of His Girl Friday, featuring Claudette Colbert as Hildy Johnson and Fred Murray as Walter Burns. The adaptation initially aired on September 30, 1940. In English, not subtitled. (60 min).

• Teaser - original restored trailer for His Girl Friday. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Trailer - original restored trailer for His Girl Friday. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• The Front Page (1931) - presented here is Lewis Milestone's film The Front Page, starring Adolphe Menjou, Pat O'Brien, and Mary Brian. Though The Front Page and His Girl Friday are both based on the same classic comedy play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, in the original film, Hildy is played by O'Brien. In 2016, The Front Page was fully restored in 4K by the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation. The 4K restoration was first introduced on this two-disc Blu-ray release, also produced by Criterion, in 2017. MPEG-4 AVC/1080p/English LPCM 1.0. With optional English SDH subtitles. (102 min).

• Restoring The Front Page - this archival program focuses on the recent 4K restoration of The Front Page and highlights some of the differences between the final restored version of the film and previously available versions. Included in it are interviews with Dr. Hart Wegner (former chair, UNLV Department of Film), Francisco Menendez (founding artistic director, UNLV Department of Film), Michael Pogorzelski (dierctor, Film Archive, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences), and Heather Addison (professor and chair, UNLV Department of Film), amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Ben Hecht - in this recent documentary, Ben Hecht expert David Brendel takes a closer look at the life and diverse legacy of the prolific writer, some of the key themes that defined his best work, and some of the classic Hollywood films that were inspired by it (Foreign Correspondent, Scarface, Kiss of Death, Ride the Pink Horse). The documentary was created by the Criterion Collection in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Radio Theater - presented here are two radio adaptations of The Front Page.
  
  1. 1937 Adaptation - featuring Walter Winchell as Hildy Johnson and James Gleason as Walter Burns. In English, not subtitled. (59 min).
  
  2. 1946 Adaptation - featuring Pat O'Brien as Hildy Johnson and Adolphe Manjou and Walter Burns. In English, not subtitled. (32 min).

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Two Leaflets - featuring essays on His Girl Friday and The Front Page by critics Farran Smith Nehme and Michael Sragow, as well as technical credits.

His Girl Friday 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Howard Hawks' His Girl Friday is an effective reminder that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Indeed, it is a brilliant comedy with a remarkable social awareness whose main observations about the media business during the 1940s can just as easily be used to describe contemporary media and its many disgraced 'professional' players. Criterion's three-disc combo pack release brings a gorgeous recent 4K restoration of His Girl Friday that will undoubtedly remain its definitive presentation. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.