Ironweed Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Ironweed Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 2, 2020

Two of the titans of American acting royalty square off either with or against each other (depending on the scene) in Ironweed, a film based on a Pulitzer Prize winning novel by William Kennedy (who also adapted his work for the screen). This is an often pretty dour story featuring two very damaged characters, but for those who exult in finely tuned performances, the film is a showcase for both Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson.

Ironweed received a Blu-ray release some time ago for the North American market from Olive Films, and for those wanting a plot recap, I refer you to my Ironweed Blu-ray review of that version. That review can also provide a good resource for comparisons of screenshots, technical information and supplemental material.

Ironweed Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ironweed is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment's Eureka Classics imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 (the Blu-ray release for the North American market was in 1.78:1). Aside from the just slightly wider aspect ratio, nothing struck me as really materially different from the presentation of the North American Blu-ray. Things understandably look a bit rough during the optically printed credits sequence, but clarity improves and the palette definitely perks up after that opening. That said, this is an intentionally drab looking presentation a lot of the time, and what little warmth there is in the palette probably comes out best in some relatively intermittent daytime outdoor material. There are still the kind of curious grain spikes that were evident in the North American Blu-ray, with the last part of the film looking particularly gritty. While heavy a lot of the time, the grain field looks organic for the most part. My score is 4.25.

Ironweed Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ironweed features an LPCM 2.0 track that to my ears was more or less interchangeable with the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track on the Blu- ray release for the North American market. There's arguably a tad more depth here, especially in mid and lower ranges, but nothing I'd term monumental. Both dialogue and the musical moments (as outlined in my Ironweed Blu-ray review) are presented with excellent fidelity and no damage of any kind.

Ironweed Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unlike the Olive Films Blu-ray release for the North American market which offered no supplemental material, there's at least a trailer on this disc.

• Trailer (HD; 2:07) looks like it was sourced from upscaled video.

Eureka! Entertainment provided only a check disc for purposes of this review, so I'm not able to opine on any non disc extras, but the press sheet they sent mentions a collector's booklet with new essays on the film by Lee Gambin and Simon Ward is included.

Ironweed Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ironweed is an actor's showcase, but that doesn't necessarily translate into an audience's "must see". Fans of Nicholson and Streep, not to mention a very eclectic supporting cast that includes everyone from Fred Gwynne to Nathan Lane, may be willing to tolerate the generally depressing ambience of this film more than the public at large. Technical merits are solid for those considerin a purchase.