Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

King of the Hill Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 5, 2014

Steven Soderbergh's "King of the Hill" (1993) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the American director's fourth feature film, "The Underneath"; original trailers; brand new and exclusive video interviews with Steven Soderbergh; new video interview with A.E. Hotchner; deleted scenes; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Peter Tonguette, a 1993 interview with Steven Soderbergh, and an excerpt from A.E. Hotchner's 1972 memoir. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Working

St. Louis, 1933. Twelve-year-old Aaron Kurlander (Jesse Bradford) lives with his unemployed father (Jeroen Krabbe, Immortal Beloved), mother (Lisa Eichhorn, A Modern Affair), and younger brother, Sullivan (Cameron Boyd), in a busy but undermanaged hotel. Aaron can’t wait for his father to get one of the two jobs he has been telling him about so that the family can finally move to one of those fancy apartment buildings on the opposite side of town where people are always nice to each other. But before Aaron’s father can get the important job, the family runs out of money and Sullivan is promptly sent to stay with a relative. Then Aaron’s mother becomes seriously sick and is quickly sent to a cheap sanatorium where the doctors can monitor closely her recovery.

While his father tries to sell cheap candles which no one wants to buy, Aaron begins spending time with Lester (Adrien Brody, The Jacket), quite possibly the only truly nice young man living in the hotel. Lester encourages him to stay positive and shows him how easy it is to make money if one is willing to constantly reinterpret the law.

Eventually, Aaron’s father is hired to sell watches. This turns out to be both good and bad news. It is good news because the job pays well and the family can move to the better part of town. It is bad news because Aaron’s father will have to sell the watches on the road, which would mean that Aaron will have to live alone in the hotel and without money until his father gets his first paycheck. On top of that, the old man will also miss Aaron’s graduation.

Adapted from the A.E. Hotchner’s memoir, Steven Soderbergh’s third feature film, King of the Hill, blends comedy and drama in a way that makes it rather difficult to get a good feel of life in America during the ‘30s. As Aaron’s family slowly collapses there are glimpses of the outside world where people are struggling to make ends meet, but for a long period of time it seems like the boy exists in some sort of a safe and unusually beautiful bubble.

There is a long and very informative new video interview with director Soderbergh on the Blu-ray release of King of the Hill in which he mentions that he is not happy with his stylistic choices and particularly the fact that the film looks too beautiful. This is a very interesting observation because I also feel that the film’s visual design is out of sync with the nature of the story it tells. The film not only looks too beautiful but frequently also awkwardly elegant. The rawness, simplicity and cynicism of Bill Douglas’ award winning Trilogy (My Childhood/My Ain Folk/My Way Home), I think, would have been far more appropriate.

Still, the film has a heart and soul. By the time Aaron and Sullivan are separated, it is impossible not to feel for the young boy. Some of his triumphs and failures feel a bit rushed, but in the grand scheme of things all of them are entirely reasonable.

The supporting cast is equally impressive. The late Spalding Gray is an extravagant drunkard who spends most of his time with a capricious prostitute played by the wonderful Elizabeth McGovern. Karen Allen is Aaron’s kind schoolteacher.

***

Also included on this Blu-ray release is director Soderbergh's fourth feature film, The Underneath, a moody thriller about a former gambler (Peter Gallagher) who returns home to Austin, Texas for the wedding of his 56-year-old mother (Anjanette Comer) and decides to stay after his future father-in-law (Paul Dooley) offers to help him get a job in a local armored-car company. The gambler's life quickly spins out of control when he meets his ex-wife (Alison Elliott), who is now in a relationship with a local crook (William Fichtner) with an attitude. The two begin seeing each other and the crook gets upset. But before he can seriously hurt the gambler, he mentions to him a job that sounds too good to pass.

The Underneath was inspired by Robert Siodmak's classic noir film Criss Cross with Burt Lancaster and Yvonne De Carlo. It has the appropriate moody atmosphere and Soderbergh's use of color is rather impressive (especially considering the fact that the work done in it was pre-DI), but the film's script is average at best.

King of the Hill Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Steven Soderbergh's King of the Hill arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Supervised by director Steven Soderbergh and supervising sound editor and rerecording mixer Larry Blake, this new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on a Spirit DataCine from the 4-perforation Super 35mm interpositive. The theatrical 5.1 soundtrack was mastered from the original 24-bit masters.

Transfer supervisors: Larry Blake, Steven Soderbergh.

Colorist: Leo Dunn/Universal Studios Technical Services, Universal City, CA."

The film looks very healthy and vibrant. The thick yellow filter enhances the period atmosphere very well, though viewers who have previously seen the film will notice that the browns are now notably stronger. Image depth and clarity are very good. Close-ups, in particular, consistently look great. The outdoor footage also impresses with terrific clarity. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening corrections. The encoding and compression are also very good. Image stability is outstanding. Finally, there are absolutely no damage marks, debris, cuts, stains, or scratches to report in this review. All in all, King of the Hill has transitioned to Blu-ray in impressive fashion, and I am convinced that its fans will be very pleased to see it looking this healthy and lush.

In addition to King of the Hill, also included on this Blu-ray release is director Soderbergh's fourth feature film, The Underneath. Generally speaking, detail and clarity are very pleasing. Color saturation, a very important aspect of the film's visual design, also does not disappoint -- there is a very good range of well saturated greens, blues, grays, and blacks. There are no traces of problematic sharpening corrections. However, some minor noise corrections have been performed. Lastly, there are no serious stability issues. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

King of the Hill Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

Cliff Martinez's ambient soundtrack has a very important role in the film. Fortunately, the lossless track's excellent range of nuanced dynamics allow the music to effectively enhance the period atmosphere in all the right places. (Listen to the rich music around the 5-minute mark). Thanks to the great mixing, various random sounds and noises are also exceptionally easy to identify. The dialog is always clean, sharp, and very easy to follow.

The Underneath comes only with a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track. Rather surprisingly, however, depth and fluidity are very good. The dialog is clean and stable. Also, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles.

King of the Hill Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for King of the Hill. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Steven Soderbergh - in this new video interview, director Steven Soderbergh discusses the visual style of King of the Hill, the main protagonist's character transformation, A.E. Hotchner's book, his relationship with Gramercy Pictures before and during the shooting of the film, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in October 2013. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080p).

• A.E. Hotchner - in this video interview, A.E. Hotchner, whose 1972 book inspired Steven Soderbergh to film King of the Hill, discusses the world he created (in his book) against the world that was. The writer also recalls the time he spent in the notorious hotel. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2013. In English, not subtitled. (22 min, 1080p).

• Against Tyranny - a new visual essay by filmmaker ::kogonada in which he discusses Steven Soderbergh's unique approach to character subjectivity and the visual style of his early works. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• Deleted Scenes - six deleted scenes.
  
  1. Petit Bouquet cigars
  2. Homeward-bound
  3. Billy
  4. First shave/Dentist
  5. Looking for Lester
  6. No place of kids

• The Underneath (1995) - Steven Soderbergh's fourth feature film is presented in 1080p and with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track, with optional English subtitles. (99 min). Screencaptures from the film are included with the review. For additional information on the film, please see the main review.

• Trailer - original Gramercy Pictures trailer for The Underneath. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Interview - in this new video interview, director Steven Soderbergh discusses the production history of The Underneath. In English, not subtitled. (23 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Peter Tonguette, a 1993 interview with Steven Soderbergh, and an excerpt from A.E. Hotchner's 1972 memoir.

King of the Hill Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The two brand new video interviews with director Steven Soderbergh that are included on this release are a good enough reason to highly recommend it. Simply put, they further solidify my conviction that he is not only one of the most talented but also one of the most intelligent and honest American directors working today. I wonder if Criterion can somehow manage to create a documentary film in which Mr. Soderbergh discusses his entire body of work, as well as some of the films that inspired him during the years. It will be a very special project. As expected, Criterion's technical presentation of King of the Hill is excellent. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.