7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Joanna Kramer, a Manhattan housewife, can no longer face life with her husband Ted. She walks out leaving her son Billy in Ted's charge. Ted has to adjust his life and face up to his new found responsibilities. Just as he starts to find his feet, Joanna returns, intent on fighting for custody of her son. Based on the best-selling novel by Avery Coleman.
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry (I), Howard DuffDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Many consider the 1970s to be a seminal decade in the history and development of film. Personal films from writer-directors dominated the early part of the decade and fostered the careers of a new era of talented visionaries like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Roman Polanski. Of course, nothing lasts forever and, before you can say Jaws, the summer blockbuster was accidentally created. Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and a handful of other directors, transformed Hollywood and fascinated audiences with spectacle over emotion, leaving smaller, heartfelt films in the dust. Perhaps the last hurrah of the writer-director era occurred in 1979, when Robert Benton’s Kramer vs. Kramer became the critical and commercial darling of the year. The film broke new ground by focusing on the relationship between an estranged Father and Son, while turning heads as wake-up-call for Fathers' rights. Kramer vs. Kramer is, in every way, a true film classic.
Billy plays with his toys on Dad's classified government documents.
One of the great joys I experience in watching Blu-ray movies, lies in seeing great pictures
projected in my home; looking like film. Kramer vs. Kramer is exactly that kind of
experience for me. Sony has done a tremendous job in translating the intricate details of
grainy, seventies-style film into a 1080p, AVC Mpeg-4 digital picture that mimics what
filmgoers experienced in 1979. I can't imagine anyone who appreciates the unique qualities
of film grain not being thrilled with how Kramer vs. Kramer turned out.
Many films from the seventies had a specific look to them that was bought about by a
number of particular film stock choices; producing heightened grain in favor of razor-sharp
detail. That's not to say that Kramer vs. Kramer doesn't contain its fair share of fine
detail; it has plenty of moments where skin, fabric and landscape details are well defined.
However, given the picture's dramatic plot and character-driven focus, this grainier style
manages to convey a more natural and thoughtful visual tone that reflects the film's
complex subject matter. Sony's new Blu-ray version maintains this look while avoiding the
pitfalls of over-compression, sharpening or smoothing. I'm more than pleased with the
results and am thrilled to offer Kramer vs. Kramer my highest recommendation.
Unsurprisingly, Kramer vs. Kramer finds its way to Blu-ray sounding every bit like the late seventies film that it is. As a character-driven drama, there's very little to the movie aside from dialogue and music. On a few occasions, notably in the film's numerous park and street scenes, this newly remastered 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack adds in a touch of ambient city noise to the rear channels. It's a nice effect, but is about as far as this track goes in attempting any kind of surround presentation. For the remainder of the film, dialogue is well presented; in a stable, intelligible and articulate manner, while the film's musical score takes root in the front stereo channels. Kramer vs. Kramer doubtlessly sounds better than it ever has and is recommended.
There's not much to talk about where special features are concerned; Kramer vs. Kramer includes a single, solitary extra in the form of a documentary entitled: "Finding the Truth – The Making of Kramer vs. Kramer." It's an interesting feature with its fair share of worthwhile talking points and behind the scenes information. In the long run, however, this single featurette reinforces the reality that Kramer vs. Kramer is too limited in appeal to warrant the expense of extensive extras while being just old enough of a film to create problems in finding usable production material. Considering this, I'm more than willing to forgo an extra or two in order to experience a remarkable, Academy Award- winning film in glorious Blu-ray high definition.
Kramer vs. Kramer is a heartbreaking film that broke new ground in Hollywood by braving the topic of Fathers' rights in divorce cases. The film doesn't have an agenda, per se, though it never shies away from highlighting certain realities within the family courts of the United States. Ultimately, the film is an exploration of the difficult role that Fathers play in their children's lives and how, when forced to take a more active role, any loving Father would respond. Kramer vs. Kramer cleaned up at the 1979 Academy Awards by winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Strangely, despite having such a profound effect on the movie landscape back in 1979, the film has fallen off the radar as of late. This stunning Blu-ray from Sony does the movie proud with a beautiful, film-like video presentation and capable audio. It's my sincere hope that, given this exceptional new Blu-ray, Kramer vs. Kramer will experience a reemergence; reminding old fans of the film's power while enticing new viewers. Highly recommended.
60th Anniversary Edition
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