Mississippi Burning Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Mississippi Burning Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 20, 2019

Alan Parker's "Mississippi Burning" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The bonus features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and archival audio commentary by director Alan Parker. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

In the United States Mississippi Burning was initially released on as a Limited Edition Blu-ray release by Twilight Time in 2015. For an in-depth analysis of the film, please see Jeffrey Kauffman's review of the first release here.

Mississippi Burning Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alan Parker's Mississippi Burning arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a recent 4K remaster. I have in my library this Region-B release from British label Second Sight and I can confirm that the upgrade in quality that the new restoration offers is rather significant. (For reference, Twilight Time's U.S. release is sourced from the older master that Second Sight worked with). In addition to improved delineation and depth, the new master introduces a much better color scheme. In some areas the improvements are so significant that they actually have a positive effect on depth and fluidity. A lot of background highlights look more convincing as well. You will also see improved clarity, especially during daylight outdoor footage (see screencaptures #2 and 5). The only minor criticism I have pertains to the presence of some small white specks that occasionally pop up here and there. While not at all distracting, they could have easily been eliminated with digital tools. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Mississippi Burning Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Mississippi Burning Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this audio commentary with director Alan Parker was recorded some years ago for a DVD release of Mississippi Burning. The director discusses in great detail how the film came to exist, where various parts of it were shot, the nature of the story it tells and some of the conflicts that are part of it, etc.

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Mississippi Burning. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 480/60i).

Mississippi Burning Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This recent release of Alan Parker's Mississippi Burning is sourced from a very nice 4K remaster that offers a strong upgrade in quality over previous releases of the film. It does not have any new bonus features. It retains the archival audio commentary that the director of the film recorded years ago and an old trailer. RECOMMENDED.