Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 4K Blu-ray Movie

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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 4K Blu-ray Movie United States

Columbia Classics: Volume 1 / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital Copy
Sony Pictures | 1939 | 130 min | Not rated | Jun 16, 2020

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 4K (Blu-ray Movie)

Price

Movie rating

8.4
 / 10

Blu-ray rating

Users0.0 of 50.0
Reviewer4.5 of 54.5
Overall4.5 of 54.5

Overview

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 4K (1939)

A newly appointed United States Senator fights against a corrupt political system.

Starring: Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Guy Kibbee
Director: Frank Capra

Drama100%

Specifications

  • Video

    Video codec: HEVC / H.265
    Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
    Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
    Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1

  • Audio

    English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
    French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
    German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
    Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
    Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
    Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
    Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
    Spanish=Castilian and Latin American

  • Subtitles

    English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Cantonese, Greek, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Thai

  • Discs

    Blu-ray Disc
    Two-disc set (2 BDs)
    Digital copy
    4K Ultra HD

  • Packaging

    Slipcover in original pressing

  • Playback

    Region A (B, C untested)

Review

Rating summary

Movie5.0 of 55.0
Video4.5 of 54.5
Audio4.5 of 54.5
Extras4.0 of 54.0
Overall4.5 of 54.5

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 7, 2020

Sony has released Director Frank Capra's 1939 classic 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' to the UHD format. The 4K presentation is currently exclusive to the studio's prestigious Columbia Classics Collection boxed set. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video and two-channel lossless mono audio. No new supplements are included but the bundled Blu-ray disc is identical to that which Sony originally released in 2014 and brings with it a nice assortment of bonus content.


When Senator Sam Folley suddenly passes away, a state governor (Guy Kibbee) is obliged to name a successor. He's pressured by the corrupt Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold), who controls both much of the state's print media and the state's remaining senator, Joseph Paine (Claude Rains), to name his hand-picked man, Horace Miller. However, public backlash forces the governor to reconsider the choice in favor of a more popular candidate. The governor's children, on the other hand, request he name the politically inexperienced head of their "Boy Rangers" outfit, Jefferson Smith (James Stewart), a proud American and a man who loves the system and the nation's history, to the position. When fate and the flip of a coin leave the governor with no choice but to name Smith -- a man with no political aspirations, a fear of public speaking, and no agenda -- to the vacancy, it's the surprise of the year in Washington and one that doesn't necessarily sit well with his new, established senate colleagues.

Smith arrives with childlike enthusiasm not for his role in the legislative process but instead for the opportunity to see the city he so admires up-close and personal. His career gets off to a rocky start when he's wrongly depicted in the press as cartoonish outsider with no concern for his new position, a sideshow, so to speak, in a town where external flaws are the exception rather than the rule. Like many things in life, Smith's crusade begins innocently enough when he's pressed to name his agenda. He seizes the opportunity to champion the only thing he knows and makes the Boy Rangers and the molding of young minds the centerpiece of his would-be signature legislation. Coincidentally, conveniently, and without his immediate knowledge, his idea clashes with a deeply rooted political scheme meant to line corrupt pockets, not save innocent youth. Suddenly, the no-experience outsider finds himself in a deep, dirty grafting scandal that threatens his agenda and, just as important, his good name and stature. With the help of his secretary, Saunders (Jean Arthur), he decides to take a stand, even if it costs him longstanding friendships, his senate seat, and even the very ideas and ideals he holds so dear.

For a full film review, please click here.


Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality  4.5 of 5

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Talk about aging gracefully. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is now over eighty years old but for its 4K/HDR UHD release, it may as well have been made in the past few years. The picture quality is simply astounding and looks about as good as it possibly could and certainly outpaces even some movies of more recent vintage on the format. The picture does show its age with a few tell-tale signs, including the black-and-white photography and Academy aspect ratio (not that a movie couldn't be made under these parameters today). But judging strictly on its picture quality merits, it's breathtaking. Grain is certainly in evidence and present in density in every shot, but it's an essential component in capturing the picture's heritage and holding it firm to its best qualities. Textures within are razor-sharp, showcasing resplendently defined details both in close-up and in medium distance. Facial textures are beyond exquisite for natural complexity and clarity while period attire is revealed in all its density and detail, far beyond the Blu-ray's limited constraints and comparatively flat and smooth picture, which is also unable to replicate the UHD's firmer, denser grain structure. It's a revelatory boost to both components that give the picture improved depth, definition, and clarity.

HDR further transforms the picture, boosting contrast and not just better defining the grayscale but seeing it increase in intensity and distinction by leaps and bounds. Where the Blu-ray looks fairly creamy with little stark definition between the available tones, the UHD leaps off the screen with a remarkable balance between impressively intense, crisp, and luminous whites and dense and deep blacks. The area in between is greatly enhanced, too, offering striking scaling and precision that shows just how far HDR can amplify and re-energize even aged black-and-white material. It's a remarkable transformation. Add that the picture is practically free of source blemish and encode issue and it's a new reference presentation for the film and for the format. What a gem!


Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality  4.5 of 5

Sony has not radically altered the audio presentation for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington but the track is a bit different compared to the original Blu-ray. That disc included a true 1.0 mono track; this one presents in a 2.0 mono configuration, utilizing the front left and right speakers rather than the center channel. The result is certainly no major audio reworking but it is a little fuller sounding in total, with music finding more room to engage and light atmospherics afforded a little more spacial awareness and breathing room, too. Dialogue is the primary sound element here. Clarity and prioritization are just fine and imaging to the front-center is completely seamless. There is some very light underlying hissing at times and there are some mild inconsistencies in tone even in the same shot (20:34) when a character speaks off-screen. It sounds just fine altogether, though, and kudos to Sony for not re-engineering the track when it didn't need to be just to fit it into one encode or another. It suits the movie just fine and matches up well with the striking UHD visuals.


Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras  4.0 of 5

Sony hasn't elected to bring any new supplements to this UHD release of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, but the bundled Blu-ray contains the following. Please click here for full coverage. As it is included in the Columbia Classics Collection, this release ships with a Movies Anywhere digital copy code and a non-embossed slipcover. Of Course, this release is absent the printed DigiBook content found on the previous release.

  • Audio Commentary: Frank Capra, Jr.
  • Frank Capra Jr. Remembers..."Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"
  • Conversations with Frank Capra Jr.: The Golden Years
  • Frank Capra: Collaboration
  • Conversations with Frank Capra Jr.: A Family History
  • The Frank Capra I Knew
  • Frank Capra's American Dream
  • Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Theatrical Trailer
  • Mr. Smith Goes to Washington International Trailer


Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation  4.5 of 5

An indelible classic, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a film that is a must-have for every serious home video library. Sony's UHD, which is at time of writing exclusive to the Columbia Classics Collection boxed set, is the best way to watch the film, ever. It's doubtful it looked anywhere near this true to its source when it premiered in theaters in 1939 and it certainly has never looked so fine for home consumption. The audio track is fine and the included legacy extras are insightful and thorough. Very highly recommended.