Rating summary
| Movie |  | 4.5 |
| Video |  | 4.0 |
| Audio |  | 3.0 |
| Extras |  | 2.0 |
| Overall |  | 3.5 |
Oklahoma! Blu-ray Movie Review
The Corn Is Still High
Reviewed by Michael Reuben June 25, 2017
Shout! Factory has reissued the Blu-ray presentation of Trevor Nunn's 1998 London revival of
the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, Oklahoma!, a storied production that helped launch Hugh
Jackman's career. The previous Blu-ray, released in 2012 by
Image Entertainment, has gone out
of print (although it is still available from third-party sellers at an exorbitant price). Shout! hasn't
added any new features or materially altered the presentation, but their disc is still a welcome
arrival, providing continued availability of this engaging theatrical event at a reasonable
cost.
For my thoughts on
Oklahoma! and the 1998 revival, please see my
review of the Image disc.
Oklahoma! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
Everything I said about the video presentation of the Image release applies to this 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray from Shout! Factory. Shout!'s disc
appears to be derived from the same master,
and the only real difference is that has Shout! has reauthored the disc with a higher bitrate (29 vs.
25 Mbps). To my eye, the image quality is unchanged.
Screenshots accompanying this review have been copied from the original. For further images,
go here.
Oklahoma! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
Shout!'s disc retains the stereo track heard on the Image Blu-ray
with a minor difference in
encoding of a 24-bit depth vs. Image's 16. But this is more a matter of numbers than sonics,
especially given the nature of the source. For all practical purposes, the tracks are identical.
Oklahoma! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
Shout! has included the same "Making Of" short found on the Image Blu-ray, but they have
upscaled it to 1080p.
Oklahoma! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
As I noted in the original review, Jackman had left this production
before it made it to Broadway, but he has since become one of musical theater's most bankable stars, reliably selling out any
engagement for which he agrees to let theater producers book him. The Blu-ray of Oklahoma! offers a chance to
experience a major talent performing a classic of American musicals for a fraction of what tickets would
cost to see him live today. Kudos to Shout! Factory for ensuring the continued availability of this
show on an affordable Blu-ray.
