Philadelphia 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Philadelphia 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Director Jonathan Demme's 1993 AIDS Courtroom Drama 'Philadelphia' was previously released to Blu-ray in 2013 courtesy of label Twilight Time in a limited run package. Sony has now released the picture to the UHD format with a strikingly gorgeous 2160p/HDR video presentation. The studio has also included the film on Blu-ray, the first time it has released to the 1080p format under the Sony label in the United States. The Blu-ray includes both new and carryover supplements from the Twilight Time disc.

Philadelphia 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date.

The review would suffice with a single word to describe Sony's 2160p/HDR UHD release of Philadelphia. That word would be "beautiful." Grain is handsomely and evenly rendered. The movie, which was shot on film and finished in 4K, presents with a faultless cinematic texturing. Grain only occasionally and briefly grows a bit more dense, such as during the scene in which Joe's daughter is born or in a luxury suite at a basketball game in chapter six. Demme and Cinematographer Tak Fujimoto, who also worked with Demme on The Silence of the Lambs shot the film tightly and intimately framed, allowing intense, high yield close-up details to appear in practically every scene. The picture is home to nicely appointed suits and neckties, which are amongst the most prominent visuals highlights, both yielding amazing textural complexities in practically every scene, whether in law offices or inside the courtroom. Facial features are beautifully revealing, with every pore, lesion, and example of facial hair, including absolutely pin-sharp definition on Miller's mustache, about as complex and intimate as one is going to find on any home video release, ever.

The HDR-enhanced colors are rich and dense, deep and impactful but never overpowering. Saturation is terrific, with even red lamps in the law offices, a Phillies ball cap tucked in the corner of Miller's office, or Andy's mother's red dress in chapter six, for example, all evenly shaded and never overwhelming the frame or appearing excessively punchy or garish, as red can sometimes present in less precise examples of color reproduction. Warmer woods in the courtroom find a firm and welcome depth. White dress shirts are crisp and black level depth is striking without drowning out shadow detail. Skin tones are perfect across the board, from Denzel Washington's darker complexion to the pasty-pale Tom Hanks seen near film's end. The level of accuracy and depth to every character is striking. The image suffers from no obvious source deterioration or encode anomalies.

The image is truly a sight to behold. Even for a movie of great dramatic weight and a somewhat somber tone, viewing it on UHD is an exhilarating experience for anyone who appreciates a flawless film-like presentation that absolutely brings the movie theater into the home. In a year that has seen numerous reference quality UHD releases, Philadelphia rates right there at the very top of the heap.

For those who are still married to Blu-ray, missed the Twilight Time disc back in 2013, and are turning to this UHD package as a second chance to own the film in 1080p, Sony has delivered a masterful presentation. It's firm, filmic, and texturally adept, but the Blu-ray simply cannot match, or sometimes approach, the UHD's finesse and absolute filmic qualities and credentials. The same goes for colors. Saturation is lacking far behind, leaving this version appearing a little more drained and flat. That's not to say that this Blu-ray is in any way poor. It's very good -- great, even -- but the UHD dominates it in every way and is a pillar of the format's capabilities.

Philadelphia 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Philadelphia features a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The film plays through a fairly restrained sound design, with smart use of modestly expansive elements and featuring the core dialogue as its primary component. The spoken word settles in the center with firm placement and seamless clarity. Prioritization is never an issue with precious little of note competing with it. Dialogue does open up a bit during courtroom scenes beginning in chapter seven, building a seamlessly mild location expansion that naturally recreates the room's acoustics, allowing speech to reverberate with a subtly engaging top end component also in play. Occasionally, the track opens to include some mostly front-side support, such as chatter inside the hospital in chapter three or immersive protests in chapter seven that are amongst the most prominent, pronounced, and powerful sound elements in the film. The Bruce Springsteen song plays with balanced instrumental detail, effortless front end width, and faultless lyrical delivery. Score can be a little more enveloping. Music during a scene in chapter six, with Wheeler angrily reacting to the summons back in the bowels of a basketball arena, is expansive and commanding. As with all elements, musical clarity is a high point.

The bundled Blu-ray includes only the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 soundtrack, which is an option on the UHD. It is almost equally effective to the Atmos track, unsurprising given the film's relative sonic restraint. It lacks a little bit of the fullness Atmos adds to the proceedings, notably in that courtroom reverb, but it's a perfectly acceptable alternative.

Philadelphia 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Philadelphia contains several extras on the included Blu-ray disc, some of which previously released on the Twilight Time disc and others that are new to Blu-ray, which are marked as such and reviewed. For coverage of the carryover content, please click here. Missing from this package but included on the Twilight Time disc is an isolated score track. No extras appear on the UHD disc. The release ships with a Movies Anywhere digital copy code and a non-embossed slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Director Jonathan Demme and Screenwriter Ron Nyswaner.
• NEW! Featurette Teaser from (Red) and Coca-Cola (1080p, 4:41): A short retrospective on building the movie to appeal to a wide audience, the film's place in cultural history, and what the movie did to impact AIDS awareness and the public's response to the disease.
• Deleted Scenes (1080i, 11:19 total runtime): Included are Andy & Joe, Dis-Crimin-Ation, I Can Heal Myself, Pillow Talk, Outnumbered Four to One, and Deliberation.
• Courthouse Protest Footage & Interviews (1080i, 4:25): Video footage from out on the street beyond the courthouse walls, offering a different and expanded perspective on a few clips seen in the film.
• NEW! "One Foot on a Banana Peel, the Other Foot in the Grave" (1080i, 1:18:37): From Directors Juan Botas and Lucas Platt, this film from 1994 documents life with AIDS from various perspectives with emotional insights and some lighter moments from inside a clinic treating patients.
• NEW! People Like Us: Making Philadelphia (1080i, 57:47): A look at the film's story, performances, realism, impact on culture, the history AIDS, its appeal to a large audience, the picture's purpose, cast and characters, the opera scene, the film's score, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young's musical contributions, audience reaction, and the film's legacy.
• Original Making-Of Featurette (1080i, 5:58): Titled Making of 'Philadelphia' on the Twilight Time disc.
• NEW! Joe Miller's Macready Shilts Legal Services TV Spot (1080i, 1:00): Washington's Joe Miller character pitches his services on a television commercial.
• NEW! Music Video (1080i, 2:59): Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:57).

Philadelphia 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington are a dream pairing, and in Philadelphia each delivers one of their most daring, nuanced, and complete performances of their careers. Philadelphia is a triumph of cinema. It tells a purposeful, moving story; it's completely absorbing from start to finish; it's impeccably acted; it's beautifully composed and photographed; and it's soundtrack is legendary. Jonathan Demme may always be best known for The Silence of the Lambs, but Philadelphia may very well be his triumph. Sony's UHD release is visually flawless, a delight of sight that masterfully presents the movie for home viewing with exceptional textural grace and perfectly balanced and nuanced HDR colors. The Atmos soundtrack is complimentary and perfectly attuned to the movie's sound design and requirements. The supplemental package on the included Blu-ray is first-rate. Philadelphia's UHD release earns my highest recommendation.