6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A not so popular man wants to pledge to a popular fraternity at a historically black college.
Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Tisha Campbell, Giancarlo Esposito, Ossie Davis, Spike LeeDrama | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Musical | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 0.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
I'm either slipping in my middle age, my ignorance is showing or I've been living under a proverbial rock for the last thirty-five years because my first thought after watching School Daze for my first time ever (yeah, yeah... some things just fall through the cracks) was simply: Spike Lee directed a musical? Oh yes, those of you who will proudly raise a fist and join me as we crawl from beneath the stones that have sat atop our backs for so long, and not only a musical, but a wild musical; full of dance numbers, yes, but more importantly full of heart, thought-provoking themes, deep explorations of race that remain relevant today, and big questions with difficult answers. By the time Lawrence Fishburne's Dap and Giancarlo Esposito's Big Brother Almighty break the fourth wall at film's end and stare at us, leaving those questions in our hands, School Daze has left its profound mark. Easily one of Spike Lee's best -- and that's coming from someone who came to the film with zero nostalgia and a fresh 2023 viewing experience -- School Daze is a must-see '80s classic and a true highlight in Lee's impressive, always challenging, never flinching filmography.
The 4K UltraHD 35th anniversary edition 2160p natively sourced video tranfer of School Daze (presented at 1.85:1), offers a small but
welcome upgrade from its
standard edition 30th anniversary counterpart, released in 2018. Those praying for a massive, eye-popping boost in clarity will be a bit disappointed
but, considering the original photography and man-on-the-campus nature of the roving camera shots and vividly contrast scenes that make up the
film,
this is conceivably as good as School Daze could and will ever look. Grain is fierce, yes, but filmic; even consistent, barring a handful of low
lit
scenes where it grows a bit aggressive. Likewise, detail is terrific, with largely clean edge definition (a few halos are still visible in wide shots), refined
textures (just look at those closeups and all the facial pocks and pores they bring with them), and solid delineation, even when black levels are at
their
darkest and deepest. Colors really pop too, bolstered by HDR10 support. Some of the red crush you could spot in the costumes of an early dance
sequence and, towards the end of the film, in a bright red leather coat, seems to have been reigned in, though it does survive. Still, swaths of color
in
badges, flags, varsity letters and in the school colors flashing in football stands and at school rallies are vibrant and attractive. Skintones are lifelike,
despite some variances in palette tone here and there, and the only dips in color, clarity and contrast trace back to the original photography, not an
issue with the transfer. Moreover, I didn't spot any instances of banding, compression issues or other unsightly nuisances, which of course should be
a
base expectation with a roomy 4K disc and tip top presentation.
Truth be told, I'm not sure the moderate bump in quality is so perceptible as to demand a purchase if you already own the previously released Blu-
ray.
But it does offer just enough of a boost to justify the price of admission, especially if you don't own School Daze. Fans will find this
to
be a tempting upgrade. Buy with confidence.
The 35th Anniversary Edition 4K Blu-ray release of School Daze features (presumably and to my ear) the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that accompanied its 2018 Blu-ray counterpart. From Liebman's 30th anniversary review: The track yields some very nice depth, detail, and spacing to the opening title music, followed by a healthy width and reverb when Dab speaks through a megaphone to rally the school. The track grows very lively in some of its musical numbers, notably a hair salon number in chapter four. It's energetic, widely spaced, gently immersive, and a lot of fun. Music is often accompanied by good supportive percussion depth, large-space width, and mild but critical surround engagement. There is some nice depth and echoing to be heard in a basement-like area in chapter five, when the Gamma recruits are "on trial." Atmospherics are modest but audible and well positioned to better draw the listener into the film's locations. Dialogue is clear and center-focused with only a few occurrences of spotty prioritization through the most aggressive music and support details.
The 35th Anniversary Edition release of School Daze unfortunately doesn't offer any new supplemental content; a shame, considering the
additional five extra years of love supposedly being shown the film. Still, it was a solid supplemental package in 2018 and remains one now.
Please wake up. Please wake up. That keeps going round and round my mind even now, looking at the screenshot above. What a powerful message to end Spike Lee's 1988 musical comedy, which in most other hands wouldn't have taken such time and care to explore so many troubling, difficult and still timely themes and questions. Have we woken up? I don't think so. There are times it feels as if we as a culture have fallen into an even deeper coma. But there is hope, and Lee's request to please wake up remains as poignant and important today as ever. Sony's 4K Blu-ray release is an excellent one, thanks to a strong video presentation (that represents a small but welcome upgrade), a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track and the same bountiful extras that were included on the 2018 Blu-ray. A new retrospective or two would have been nice but I'm not going to get worked up about it. Whether you're a fan happy for any upgrade you can get or a newcomer who, like me, somehow missed the fact that Spike Lee directed a musical thirty-five years ago (and a terrific one at that), this one comes highly recommended.
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