Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Sixteen Candles Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 4, 2020

Has any writer-director captured the general zeitgeist of a generation in the same way John Hughes did with regard to teens in the 1980s? While Hughes’ filmography lasted for over two decades and certainly included films that would not generally be included in what might be termed Hughes’ “teen canon”, it was entries like Sixteen Candles which solidified his connection to those either born at the tail end of the Baby Boomer era or at the very beginning of Generation X. Sixteen Candles was perhaps surprisingly Hughes’ first “at bat” as director, though his writing chops had already been proven with several well remembered films like Mr. Mom and National Lampoon's Vacation. Arrow Video has once again come to the rescue of film lovers who may feel that previous releases of their favorites in high definition haven’t been quite up to snuff, with this appealing new release that ups the technical merits of Universal’s old Blu-ray while providing what has become an Arrow stock in trade: an outstanding array of supplemental material.

As alluded to in my comments above, Sixteen Candles received a Blu-ray release from Universal way back in 2012. Those wanting a recap of the film's plot dynamics are encouraged to read my colleague Brian Orndorf's Sixteen Candles Blu-ray review of that release. Brian's review is also a good resource for screenshot comparisons, as well as differences in technical merits and supplementary features. The rest of this review will cover the technical aspects of this release, as well as the pretty bounteous bonus features Arrow has assembled.

Sixteen Candles Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: While I noticed absolutely no difference between the (many) shared sequences that both the Theatrical Version and Extended Version offer, I've duplicated some screenshots from both versions so that everyone can compare and see for themselves. (I've also tried to come close to duplicating some of the screenshots in Brian's review of the now long ago Universal release, so that those interested can do side by side comparisons.) Screenshots 1 through 10 are from the Theatrical Version, while screenshots 11 through 19 are from the Extended Version. Screenshots 13 and 15 are from the added scene which gives the Extended Version its name.

Sixteen Candles is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet has the following information on the restoration:

Sixteen Candles has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with 5.1 and mono audio.

The original 35mm camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director at EFilm, Burbank.

The film was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master and restored at R3Store Studios in London.

The original mono mix was remastered from the optical negatives at Deluxe Audio Services, Hollywood.

The extended version sourced additional 35mm materials for this section.

All materials for this restoration were made available by NBC Universal.

Universal's release of Sixteen Candles wasn't met with much enthusiasm by many fans, and even Brian himself in his Blu-ray review, and for fans who have been wanting a more organic, filmlike presentation, this Arrow release pretty much hits it out of the ballpark. All of the digital tweaking, including filtering and sharpening, that hobbled the Universal release, is nowhere to be seen here. There's therefore a somewhat "grittier", more mottled look to much of this presentation simply because there's a verifiable grainfield to be seen, but detail levels are routinely commendable throughout the presentation. I frankly wouldn't say the palette is hugely different from the Universal release, although the filtering that the Universal release displays may give the impression that it's a bit brighter overall. Grain can kind of attain a slightly chunky, yellowish quality at times here, a tendency that kind of ebbs and flows throughout the presentation, but I have to say that in motion nothing looked unnatural to me.

Sixteen Candles Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sixteen Candles features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and two DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mixes (the two mono mixes are the original theatrical soundtrack, and the rejiggered home video soundtrack which replaced or omitted several songs). I noticed we have one member review and a couple of isolated comments in our Forum about amplitude of these tracks, but I have to say to my ears nothing sounded way out of whack. The mono mixes definitely sound slightly muffled and are less hot than the surround track, but I personally didn't need to "pump up the volume" on any of these tracks on my home theater system. This is the rare instance where I think I actually prefer the refashioned surround track. It's not overly ambitious, which may help, choosing isolated moments to offer immersion, but it does significantly open up the many source cues, and there are some well placed ambient environmental effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly throughout, and I noticed no problems whatsoever with regard to damage, distortion or dropouts.

Sixteen Candles Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Theatrical Version (1080p; 1:32:35) and Extended Version (1080p; 1:34:01) are options under the Play Film menu.


• Additional Scene (1080p; 1:28) allows access to the scene that makes the Extended Version the Extended Version.


• Alternate Home Video Soundtrack (1080p; 1:34:01) features the original home video soundtrack, which either changed or omitted various tunes due to licensing issues. This has a DTS-HD Master Audio Mono mix.


• Casting Sixteen Candles with Jackie Burch (1080p; 9:06) is a new interview with the film's casting director.


• When Gedde Met Deborah (1080p; 19:20) is a newly done conversation which features Gedde Watanabe and Deborah Pollack.


• Rudy the Bohunk (1080p; 6:26) is a new interview with actor John Kapelos.


• The New Wave Nerd (1080p; 8:19) is a fun new interview with Adam Rifkin, who was an extra on the film and who shadowed John Hughes.


• The In-Between (1080p; 7:38) is a new interview with camera operator Gary Kibbe.


• Music for Geeks (1080p; 8:19) is a new interview with composer Ira Newborn.


• A Very Eighties Fairytale (1080p; 17:21) is an appealing visual essay by Saraya Roberts.


• Celebrating Sixteen Candles (720p; 37:58) is an archival featurette from the film's 2008 DVD release.


• Trailers and Promotional Spots

  Teaser Trailer (1080p; 1:30)

  
  

  Trailer 1 (1080p; 2:50)

  
  

  Trailer 2 (1080p; 2:42)

  
  

  TV Spots (1080p; 1:01)

  
  

  Radio Spots (13:42)

• Image Galleries

  Shooting Script (1080p)

  
  

  Production Stills (1080p)

  
  

  Poster & Video Art (1080p)

Additionally, this comes very handsomely packaged with a nice slipcover, and a well appointed insert booklet which contains stills, technical data, cast and crew information, and two interesting essays.

Sixteen Candles Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Kind of ironically, Sixteen Candles seemed to immediately establish John Hughes as the voice of a generation, except it wasn't his generation (he was in his mid-thirties by the time this film came along), but the generation of kids who were teens in the 1980s. This is a wonderful valentine of a movie, filled with heartwarming performances and some bittersweet truths about those awkward teen years. Arrow has once again provided a release with superior technical merits and some very appealing supplements. Highly recommended.