Sunset Boulevard 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Sunset Boulevard 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Paramount has released the long anticipated UHD debut of the classic 1950 film 'Sunset Boulevard,' directed by Billy Wilder and starring William Holden and Gloria Swanson. For this new issue, Paramount has included 2160p/Dolby Vision video as well as a new Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. No new extras are included, but the bundled Blu-ray, which is identical to the excellent 2012 issue, includes a prodigious amount of legacy content. See below for a few thoughts on the new video and audio presentations.

Sunset Boulevard 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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

Paramount brings Sunset Boulevard to the UHD format with a 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation that retains the film's natural 4x3 aspect ratio, placing vertical "black bars" on either side of the modern 1.78:1 TV frame.

The previous Blu-ray, released back in 2012, looked exceptional, and this UHD follows suit. The picture benefits from the resolution gain, allowing the film elements to breathe and reveal more exacting definition. Pinpoint details are the norm, with clothing definition, facial elements, and location environments all enjoying exceptional definition beyond the capabilities of the Blu-ray. The grain presentation is consistent in a light, flattering, natural density, for the most part. There are a few shots that suffer from a more static grain field, such as at around the 1:07:00 mark (look especially at DeMille's suit jacket on the bottom left). But the picture does not appear to be the victim of any debilitating noise reduction otherwise. This looks filmic almost from frame to frame and from corner to corner.

Slightly less impressive, but by no means disappointing, is the Dolby Vision grading. The black and white elements certainly gain from the SDR Blu- ray, with superior whites and enhanced grayscale gradations. Yet this is far from the most commanding black and white Dolby Vision grading I've seen on the UHD format. Occasional shots here and there feature blacks look unnaturally dim and washed out (the 15:20-ish mark is one such example, again 20 seconds later when an airy, almost dreamy appearance lessens the visual punch of the moment, and that aforementioned DeMille shot is another). But for the most part, these are minor qualms with the Dolby Vision grading, which is otherwise very solid with generally healthy and deep blacks and, on the opposite end of the spectrum, crisp whites, though not so absolutely pure and brilliant as found on some of the finest black and white Dolby Vision releases. The grayscale is nicely balanced and precise, again lacking the real visual impact of the best black and white UHDs on the market.

Viewers will not spot any encode issues or print degradations. Sunset Boulevard has never looked better for home viewing. While the UHD is not perfect, or even a revelation, it's a solid UHD issue that does right, by and large, by one of the all-time classics of the silver screen.

Sunset Boulevard 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Paramount's usual UHD M.O. is to simply repurpose existing audio for UHD catalogue releases, but that is not the case with Sunset Boulevard. The studio has included a newly expanded Dolby TrueHD 5.1 presentation. Certainly, purists may balk, but the studio has included the highly valued restored Dolby TrueHD mono soundtrack on the UHD as well, so audiences have the option to choose their audio flavor with the film. A full review of that mono track can be found here.

The new 5.1 track is tastefully presented. It's not a rock-and-roll sort of track by any means, but the new 5.1 configuration does open things up, just a little, with slightly more engaging and airy music, very subtle and balanced low end support to music, and a modest sense of broad environmental expansion. Dialogue and narration alike are clear and centered throughout. There doesn't seem to be a reason for this track to exist -- the mono track handles the material just fine -- but those looking for just a hint of a more modern flavor in a 75-year-old film will find that here.

Sunset Boulevard 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Part of Sunset Boulevard's UHD package is the old Blu-ray which contains all of the legacy supplements. There are no extras on the UHD disc. See below for a list of what's included, and please click here for full coverage. For this UHD release, Paramount has included both a digital copy code and a non-embossed slipcover.

• Audio Commentary: Ed Sikov.
• Sunset Boulevard: The Beginning
• Sunset Boulevard: A Look Back
• The Noir Side of Sunset Boulevard
• Sunset Boulevard Becomes a Classic
• Two Sides of Ms. Swanson
• Stories of Sunset Boulevard
• Mad About the Boy: A Portrait of William Holden
• Recording Sunset Boulevard
• The City of Sunset Boulevard
• Franz Waxman and the Music of Sunset Boulevard
• Morgue Prologue Script Pages
• Deleted Scene
• Hollywood Location Map
• Behind the Gate: The Lot
• Edith Head: The Paramount Years
• Paramount in the '50s
• Galleries
• Sunset Boulevard Theatrical Trailer

Sunset Boulevard 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sunset Boulevard hasn't lost a step in 75 years. It's a bonafide classic, always engrossing, and never failing to entertain. And it's never been better than it is right here on the UHD format. While the new 2160p/Dolby Vision video presentation doesn't reach the format's pinnacle for classic black and white pictures, it's a strong and thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience with some minor drawbacks. The new 5.1 lossless track is fine, and offers some subtle enhancements over the mono track, but it's not a drastic reworking of the audio presentation, either. No new extras have been included, but the carryover content is both lengthy and engrossing. Highly recommended!