The Breakfast Club Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

The Breakfast Club Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 30, 2017

John Hughes' "The Breakfast Club" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an extensive selection of original promotional materials for the film; rare and previously unseen deleted and extended scenes; new and archival cast and crew interviews; audio commentary by Anthony Michael Hall and Judd Nelson; and a lot more. The release also arrives with a 22-page illustrated booklet featuring David Kamp's essay "Smells Like Teen Realness" and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The troublemakers

John Hughes directed a total of eight films during his career and the first four -- Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off -- sum up perfectly just about everything that most folks believe made the ‘80s such a special decade. There is a very distinctive energy in these films and a type of authentic chemistry between their young characters that instantly make them irresistibly attractive.

There is a rather long list of directors that were greatly influenced by Hughes’ work and during the early ‘90s set out to produce similar films while operating in a different socio-cultural environment -- Cameron Crowe and Richard Linklater are at the very top of this list -- but the new films basically had only bits of what they needed to be equally good. There are two big reasons why this happened and they are interconnected. The first is that the proper setting for them essentially disappeared as the ‘80s ended. Indeed, as MTV grew bigger a lot of producers with deep pockets realized that the TV business now offered new and very lucrative opportunities for them to target teens and then create commercial product that would fill in the gaps that films like the ones that Hughes directed did, and they reacted quickly. The wild overcommercialization of MTV that ensued initiated a truly vicious cycle and less than a decade later many of the same producers actually completely reshaped its identity. So instead of promoting music videos and other content that focused on trends that originated within the music industry, MTV became a big platform for ‘reality’-based shows and ‘educational ‘programming and in the process lost its role as a mirror that aimed to reflect the colorful world of its audience, which is precisely what Hughes’ early films did. The second reason is the more obvious one, which is that no one could do what Hughes knew how to do so well. Hughes -- and this is arguably the biggest secret behind the brilliance of The Breakfast Club -- had a genuine connection with the characters of his films and understood perfectly their dilemmas, so he shot them in a way that made their experiences entertaining but also incredibly convincing. In fact, he did it so well that the same connection then became the foundation for a lasting bond between these characters and the folks that went to their local theater to see his films. Not convinced? Engage in a conversation anyone that saw The Breakfast Club when it opened theatrically and you will soon discover that this person vividly remembers how at least one of its characters accurately described most if not everything that he/she had experienced or was still going through in his/her life. By the early ‘90s, however, the commercial shift that is highlighted above had already produced an entirely different socio-cultural environment and with it manufactured demand for a completely different crop of teen films, and once this became obvious the roles that Hughes and a few others like him had during the '80s were basically forfeited to the typical dull Hollywood-based network-contracted script writers and show producers. It is what ignited the ‘reality’-based TV craze.

Instead of rehashing yet again the many big and small reasons why The Breakfast Club is rightfully considered one of the very best teen films to emerge from the ‘80s, let’s just quickly mention a couple of reasons why it might be great to revisit as this year comes to an end. At a time when so many young people are taught to retreat in ‘safe spaces’ where they can only hear the soothing echo of their own thoughts, this film actually very effectively argues that it is in their best interest to go in the exact opposite direction and in the process routinely reexamine their perceived strengths and weaknesses. There is also a wonderful and very appropriate for the current social climate message about true love and happiness, and how they can be discovered only by those that have the courage to drop the masks that they have used throughout their lives to hide real or fictional insecurities.

The Breakfast Club Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Hughes' The Breakfast Club arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm DME (dialogue, music, and effects) track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.

4K remastering and resotration: NBCUniversal Studio Post, Universal City, CA, under the supervision of Universal Pictures."

The release is sourced from the same excellent restored master that Universal Studios prepared when it celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Breakfast Club with this Blu-ray release in 2015. It is a very beautiful master that really makes the film sparkle -- it is very healthy, wonderfully graded, and literally spotless. It probably does help that there is consistent great lighting throughout the entire film as well, but the quality of the remastering work is clearly of exceptionally high quality. There are no traces of digital anomalies. Image stability is also terrific. I wish to mention that I also upscaled this release to 4K and was quite impressed with the solid density levels it displays, though even in native 1080p resolution it is pretty easy to appreciate this particular strength of the recent master. Fantastic presentation. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Breakfast Club Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are to standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the original Mono track and then did a few random comparisons with the 5.1 track. The basic characteristics of the two tracks are very solid, but it is easy to tell that the 5.1 track aims to expand the sound field in select areas. The music does benefit, but the rest of the film I feel is better served by the Mono track. Either way, you can experiment with both tracks now and choose the one that you like the most. (For reference, Universal's previous release of The Breakfast Club has only the 5.1 mix).

The Breakfast Club Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted and Extended Scenes - presented here is a very large selection of scenes that were cut from the 150-minute rough cut of The Breakfast Club. The content was sourced from analog masters displaying a "Property of MCA" label. In English, not subtitled. (52 min, 1080i).

• Sincerely Yours - this archival documentary focuses on the original cinematic style of director John Hughes, the making of The Breakfast Club and its characters. Included in it are clips from interviews with costume designer Marilyn Vance, writer Diablo Cody (Juno), director Amy Heckerling (Clueless), actors John Kapelos, Ally Sheedy Anthony Michael Hall and Judd Nelson, and director Marco Siega (TV's Dexter), amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (51 min, 1080i).

• Cast and Crew - presented here is a collection of exclusive new and archival interviews with cast and crew members.
  
  1. Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy - in these new video interviews, the two actresses explain how they entered the film business and recall their first encounters with John Hughes as well as the moments when they were cast to play their characters in The Breakfast Club. (Apparently, some very curious changes were made). There are additional very interesting observations about the success of the film and the director's working methods. The two interviews were conducted exclusively for Criterion in New York City in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080p).
  
  2. Judd Nelson - in this archival interview, Judd Nelson explains how he became involved with The Breakfast Club and discusses the importance of freedom in the creative process favored by John Hughes. The interview was conducted on the set of The Breakfast Club in 1984. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080i).
  
  3. Ally Sheedy - in this archival interview, Ally Sheedy explains what is special about The Breakfast Club and discusses her interactions with the rest of the cast members as well as director John Hughes. There are also very interesting observations about the strengths of the script and its main characters. The interview was conducted on the set of The Breakfast Club in 1984. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080i).
  
  4. Irene Brafstein - in this archival interview, studio teacher Irene Brafstein discusses her work with the young actors that play the main characters in The Breakfast Club. The interview was conducted in 1984. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080i).
  
  5. Paul Gleason - in this archival interview, Paul Gleason explains why he became involved with The Breakfast Club and discusses his work with his young colleagues and John Hughes' instincts and working methods. The interview was conducted on the set of The Breakfast Club in 1984. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080i).

• John Hughes - presented here are two archival audio interviews with director John Hughes.
  
  1. American Film Institute, 1985 - this is a recorded seminar in which John Hughes discusses the evolution of his career in the film business as a writer and director, the original script for The Breakfast Club and various edits that he made to it, the relationships between the five characters, the film's atmosphere, etc. In English, not subtitled. (48 min, 1080p).
  
  2. Sound Opinions, 1999 - some of the best observations in this archival interview address the use of music in John Hughes' films and the sound design/soundtrack of The Breakfast Club. The interview was conducted by Jim DeRogatis (Chicago Sun-Times) and Greg Kot (Chicago Tribune) for Chicago-based Sound Opinions. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

• Electronic Press Kit - presented here is an archival press kit with promotional studio material featuring clips from various cast and crew interviews as well as raw footage from the shooting of The Breakfast Club. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Ensemble profile
  2. John Hughes profile
  3. Dede Allen profile
  4. "Youth Picture"
  5. "Roller-Coaster"
  6. Featurette
  7. Original trailer

• Today - presented here is an excerpt from a 1985 episode of NBC's Today show featuring interviews with actors Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estevez, and Ally Sheedy. The bulk of the comments address the preparation work that each actor did and the relationships between the main characters. The interviews were conducted by Jane Pauley. In English, not subtitled. (10 min, 1080i).

• Describe the Ruckus - this brand new video essay features actor Judd Nelson reading from director John Hughes' production notes for The Breakfast Club. The essay was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080p).

• This American Life - presented here is an episode of the Chicago Public Media radio program This American Life in which actress Molly Ringwald explains what it feels like to reexperience The Breakfast Club many years later and this time as a parent. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary features actors Anthony Michael Hall and Judd Nelson. It was recorded in 2008 and initially appeared on the Flashback DVD Edition of The Breakfast Club
  
  1. Automated dialogue replacement
  2. "Like shooting a play"
  3. "Talk to the actor, not the role"
  4. Leading the rebel charge
  5. "Freedom for All"
  6. Depth of lighting
  7. Soft-rock vibe
  8. "Your own pathetic lives"
  9. The truth comes out
  10. Group therapy
  11. Brian's mission
  12. Mr. Hughes

• Booklet - 22-page illustrated booklet featuring David Kamp's essay "Smells Like Teen Realness" and technical credits.

The Breakfast Club Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The '80s left us a lot of good teen films, but the ones that most people keep coming back to are John Hughes' films. It is because he shot them as if he personally knew their young characters, and because they can connect with people in ways that can create very special bonds. In fact, I think that many of their characters actually remained the best 'forever young' friends that plenty of people simply refused to forget. Criterion's upcoming release of The Breakfast Club is sourced from the excellent 4K restoration of the film that Universal Studios prepared when it celebrated its 30th anniversary and features a very impressive selection of exclusive new and archival bonus features. If you like the film, you don't want to miss it. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.