8.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Three friends volunteer to serve in Vietnam, they fail to foresee the horrors that will encapsulate their future lives.
Starring: Robert De Niro, John Cazale, John Savage, Christopher Walken, Meryl StreepDrama | 100% |
War | 29% |
Melodrama | 19% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 2.0
English SDH, French
Blu-ray Disc
Four-disc set (3 BDs, 1 CD)
4K Ultra HD
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Michael Cimino's "The Deer Hunter" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage audio commentaries with director Michael Cimino and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond; deleted and extended scenes; archival interview with the director; new video interview with critic David Thomson; and more. Also included with this release is the film's original soundtrack, placed on a separate CD, collectible cards, and illustrated booklet. In English, with optional English SDH and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and encoded with HEVC/H.265, The Deer Hunter arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.
BLU-RAY DISC
*Please note that the technical analysis below is taken from our review of the single Blu-ray release of The Deer Hunter.
The release is sourced from a brand new 4K remaster. In addition to this release, StudioCanal are bringing to the marketplace a 4K Blu-ray release. Since the Blu-ray disc has an interface that can be set in English and French, I think it is safe to assume that the upcoming French 4K Blu-ray release will be identical.
The new 4K remaster has very strong organic qualities that ensure a number of meaningful improvements over the previous remaster that StudioCanal used for its first release of the film in 2009. For example, density levels are much better and as a result fluidity is now excellent. In fact, even on a mid-size screen (55'' to 65'') the improvements in terms of fluidity and overall image stability are quite easy to see and appreciate. Grain is better exposed and resolved as well. The mild surface sharpening that was present on the old release is also eliminated (to see the difference, compare sceencapture #3 and screencapture #11 from our review of the previous release). Colors are healthy and stable. There are some minor grading adjustments in terms of color temperature, but they do not affect the film's dynamic range (compare screencapture #7 and screencapture #2 from our review of the previous release). Overall color balance is better. Also, the entire film has been meticulously cleaned up, and old transition issues are now appear resolved.
The one and only minor weakness that the new remaster has is the presence of light black crush that sneaks in here and there. It does make some of the dark footage slightly darker and a few nuances are lost, so this is something that could should have been avoided. For reference, it is within the ranges that are present on Sony's 4K remaster of The Age of Innocence. (To see the difference, compare screencaptures #1 from the two reviews we now have posted; the crushing can also be observed in the backgrounds of screencaptures #14 and 15). There is a small possibility that the crushing is avoided on the 4K Blu-ray release because there is a wider range of nuances there, but I have not yet seen the 4K release and therefore can not comment on it. My score is 4.25/5.00 (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
4K BLU-RAY DISC
There are two areas of the technical presentation where I see meaningful improvements, and I expected both. First, even though density levels were already excellent on the Blu-ray here they are a notch better, and this does have an impact on fluidity. Naturally, I believe that folks with larger screens or projectors will easily notice the uptick in overall image quality and appreciate the difference. The second area, however, is the one that I was eager to scrutinize. It is color reproduction and overall balance, which on the Blu-ray release are not as convincing as I wanted them to be. So, in native 4K the darker footage does exhibit better ranges of nuances. As a result, most, but not all, of the crushing that pops up on the Blu-ray is eliminated. How big is the improvement? I think that it is not difficult to see that the blacks -- and by default in darker areas grays -- are more nuanced, not collapsing into one 'thick' solid color. The difference is even more pronounced in midday and early night footage where other color nuances are expanded as well. I took screencaptures #9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 from such areas where the difference can be observed. This said, I still think that even in native 4K the color grading job could have been more accurate to capture delicate nuances, but what I saw here validated my initial suspicion that when the grading is finalized in 4K the eventual transition of the same material to 1080p for Blu-ray collapses some nuances. (At least this is what I have observed thus far on a couple of different 4K releases from StudioCanal. By the way, I am also quite certain that this is the exact same reason why the 1080p presentation of the recent 4K restoration of Kind Hearts and Coronets reveals similar light crushing. Finalized in 4K, the end product likely looks very nice, perhaps even perfect, but during the downscaling to 1080p there is a perceptible loss of existing nuances). Ultimately, I think that the 4K Blu-ray release handles the new 4K restoration better, which after all is anything but surprising.
There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and French DTS 2.0. Optional English SDH and French subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track and then did a few random tests with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. StudioCanal have provided the following text for the latter: "The audio was sourced from an original 6 channel magnetic soundtrack. It would have played in 70mm presentations and would have been marketed as 70mm six track Dolby Stereo. Due to technological advances we are unable to replicate this exactly on a modern surround system however all efforts have been made to recreate what this would have sounded like."
The audio has been remastered. I specifically listened to see if the the mild hiss that was present on the old track is still there, and I can confirm that it has been eliminated. Stability is excellent. Depth and separation are equally impressive, and during the action footage dynamic intensity is fantastic.
I tested a couple of different sequences with the 5.1 track. So during the action footage separation is different, but overall dynamic intensity is within the same range(s). I did not notice any other sizeable differences, but then again I did not view the entire film with the 5.1 track.
BLU-RAY DISC ONE
My initial suspicion was that some or all of the minor issues that I observed with color reproduction and overall balance on the recent Blu-ray release of the 4K restoration of The Deer Hunter will be either dramatically minimized or completely eliminated on the 4K Blu-ray release. Now that I have seen StudioCanal's 4K restoration in native 4K, I can report that this is in fact the case -- in native 4K these issues are greatly minimized and in some areas actually eliminated. I still think that even in native 4K the color grading job could have been more accurate to capture delicate nuances, but overall I am quite happy with the way this classic film now looks in native 4K. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
StudioCanal Collection
1978
1978
Limited Edition
1978
40th Anniversary Edition
1978
1978
1978
2009
2006
Final Cut
1979
Collector's Edition | Sony Collector's Edition #2
1957
Deluxe Edition
1987
1986
1942
2009
2017
Premium Collection
1967
1998
Masters of Cinema
1957
2008
2012
20th Anniversary Edition
1993
Special Edition | Sony Collector's Edition #11
1964
Arrow Academy
1983
1968
4K Restoration | Vintage Classics
1977
Masters of Cinema
1978