Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Deer Hunter 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 1, 2019

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.

The text below was initially used for our review of StudioCanal's first Blu-ray release of The Deer Hunter, which came out in 2009.

Michael Cimino’s award-winning film The Deer Hunter is divided into three parts. During the first part, we are introduced to all of the main characters in the film -- Michael (Robert De Niro, Ragin Bull), Steven (John Savage, Hair), Nick (Christopher Walken, King of New York), Stan (John Cazale, The Godfather), John (George Dzundza, Dangerous Minds), Axel (Chuck Aspegren), and Linda (Meryl Streep, Sophie’s Choice). We quickly learn that Steven is going to marry the love of his life, Angela (Rutanya Alda, Amityville II: The Possession), and immediately after that head to Vietnam together with Michael and Nick.

Steven is a second generation Russian immigrant, and even though he and his friends live in a small town in the middle of nowhere -- actually, somewhere in Pennsylvania -- his wedding is enormous. In fact, it very much looks like an Italian wedding, one that you would see in New York City. During the wedding Michael falls for Linda, but she promises to marry Nick when he comes back from Vietnam. The day before Michael, Steven and Nick leave America, everyone goes deer hunting.

The second part of the film takes us to Vietnam. Michael, Steven and Nick are captured by a group of Vietnamese soldiers. They are asked to play Russian roulette while the soldiers are watching and betting money on who would survive the game. Somehow the three friends manage to escape, but Steven breaks his legs, and, later on, they are amputated.

The final part of the film is the most powerful one. Michael returns home to Pennsylvania but immediately discovers that a lot has changed. Even though everyone welcomes him back, he feels like a foreigner. When he sees Linda, something inside him snaps.

Nick is treated in a military hospital in Vietnam. He is so severely traumatized, however, that for a while he cannot even remember the names of his parents. When he is finally released, Nick befriends a shady Frenchman who promises to make him rich if he agrees to play Russian roulette professionally.

Steven is transported back to America, but he refuses to go home to his wife. When Michael visits the hospital where he lives, Steven reveals to him that Nick is still in Saigon. Michael immediately heads to Vietnam, hoping to bring him back home. He manages to find Nick, but his friend does not recognize him.

In the audio commentary included with this Blu-ray disc, director Cimino explains that The Deer Hunter came to exist only because a British company, EMI, was brave enough to fund it. According to Cimino, there was absolutely no way the film could have been made in America.

The Deer Hunter has been labeled by many as "anti-war", and sadly this is probably one of the key reasons why it was deemed unsuitable for the American market in the early '80s. Ironically, even though today the film seems harmless, many of the serious questions it indirectly asks -- such as whether American soldiers had to be sent to Vietnam -- are not irrelevant. After all, America is in the middle of yet another war, and many ordinary Americans are probably facing the exact same dilemmas a few of the main characters in the film are seen struggling with.

The acting is very strong. De Niro plays the tough but emotionally brittle Michael to perfection. The sequence where he sees Linda for the first time after he comes back from Vietnam and could barely put two sentences together is amongst the best in the film. Savage’s acting is also outstanding. The sequence in the VA hospital where he begs Michael not to take him home to his wife is gut-wrenching. It is Walken’s tremendous character transformation, however -- just look at the happy man that he is in beginning of the film and then compare him with the madman Michael meets in Saigon -- that makes The Deer Hunter a truly special film.

The Deer Hunter 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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.

The Deer Hunter 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

The Deer Hunter 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Commentary One - this is the same vintage audio commentary by director Michael Cimino that was made available in the UK quite some time ago via the local DVD release of The Deer Hunter. The commentary is incredibly informative. The late director explains why his film was funded by a UK company, why at the time there was apparently no market for it in the U.S., what it meant to those who were involved with its production, how the political controversy that surrounded the film affected him and the actors, etc. The commentary also appears on StudioCanal's first Blu-ray release of The Deer Hunter.

• Commentary Two - this is the same vintage audio commentary by cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond and film journalist Bob Fisher that in the U.S. appeared on Universal's Blu-ray release (and older DVD releases) of The Deer Hunter. The late cinematographer discusses in great detail the specific lensing/framing choices that were made during the shooting of the film, Michael Cimino's idea for the film, the type of environment that the visuals were meant to be a part of, the management of light and shadow, etc. It is a very, very informative commentary.

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Interview with Michael Cimino - in this archival interview, director Michael Cimino discusses the genesis of The Deer Hunter, how and why at the time working-class Americans were unjustifiably maligned by the mainstream press as being right-wing, the lasting scars that the war in Vietnam left them with, his intention to provide the film with a strong documentary appearance and how it was reinforced by specific lensing and editing choices, the management of the dialog and the music (some of the dialog was intentionally obscured to enhance realism), etc. The interview first aired as part of ITV's South Bank Show, hosted by Melvyn Bragg, on February 25, 1979. In English. (18 min).

• Realizing The Deer Hunter - a very informative interview with director Michael Cimino in which he discusses the message of his film, how the film could not be made in the U.S. at the time, the filming locations, etc. In English. (24 min).

• Shooting The Deer Hunter - in this archival interview, cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond discusses the many obstacles he and the technical crew had to overcome while shooting the film. Also, there are very interesting observations about the notorious long wedding sequence and working with a visionary director like Michael Cimino and specifically his appreciation for quality improvisation. In English. (16 min).

• Playing The Deer Hunter - in this archival interview, John Savage talks about his father, who went to Vietnam, and how what he told him about the war helped him out with the character he played in The Deer Hunter. The actor also discusses the political controversy that one point surrounded the film, as well as some of the more challenging sequences in it. In English. (16 min).

• Deleted and Extended Scenes - a gallery of deleted and extended scenes. In English. (17 min).

• Interview with David Thomson - in this brand new video interview, critic David Thomson recalls his first theatrical experience with The Deer Hunter many years ago, and discusses the conflicting opinions that emerged, the magnificent cast and the characterizations, some of the confusion that supposedly surrounded the evolution of the script, the film's obvious and not so obvious messages, etc. In English. (24 min).

CD DISC/SOUNDTRACK

• Soundtrack - the original motion picture soundtrack by Stanley Myers is presented on a separate CD. Ten tracks.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Booklet - 64 page booklet including material written by Jay Glennie and adapted from his forthcoming numbered limited edition large format book One Shot: The Making of The Deer Hunter, new essay from David Jenkins (Editor of Little White Lies), pages from the original 1978 press book, and technical credits.

• Script - copy of early incarnation of the script entitled The Man Who Came to Play by Louis Garfinkle and Quinn K. Redeker (See photos).

• Art Cards - five collectible art cards. (See photos).

The Deer Hunter 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.