The Fall 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

The Fall 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 10, 2025

Note: This is an Umbrella website exclusive. It looks like third party resellers were offering standalone 4K/1080 sets without the packaging extras offered here (which as of the writing of this review don't appear to be available anymore), but I'd frankly stick to Umbrella's own store, which also offers a less expensive standalone edition, to be on the safe side.

One of the more amazing things about The Fall may be that while many who first saw it when it premiered in 2006 felt it was absolutely unique and seemingly sui generis, the film is actually a "remake" of sorts of a 1981 Bulgarian effort called Yo Ho Ho (a film so little known the link points to the IMdb listing since it hasn't yet made it into our database). This loving "ode to cinema" opens with an initially perhaps slightly confusing vignette in black and white, though it turns out to be providing salient information, if not in a "here's the whole story in a nutshell" way a la The Prestige's opening flurry of imagery, at least in an allusive way that suggests something has gone seriously wrong with a train and a horse. It's soon enough revealed that the opening vignette documented a film stunt gone awry, one which has left stuntman Roy Walker (Lee Pace) badly injured and perhaps permanently paralyzed. His stay at a hospital is interrupted, if sweetly so, by an adorable little girl named Alexandria (Catinca Untaru), recovering from a broken arm. These two mismatched souls are thrust together by happenstance, but their bond is secured by Roy's storytelling acumen, which soon delights Alexandria with a glut of whimsical characters and outlandish situations.

What ensues is a multilayered extravaganza as Roy also assumes the identity of The Black Bandit in his stories, tales that also involve little Alexandria as the Bandit's own daughter. That hardly begins to describe the almost psychedelic lengths writer and director Tarsem Singh Dhandwar goes to as Lee's epic unfolds across a variety of unbelievably exotic looking locations. The result is a mind (or at least eye) blowing meditation on the dialectic between reality and fantasy, and even storytelling and imagination, all of which obviously play into either a subtext or "meta" text of the very act of filmmaking. Even divorcing this film from its subtle if profound foundational elements, on purely visual and aural levels, The Fall is simply a wonder to behold. As some of the excellent supplements document, this was a labor of love for Tarsem, who spent literally years and piles of his own money to shoot the film.

The Fall 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.

The Fall is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. While I'm not completely certain, my hunch is the 1080 version in this package is also a new transfer and not a repackaging of Umbrella's 2011 standalone 1080 release. One way or the other, this 4K presentation is absolutely stunning throughout, starting with the beautiful black and white opening, one which offers really appealing contrast and a very tightly resolved grain field. The color section of the film may get off to a slightly subtle beginning in the hospital scenes, but even here the HDR / Dolby Vision grades manage to offer some noticeable highlights, especially in green and gold tones, when compared to Umbrella's perfectly excellent 1080 presentation also included in this set. However, once things get "out and about" (and, boy, do they ever), all holds are barred and the palette virtually erupts in some of the desert scenes in particular, with an amazing array of burnished reds and browns, often set against either explosively blue skies or stark white stretches of sand. Some of the later "blue city" material is similarly gobsmacking. Through it all, and with an understanding that Tarsem loves very wide framings which can affect at least fine detail levels, things look precise and beautifully textured. I'd even argue that the HDR / Dolby Vision grades help to improve some already pretty satisfying shadow detail in the 1080 version in some of the later hospital scenes in particular.

The Fall 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Fall features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 options. The surround track provides clear and consistent engagement of the side and rear channels for a glut of ambient environmental effects and Krishna Levy's evocative score. The glut of outdoor material provides ample opportunities both for washes of background sound but also discrete channelization for individual effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, though little Untaru has a rather thick accent. Optional English subtitles are available.

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

Note: New supplements on the 1080 disc have been designated with a single asterisk (*).

4K UHD Disc

• Audio commentary with director/producer Tarsem Singh


• Audio commentary with actor Lee Pace, co-writer/co-producer Nico Soultanakis and co-writer Dan Gilroy

1080 Disc

• Audio commentary with director/producer Tarsem Singh


• Audio commentary with actor Lee Pace, co-writer/co-producer Nico Soultanakis and co-writer Dan Gilroy


• Interview with Director Tarsem Singh* (HD; 17:24) offers some interesting background information.


• Interview with Production Designer Ged Clarke* (HD; 26:17) has some fun history including some of Clarke's early work.


• Interview with Cinematographer Colin Watkinson* (HD; 22:29) offers insight into the film's incredibly striking cinematography.


• Interview with Actor Lee Pace* (HD; 9:10) seems to have been culled from a streaming service's introduction.


• The Making of an Impossible Film: A Video Essay by Virat Nerhu* (HD; 17:57) is a really interesting look at the long production of the film.


• The Quest for Origins - Trauma, Cinema and Storytelling in Tarsem's The Fall: A Video Essay by Anton Bitel* (HD; 16:22) is a nice piece of "meta" analysis.


• Original Cut Deleted Scenes (HD; 1:34)


• Wanderlust (HD**; 28:11) is an archival EPK.


• Nostalgia (HD**; 29;59) is another archival making of piece.


• Archival Interviews with Cast and Crew (HD**; 10:07)


• Trailer (HD; 1:06)

**720

This is another stunningly packaged Collector's Edition from Umbrella, and in fact I'd rate it as even more stunning than Umbrella's Collector's Edition of Eyes Without a Face 4K. As with that release, this one sports a host of packaging extras in addition to the above supplements on the discs. A nicely designed slipbox encloses the keepcase (which is in its own slipcover), along with a really gorgeous 100 page hardback book with a ton of great writing and some fantastic stills and artwork. The slipbox also encloses 8 replica lobby cards. The keepcase encloses a reversible poster.

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

Unless a plethora of remarkable releases hits my queue between now and December 31, Umbrella's The Fall 4K is virtually guaranteed a spot in my Top 10 for 2025. The film is a wonder to behold on a number of levels, offered here with sterling technical merits, fantastic on disc supplements, and a beautifully designed package with an array of enjoyable non disc swag. Highly recommended.