Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

The Grand Budapest Hotel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 15, 2020

Wes Anderon's "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include various archival cast and crew interviews; featurettes; new audio commentary by Wes Anderson, co-writer Roman Coppola, actor Jeff Goldblum, and critic Kent Jones; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring two pieces by critic Richard Brody, a double-sided poster and other ephemera, as well as technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

In the United States, The Grand Budapest Hotel was first released on Blu-ray by Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment in 2014. For an in-depth analysis of the film, please see Jeff Kauffman's review of the first release here.

The Grand Budapest Hotel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The release is sourced from a 2K master that was supervised by Wes Anderson. This should be the exact same master that Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment used to produce the first release if The Grand Budapest Hotel in 2004.

On my system the film looks impressive. The wider ratio material in particular boasts exceptional depth, making some close-ups look like terrific digital photographs. Given the native qualities of the production, the density levels are predictably solid, so even if you project on a very large screen the visuals remain consistently impressive. Some minor fluctuations in terms of clarity can be observed, but they are byproducts of specific stylistic choices. Image stability is outstanding. There are no transfer-specific anomalies to report. (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 Grand Budapest Hotel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I assume that master audio mix was prepared in accordance with Wes Anderson's requirements, so the 5.1 track should be a digital replica of it. Its technical characteristics are outstanding. Clarity, depth, and overall balance are great. While viewing the film, I did not detect any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The Grand Budapest Hotel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for The Grand Budapest Hotel. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Vising "The Grand Budapest Hotel" - three-part program. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Design/Special Effects - special effects artists Jeremy Dawson and Adam Stockhausen discuss the evolution of their professional relationship with Wes Anderson and some of the specific work that was done in The Grand Budapest Hotel. (26 min, 1080p).
  
  2. Music - music supervisor Randall Poster some of the music choices that were made while creating the soundtrack for The Grand Budapest Hotel. Raw footage from a recording session is included as well. (6 min, 1080p).
  
  3. Miniatures - highlighted in stills and raw footage. (3 min, 1080p).

• The Making of "The Grand Budapest Hotel" - this program offers raw footage from the production of The Grand Budapest Hotel and highlights Wes Anderson's working methods. In English, not subtitled. (22 min, 1080p).

• Storyboards Animatics - six storyboards-to-film pieces from key sequences of the film. In English, not subtitled. (26 min, 1080p).
  
  1. Hotel Intro
  2. Washer Woman
  3. Killing of Kovacs
  4. Prison Escape
  5. Gabelmeister's Peak
  6. Hotel Show-down
  

• Video Essays -
  
  1. "Wes Anderson Takes the 4:3 Challenge" - in this video essay, professor David Bordwell discusses Wes Anderson's unique cinematic style as well as some of the most common themes in his films. The Grand Budapest Hotel is deconstructed as well. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).
  
  2. "The Grand Budapest Hotel" - Matt Zoller Seitz analyzes The Grand Budapest Hotel and comments on the manner in which comedy and melancholy give it its identity. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

• Featurettes - the following collection of featurettes focuses on Wes Anderson's working methods and the conception, production and visual style of The Grand Budapest Hotel. Clips from various cast and crew interviews are included.
  
  1. Part 1: The Story (5 min, 1080p).
  2. Part 2: The Society of the Crossed Keys (4 min, 1080p).
  3. Part 3: Creating the Hotel (5 min, 1080p)
  4. Creating the World (5 min, 1080p).
  5. Wes Anderson (4 min, 1080p).
  6. The Cast (4 min, 1080p).
  7. Bill Murray Tours Gorlitz (5 min, 1080p).
  8. Kuntsmuseum Zubrowka Lecture (3 min, 1080p).
  9. "The Society of the Crossed Keys" (3 min, 1080p).
  10. Courtesans au chocolat (4 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by Wes Anderson, co-writer Roman Coppola, actor Jeff Goldblum, and critic Kent Jones. The commentary offers an abundance of technical information about the conception of The Grand Budapest Hotel, its narrative structure and visual style, some possible classic influences (Ernst Lubitsch is mentioned), the use of music, etc. There is plenty of information about the specific locations that were chosen for the film as well. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2020.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring two pieces by critic Richard Brody, a double-sided poster and other ephemera, as well as technical credits.

The Grand Budapest Hotel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have to state the obvious: This release was created for fans of Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel. It is sourced from the same 2K master that Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment used to produce the first high-definition release of the film in 2014, but offers a diverse mix of old and new bonus features, the majority of which are exclusive. So, if you are one of those fans, these bonus features are what should make the release attractive to you. RECOMMENDED.