The Remains of the Day 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Remains of the Day 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Sony has released the 1993 film 'The Remains of the Day' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video and Dolby Atmos audio. The supplements repeat from the studio's 2019 release. The film was also previously released in the United States in 2015 by Twilight Time.

The Remains of the Day 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from Sony's 2019 Blu-ray disc.

Sony touts this UHD presentation as "approved by director James Ivory," and one can reasonably state that Ivory has an eye for a great UHD transfer, as does Sony. The 2160p/Dolby Vision presentation is an absolute delight, worthy of the film and the studio releasing it, the former of which is just innately gorgeous to behold and the latter of which releases just about the best UHD transfers on the market. The 2160p resolution is staggeringly attractive. Fine grain is present and accounted for throughout the film. Rare are density fluctuations, and never does it lend anything but a pure cinematic look and feel to the imagery. The resolution gains here are astounding. Clarity is not just ample but exacting. There are so many rich details to soak in, and the level of environmental complexity around the estate stands as amongst the finest examples of superior definition on the disc. Not to be outdone is the laser precision seen on faces and clothes, the former of which are incredibly satisfying for complexity and realism, especially in close-up but even in medium shots.

Color is absolutely superb. Look at some of the wall paint around the house (the twenty-minute mark offers a particularly excellent example) for the level of grading excellence. The depth of color, the pop of color, the stability of color, and the accuracy of color all are evidence of the vivid delight that exemplifies what the Dolby Vision grading is all about. The same is true of all bolder colors, and there is always a perfect contrast with the resplendent earthy tones of brown and other like colors throughout the estate. Black levels are beautiful, beginning with dark clothing and ending with luxurious black depth and shadow detail. Whites are brilliant (on-screen text, white attire) and flesh tones are perfectly healthy and full.

Combine these qualities with an absence of print wear and no obvious encode anomalies and this is UHD bliss.

The Remains of the Day 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Doby Atmos track is pleasantly engaging and satisfying. The opening score presents with wonderful spacing, creating a precise sense of audible immersion that extends through the rears and the overhead, the latter not with flamboyance but rather with realism and concern for immersion, not discrete elements. Music is nicely engaged throughout, and usually with this same sense of spatial excellence. The top end further helps to define various environmental elements. Listen to a dinner table scene at the 17-minute mark. The clanking silverware is heard all around the listener, but the light dialogue reverberation that defines the large space, with precision support from the overhead channels, expertly draws the listener into the location. All elements are very well balanced, and whether the film's here-and-there opportunities for greater sound design reach and depth or the general atmosphere that defines most scenes, the track proves consistently in command of its qualities and characteristics with fine spatial awareness and precision to both immersive and discrete effects, both of which come together, for example, in a more sonically boisterous music-and-effects montage in the 46-minute mark. Low end extension is also excellent when called upon; neither music nor effects are ever wanting for satisfying and refined subwoofer support. Dialogue is clear and pure with lifelike delivery from a stable front-center location.

The Remains of the Day 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of The Remains of the Day contains the same supplemental suite as found on the 2019 Sony disc; see below for a listing of what's included. It is also the same material (minus a couple of items) from the Twilight Time disc, and it is in that review where readers can find a few thoughts on the core extras. No Blu-ray copy is included. Sony has bundled in a Movies Anywhere digital copy code. This release does ship with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Love and Loyalty: The Making of The Remains of the Day
• The Remains of the Day: The Filmmakers Journey
• Blind Loyalty, Hollow Honor: England's Fatal Flaw
• Audio Commentary: Director James Ivory, Producer Ismail Merchant, and Actress Emma Thompson.
• Deleted Scenes
• Trailers

The Remains of the Day 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sony has once again released a prominent film to the UHD format with a pristine 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer. The Dolby Atmos soundtrack is also not only new, but also noteworthy for its spatial excellence and adherence to clarity. The supplements are recycled but are still solid. UHD doesn't get a whole lot better than this. Highly recommended!