9.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Framed for the double murder of his wife and her lover, banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his tenure in prison, Dufresne becomes admired by the other inmates, ultimately befriending another prisoner named Red during the process.
Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy BrownCrime | 100% |
Period | 92% |
Drama | 89% |
Melodrama | 58% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
German: Dolby Digital 2.0
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Hungarian: Dolby Digital 2.0
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 2.0
Polish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Spanish, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Polish, Swedish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
The Film Vault is back with another pretty extravagantly packaged quartet of titles to complement the four equally lavishly appointed releases they offered last year, 1917 4K, Blade Runner 4K, GoodFellas 4K, and Scarface 4K. Along with design and package contents that are obviously meant to make this new foursome fit in right next to the previous four, like last year's assortment, this year's offerings are split evenly, two apiece, between films coming from either Warner Brothers ( 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shawshank Redemption) or Universal (Jaws and Apollo 13).
The Shawshank Redemption is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of The Film Vault with an HVEC / H. 265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1.
Based
on Randy's comments in his review, I'd say this is a more or less identical looking release to Warner Brothers' own stateside 4K UHD offering, including
both the
pluses and minuses that Randy mentions. I, too, was struck by the almost overbearing blue grading that is very evident for about the first fifteen or so
minutes of the film, and which kind of humorously ultimately gets more naturalistic looking once Andy is actually incarcerated. As Randy mentions, the
blue
grading recurs later in the film and can seem a bit intense at times, but it appears to be a deliberate stylistic choice, because other moments like the
tense rooftop showdown somewhat later in the film offer a totally gorgeous, beautifully suffused and natural looking palette. From the sounds of
Randy's review, it appears Warner packaged their old 1080 disc, which was framed at 1.78:1, with their 4K UHD release, and as you can see from the
screenshots accompanying this review, the 1080 disc in this package* is correctly framed and offers what I consider to be the "1080 version" of some of
the grading seen in the 4K UHD disc. While the 4K UHD disc offers some clear if subtle upticks in fine detail levels, even HDR can't quite overcome a
few deficits that accrue in that department in the many very dimly lit scenes in the confines of the prison. It's perhaps notable to mention that the
1080 disc, like the 4K UHD disc, features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
audio, unlike the original Warner Brothers 1080 disc, which sported a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track.
*Note: For those interested, the 1080 disc played fine in my Region A players.
Casey and Randy were satisfied if not blown away with the audio on both the prior 1080 and 4K UHD releases, but I found the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track to supply capable support for what is often an intentionally claustrophobic sound design. Some of the archival audio, as in the track that opens the film, certainly (and understandably) shows (and/or hears) its age, but in terms of dialogue, sound effects and (contemporary) scoring, the track provides excellent fluidity and balance. This is not a hugely "showy" surround affair, and as such a lot of the activity is anchored pretty firmly front and center. Dialogue is always rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional subtitles in a variety of languages are available.
On Disc Supplements
There are a couple of interesting things to note in this department. First, unlike some other Film Vault releases, the 4K UHD disc does not feature all
of the supplements on the included 1080 disc. Also, those keeping track of previous 1080 releases may note that the supplements on this 1080 disc
lack the Charlie Rose interview, while adding some storyboards that don't look like they were on prior releases.
4K UHD Disc
- Tim Robbins (HD; 1:04)
- Morgan Freeman (HD; 00:48)
- Supporting Cast (HD; 2:00)
- Tim & Morgan (HD; 00:32)
- Behind the Scenes (HD; 3:00)
- Bogs Takes a Fall (HD; 4:32)
- New Fish Arrive (HD; 4:02)
As is discussed in one of the archival supplements included in this set, perhaps just a little strangely The Shawshank Redemption keeps placing surprisingly high on lists of "all time favorite films", and if it is on your personal list, this deluxe edition should keep you happily ensconced in whatever the home theater version of stir is. Technical merits are generally solid, and The Film Vault also throws in some handsomely designed packaging and non disc swag. Highly recommended.
1994
Collector's Edition
1994
1994
1994
Ultimate Collector's Edition
1994
Iconic Moments
1994
1994
1994
1994
(Still not reliable for this title)
15th Anniversary Edition
1999
Limited Edition
1993
The Coppola Restoration
1990
The Coppola Restoration
1972
1998
1995
2002
2016
1973
1974
2013
1967
2010-2014
2002
2019
1984
2008
Special Edition
2013
1993
2008