Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Wanderers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 22, 2017

Philip Kaufman's "The Wanderers" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German label Koch Media. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; archival audio commentary with director Philip Kaufman; original promotional materials for the film; and more. In English, with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Tough guys

In the United States, Philip Kaufman's The Wanderers was recently released on Blu-ray by local distributors Kino Lorber. For a complete analysis of the film, please see my colleague Brian Orndorf's review here.

The Wanderers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Philip Kaufman's The Wanderers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Koch Media.

I recently picked up the Kino Lorber's two-disc set of The Wanderers because there are plenty of interesting supplemental features on it, but I found the technical presentation of the Director's Cut of the film somewhat underwhelming. So I did some direct comparisons with this German release, which appears to have noticeably better dynamic range (compare screencaptures #3 and screencapture #17 from our review of the other release). There are also some discrepancies in terms of color saturation, and a few nuances appear to have different ranges (on this release yellow/brownish nuances are more prominent). Density appears fairly similar on the two releases, but on this release brightness levels also appear to have been set a bit lower. Elsewhere, it is also easy to spot black crush sneaking in, though there are numerous examples where grain is in fact better exposed on this release (you can see the discrepancies with the effects from the crushing if you compare screencapture #6 and screencaoture #18 from our review of the other release). There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Image stability is excellent. Finally, there are no distracting large debris, damage marks, cuts, warped, or torn frames to report. All in all, there are some pretty obvious differences between the two presentations of the Director's Cut of The Wanderers, so read our reviews, compare them, and decide which one you like better. 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).

The Wanderers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, German DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, and German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the English Mono track and was quite impressed by it. It is quite easy to tell that it was fully remastered because clarity, depth, and balance are excellent. Also, work has been done to remove any traces of aging or inherited technical imperfections. The 5.1 track opens up some of the mass sequences really well and the music also benefits a bit as the dynamic field is expended, but I still prefer the Mono track. You should experiment with both to see which one you like better.

The Wanderers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original U.S. trailer for The Wanderers. In English, not subtitled. (5 min).

• German Trailer - original German trailer for The Wanderers. In German, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials (stills, lobby cards, posters) for The Wanderers. (5 min).

• Alternative Opening - presented here is an alternative opening without the theatrical inserts. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Commentary - this audio commentary with director/co-writer Philip Kaufman initially appeared on the R1 DVD release of The Wanderers and it is really good. Philip Kaufman discusses in great detail how the film essentially came to exist, where and how various sequences were shot, the type of period atmosphere that is recreated in the film, the important role music has, etc. If you enjoy the film, definitely listen to to the commentary in its entirety. In English, with optional German subtitles.

The Wanderers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I quite like The Wanderers and wanted to see how this German release compares to the recent release from Kino Lorber. There are some pretty obvious discrepancies between the technical presentations of the Director's Cut, but I lean towards the German release even though it could have been graded a bit better. On the other hand, the U.S. release has a superior selection of supplemental features, so fans of the film should definitely consider adding it to their collections. RECOMMENDED.