Trading Places 4K Blu-ray Movie 
40th Anniversary Edition / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital CopyParamount Pictures | 1983 | 116 min | Rated R | Nov 07, 2023
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Movie rating
| 7.7 | / 10 |
Blu-ray rating
Users | ![]() | 4.2 |
Reviewer | ![]() | 4.0 |
Overall | ![]() | 4.0 |
Overview click to collapse contents
Trading Places 4K (1983)
The rich and greedy Duke Brothers wager a bet over whether born loser Valentine could become as successful as the priggish Winthorpe if circumstances were reversed. The Dukes have the money to make this happen, but when Valentine and Winthorpe catch on they arrange for a rich and riotous payback!
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, Ralph Bellamy, Don Ameche, Denholm ElliottDirector: John Landis
Holiday | Uncertain |
Comedy | Uncertain |
Dark humor | Uncertain |
Specifications click to expand contents
Video
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audio
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (192 kbps)
Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Subtitles
English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Dutch
Discs
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Packaging
Slipcover in original pressing
Playback
Region free
Review click to expand contents
Rating summary
Movie | ![]() | 4.0 |
Video | ![]() | 5.0 |
Audio | ![]() | 4.5 |
Extras | ![]() | 2.5 |
Overall | ![]() | 4.0 |
Trading Places 4K Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 5, 2023Paramount has released the fan-favorite 1983 Comedy 'Trading Places,' directed by John Landis and starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd, to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/Dolby Vision video. The disc includes the same Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack as found on the 2020 'Paramount Presents' Blu-ray. That disc is also included here and contains all of the extras from that issue, including the (then) new John Landis retrospective. No new extras are included on the UHD disc.
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Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) is a market wizard working for the ultra-rich Duke brothers, Randolph (Ralph Bellamy) and Mortimer (Don Ameche), whose lifelong ambition is not to make more money but rather debate their dueling sociological philosophies. In order to settle a long-held dispute, they decide to take advantage of an unruly and unwanted guest, a homeless scam artist named Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy). The Duke brothers make a wager that Valentine can come in and run their multimillion dollar company just as well as golden boy Winthorpe. Soon, the stuffy, haughty, egocentric, and high classed Winthorpe finds himself out on the street while Valentine has suddenly moved from the outhouse to the penthouse. Can Winthorpe survive in his new environment, and can Valentine thrive given the opportunity to prove that a man is more than the sum of his circumstances?
For a few brief thoughts on the film, please see the Blu-ray.com review of the original 2007 Blu-ray here.
Trading Places 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 
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The included screenshots are sourced from the 'Paramount Presents' 1080p Blu-ray disc.
As excellent as the 2020 "Paramount Presents" Blu-ray release of Trading Places was -- and still is -- this new 2023 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD
Presentation is much better. The image is essentially perfect: filmic in every way with a wonderfully satisfying grain field that is more pronounced than
the Blu-ray but very filmic in its look and allowing the image to hold true to a perfectly film-like appearance from start to finish. Clarity is excellent,
bolstering textures across the board over the Blu-ray and adding a fairly significant sense of overall sharpness to the image, boosting the clarity and
tangible and tactile qualities and characteristics of faces, lush appointments in high end offices, and various elements out on city streets, not to mention
the various quality of clothing in the film, from high dollar suits to torn and tattered street garb. It couldn't look better or fresher than if it just released
to
theaters last week.
The Dolby Vision color grading further bolsters the image's credentials as superior to the Blu-ray. Overall color depth is enhanced while adding critical
tonal nuance adjustments to bring added warmth to woods, impact to urban grays, and punch and vividness to clothes. Look at a shot at the 10:12
mark. This offers a wonderful point for comparison with the Blu-ray. Notice the richer, deeper wood color tones and the superior atmosphere. Notice the
more vibrant and full green lamp shade. Look at the impact the necktie makes compared to the Blu-ray. Notice how the skin adjusts from orange to
neutral. Look at the black levels on the Apple newspaper add for the improved depth and on the back of the chair, and around it, for improvements to
shadow depth and detail; and notice the crisper whites on the front of the paper. This new grading has done wonders to fine-tune the experience.
I could not be more impressed with how Trading Places looks on the UHD format. Add in the absence of print wear and encode stumbles and
this is a top-end presentation from Paramount.
Trading Places 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 
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The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack is lively and lifelike. Dialogue certainly drives the majority and presents with solid clarity, grounded center placement, and quality prioritization. Beyond that is a bevy of additional audio cues that each offer well defined detail and immersion. City ambience is perhaps the most effective in select shots. It's realistically implemented for both detail and environmental description, easily placing the listener within each exterior. Driving rain in chapter 14 fills the stage with intense detail, and the sound effect juxtaposes with the warm ambient music inside a restaurant. Music on the whole is energetic and wide, presenting with clear, accurate notes with prominent front end positioning and some gentle surround wrap. The subwoofer chimes in with a light but critical bottom end support. There's nothing here to disappoint.
Trading Places 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 
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Trading Places carries over all of the content (minus the "Trivia Pop Ups") from its previous Blu-ray releases. Please click here and here for coverage of the returning extras. No extras are
included on the UHD disc.
A digital copy code is included with purchase, as is a non-embossed slipcover.
- Filmmaker Focus: John Landis on Trading Places
- Theatrical Trailer
- Insider Trading: The Making of Trading Places
- Trading Stories
- Deleted Scene: With optional Executive Producer George Folsey, Jr. commentary.
- Dressing the Part
- The Trade in Trading Places
- Industry Promotional Piece
Trading Places 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 
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Paramount has delivered a wonderful UHD for Trading Places that captures the filmic essence of this fan-favorite catalogue title. It's practically flawless, and the lossless audio track is excellent, too. Several great extras are included. Highly recommended.