Press Release Criterion Press Release: McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971) (4k UHD Combo) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

This unorthodox dream western by Robert Altman may be the most radically beautiful film to come out of the New American Cinema. It stars Warren Beatty and Julie Christie as two newcomers to the raw Pacific Northwest mining town of Presbyterian Church, who join forces to provide the miners with a superior kind of whorehouse experience. The appearance of representatives for a powerful mining company with interests of its own, however, threatens to be the undoing of their plans. With its fascinating, flawed characters, evocative cinematography by the great Vilmos Zsigmond, innovative overlapping dialogue, and haunting use of Leonard Cohen songs, McCabe & Mrs. Millerbrilliantly deglamorized and revitalized the most American of genres.

FILM INFO​

• United States
• 1971
• 121 minutes
• Color
• 2.40:1
• English
• Spine #827
  
  

  4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES​

  • 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
  • Audio commentary from 2002 featuring director Robert Altman and producer David Foster
  • Making-of documentary, featuring members of the cast and crew
  • Conversation about the film and Altman’s career between film historians Cari Beauchamp and Rick Jewell
  • Featurette from the film’s 1970 production
  • Art Directors Guild Film Society Q&A from 1999 with production designer Leon Ericksen
  • Excerpts from archival interviews with cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond
  • Gallery of stills from the set by photographer Steve Schapiro
  • Excerpts from two 1971 episodes of The Dick Cavett Show featuring Altman and film critic Pauline Kael
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by novelist and critic Nathaniel Rich
    
    Cover by Jon Contino
    
    February 6, 2024

 

[Ronald Epstein]

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[Angelo Colombus]

With the film using various filters i wonder how good this will look on the 4K release?

 

[titch]

The first film of one of America's great auteurs on 4K UHD, but they chose the one, where Vilmos Zsigmond did his best to wreck the picture quality: “We didn’t want it to look good. The whole idea was to make some old, faded pictures.....If they had movies in those days [they] would look faded away, scratchy, grainy and very soft and no contrast. That’s why we used the flashing technique to underexpose the film.”

Old, Faded Pictures: Vilmos Zsigmond on <em>McCabe & Mrs. Miller</em> | Filmmaker Magazine

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filmmakermagazine.com

I'm not complaining that Criterion is putting this out on 4K UHD, but I hope and pray that more Altman on 4K UHD will subsequently follow!

 

[Matt Hough]

With the film using various filters i wonder how good this will look on the 4K release?

I agree with you. Doesn't seem like it would be a major improvement to what we already have. I'm sure RAH and others will keep us informed.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Well there's no HDR listed and Vilmos's cinematography choices usually aren't too 4k friendly so I wouldn't expect a whole lot.

 

[JohnRice]

Well there's no HDR listed and Vilmos's cinematography choices usually aren't too 4k friendly so I wouldn't expect a whole lot.

I don’t envision HDR would be beneficial, so it seems they made the right decision. I’m actually eager to take this one on for a review.

 

[Stefan Andersson]

Will the bluray be derived from the UHD master?

 

[titch]

Will the bluray be derived from the UHD master?

The blu-ray of the film will probably be exactly the same as the previous 2016 Criterion blu-ray. Criterion occasionally upgrade the blu-rays of previously released titles, paired with a 4K UHD, with a new scan: The Rules of the Game and Videodrome received newly scanned masters for the blu-rays, but McCabe & Mrs. Miller was derived from a 4K master. So unlikely.

 

[PMF]

[…]
I'm not complaining that Criterion is putting this out on 4K UHD, but I hope and pray that more Altman on 4K UHD will subsequently follow!

Such as Robert Altman’s “Health” (1980).

 

[PMF]

Will Disney ever acquiese to Criterion? If so, then I elect a 4K/UHD of Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H. It’s time has come. Otherwise, “Gosford Park” or “Vincent and Theo” (inclusive of the 200 minute television version).

Until then, I’m all in for a 4K/UHD of “McCabe & Mrs. Miller” which was voted as the Top 100 films for the centenary year of The American Society of Cinematographers.

 

[Bryan^H]

My favorite film from Robert Altman. I watched the 4K disc this morning, and it looks great.
Very pleased with this.