Sony brings six films from its vaults, presented on 4K UHD Blu-ray for the first time, in their Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection Volume 4.
The Production: 4/5
As with past volumes, Sony has included six eclectic and classic films from various decades that share a common theme. For this fourth volume of their Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection Volume 4, the shared theme is, according to the included collectable book’s Introduction, “an exploration and meditation on the formation and dissolution of the romantic relationship.” And having watched all six films in this set, I would agree. His Girl Friday has Cary Grant trying to get his ex-wife, Rosalind Russell, back before she marries his good friend played by Ralph Bellamy. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner explores interracial marriage. Kramer vs Kramer takes a look at how a single father copes after a divorce to raise his son on his own. Starman is about a widow played by Karen Allen who is grieving her husband who has recently passed only to fall in love with him all over again when an alien lifeform takes his bodily form. Sleepless in Seattle is almost a gender flip of that, with Tom Hanks grieving his recently deceased wife only to find himself in a long distance relationship with a woman (Meg Ryan) he has never met. Punch-Drunk Love is about a socially inept misfit who falls in love.
Not every movie is for everyone, as you can see by my scores below:
His Girl Friday – 5/5
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – 5/5
Kramer vs Kramer – 4/5
Starman – 4.5/5
Sleepless in Seattle – 4.5/5
Punch-Drunk Love – 2.5/5
Video: 4.5/5
3D Rating: NA
Each film in this set has been lovingly restored or remastered in 4K UHD with both Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range.
His Girl Friday – 5/5
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – 5/5
Kramer vs Kramer – 5/5
Starman – 5/5
Sleepless in Seattle – 4.5/5
Punch-Drunk Love – 5/5
Audio: 4.5/5
With the exception of His Girl Friday, the five remaining films include a newly mixed Dolby Atmos track.
His Girl Friday – 4.5/5
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – 5/5
Kramer vs Kramer – 4.5/5
Starman – 5/5
Sleepless in Seattle – 4.5/5
Punch-Drunk Love – 5/5
Special Features: 4/5
There is no real “bonus disc” in this set this time around. Instead, Sony has included the complete TV-series spinoff of Starman in 1080p on two BD100 discs.
Columbia Classics: Love at the Cinema: As with previous sets, we once again get a nice collectable hard-bound book featuring an Introduction, an essay on each individual film, “restoration” notes for each film, along with still photos and posters from each film.
His Girl Friday – 4/5
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner – 3/5
Kramer vs Kramer – 3/5
Starman – 4/5
Sleepless in Seattle – 3.5/5
Punch-Drunk Love – 3/5
Digital Copy: A Movies Anywhere code is included for all six films in the boxed set.
Overall: 4.5/5
Six classics available in 4K UHD with HDR for the first time, some with newly created special features, plus a collectable hard-bound book, make this set a must-have for any serious movie collector. Some have expressed concern at this set’s higher price tag compared to the three previous releases, but my gut tells me that the inclusion of the Starman TV series may have had something to do with that, since the bonus discs in prior years consisted of behind the scenes materials from one or more of the films or a collection of short subjects. Including an entire season of a TV show can be much more expensive.
Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection Volume 4 …
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Todd Erwin has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to "talkies" with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren's Revenge (which is currently being restored). In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, is the host of his own video podcast Streaming News & Views on YouTube and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.
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