A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Breakfast Club -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

John Hughes created a series of teen productions in the 1980s, for which the term "brat pack" emerged.  He led his team of young actors to create a handful of films, that not only beautifully stand the test of time, but can still speak to today's teens.

It seems that Mr. Hughes got it.

Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), Pretty in Pink (1986), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), and Some Kind of Wonderful (1987), are films worth re-viewing, and worth owning in superior quality (most are on Blu-ray), and the forthcoming UHD.

Two of those films are with Universal, which recently released the John Hughes Yearbook Collection, including the first two titles in the list above, along with Weird Science.

The Breakfast Club is the only one of the three to receive a new 4k transfer, along with corresponding digital clean-up, and the results are worth the effort, especially as the film can be had for under $14 on Amazon.

The film has always had a unique look to it, as it was shot on location primarily at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois.

If you think hard, especially those of you in high school in the latter half of the last century, the look and color of that experience can generally be summed up in two words -- fluorescent lighting.

Past releases have always that a slight fluorescent appearance to them, which has been timed out of the latest effort.

A very nice looking presentation of a fine film.

Image - 4.75

Audio - 5

Pass / Fail - Pass

Recommended

RAH

 

[TravisR]

I was fairly satisfied with the first disc but between your review and the cheap price I saw at Target, I may pick this up.

 

[Oblivion138]

Picked this up as soon as it came out. Had the 25th Anniversary release, and kinda felt like a sucker doubling down, but it was worth it. Any fears that I would be buying this movie every five years for the rest of my life are alleviated by the excellent transfer on display here. The best thing about it is the elimination of the horrible telecine wobble seen on the previous release (and every home video release that preceded it). The new transfer is rock-steady, nicely graded, and fairly well detailed for a low-budget affair. The source is a bit soft, and the transfer relates that accurately. Very much worth the upgrade for anyone who's a fan.


Also caught the new master on the big screen, and it was a great time. The place was packed and everyone had a blast.

 

[Robert Harris]

Picked this up as soon as it came out. Had the 25th Anniversary release, and kinda felt like a sucker doubling down, but it was worth it. Any fears that I would be buying this movie every five years for the rest of my life are alleviated by the excellent transfer on display here. The best thing about it is the elimination of the horrible telecine wobble seen on the previous release (and every home video release that preceded it). The new transfer is rock-steady, nicely graded, and fairly well detailed for a low-budget affair. The source is a bit soft, and the transfer relates that accurately. Very much worth the upgrade for anyone who's a fan.

Also caught the new master on the big screen, and it was a great time. The place was packed and everyone had a blast.

We're going to be seeing more impeccable releases from Universal. There's an entirely new mindset in place, seeking perfection.

No more heavily degrained product. New, rock steady, image harvests on the finest of scanners. And generally, a very professional team in place from top to bottom.

I consider this the new Universal.

While older transfers will still appear, as creating new masters from original elements is both expensive, as well as time consuming, you're going to be seeing fewer of them, as new product makes its way through the production arena.

My advice is to read reviews, and grab that new product when it appears. If a release is noted on the packaging to be remastered, it will be a safe pre-order.

Much of the new work is being performed in-house, by the studio's own tech team, and they take things Very seriously.

RAH

 

[Dr Griffin]

We're going to be seeing more impeccable releases from Universal. There's an entirely new mindset in place, seeking perfection.

No more heavily degrained product. New, rock steady, image harvests on the finest of scanners. And generally, a very professional team in place from top to bottom.

I consider this the new Universal.

While older transfers will still appear, as creating new masters from original elements is both expensive, as well as time consuming, you're going to be seeing fewer of them, as new product makes its way through the production arena.

My advice is to read reviews, and grab that new product when it appears. If a release is noted on the packaging to be remastered, it will be a safe pre-order.

Much of the new work is being performed in-house, by the studio's own tech team, and they take things Very seriously.

RAH

This is fantastic news for serious collectors. Just when it seemed the studios were handcuffed by costs, and the better days of new transfers of catalog titles were behind us, this news appears and gives us a bit of excitement to come. While I know costs are a huge consideration, hearing that a studio is actively serious about improving quality is a welcome sign.

 

[stevenHa]

Does that mean we'll start seeing some popular requests like Forbin Project, Hindenburg, MacArthur, etc. on blu ray soon ?

 

[Dave H]

Robert,


That's wonderful to hear about Universal. I will certainly embrace their quality releases with my dollars. I'm also looking forward to their re-release of Apollo 13 on June 2 which comes from a 4K source. I hope some of their other previously released catalogs will get the upgrade treatment.


Regarding this new version of The Breakfast Club, I was very pleased with its outcome. It's an upgrade over the previous disc and seems very transparent to the source material. I have a front projector and it projected very nicely.

 

[Oblivion138]

We're going to be seeing more impeccable releases from Universal. There's an entirely new mindset in place, seeking perfection.

No more heavily degrained product. New, rock steady, image harvests on the finest of scanners. And generally, a very professional team in place from top to bottom.

I consider this the new Universal.

While older transfers will still appear, as creating new masters from original elements is both expensive, as well as time consuming, you're going to be seeing fewer of them, as new product makes its way through the production arena.

My advice is to read reviews, and grab that new product when it appears. If a release is noted on the packaging to be remastered, it will be a safe pre-order.

Much of the new work is being performed in-house, by the studio's own tech team, and they take things Very seriously.

RAH

Excellent to hear. After Double Indemnity and Touch of Evil, I crossed my fingers that those presentations were a sign of things to come. It does seem that Universal is (finally!) headed onto the right track. I pay these matters a great deal of attention, and will happily reward their efforts when they do work of this caliber. As I said back when Double Indemnity and Touch of Evil streeted, there's no waiting for a price drop or otherwise dillydallying when Universal steps up their game and delivers true quality. I'm even more serious about rewarding their good work than I have been about decrying their poor work in the past. As every film lover should be.

 

[RMajidi]

Agree with all early responders above that this perceived change in Universal's mindset is excellent news!


Furthermore, couldn't help but notice Mr Harris' pointed references to UHD in recent reviews. Very important as it not only keeps the flame alive for consumers like me, but hopefully reinforces for studios and distributors that there is a viable market eager for catalog releases on UHD media.

 

[Brent Reid]

I see the new BD, like the old one, doesn't include a mono soundtrack. Was it ever definitely proven that it was originally released in Dolby Stereo? There was some discussion of it here:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topic/327687-original-mono-soundtracks-missing-on-blu-ray/