Press Release SPHE Press Release: Columbia Classics 4k Ultra HD Collection: Volume 4 (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

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​ Celebrating 100 Years of Columbia Pictures, The Fourth Volume in the Acclaimed and Award-Winning Series From Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

​ COLUMBIA CLASSICS 4K ULTRA HD COLLECTION VOLUME 4

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​ Six Beloved Films from the Columbia Pictures Library Debut on 4K Ultra HD For the First Time February 13th

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​ HIS GIRL FRIDAY ~ GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER KRAMER VS. KRAMER ~ STARMAN ~ SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE Exclusively Available on 4K Disc in this Limited Edition Set, Includes an 80-Page Hardbound Book on the History & Impact of the Films and Over 30 Hours of New and Archival Special Features

​ ​ Watch Trailer

​ CULVER CITY, Calif. (November 17, 2023) – Continuing the fan-favorite and award-winning series—and as part of the upcoming 100thanniversary of Columbia Pictures—Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is proud to debut six more beloved films from its library on 4K Ultra HD disc for the first time ever, exclusively within the COLUMBIA CLASSICS 4K ULTRA HD COLLECTION VOLUME 4, available February 13. This must-own set includes films with which audiences around the world have fallen in love: HIS GIRL FRIDAY, GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER, KRAMER VS. KRAMER, STARMAN, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE and PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE. Each film is presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range, and five of the films have all-new Dolby Atmos mixes. The six films in the COLUMBIA CLASSICS 4K ULTRA HD COLLECTION VOLUME 4 are only available on 4K Ultra HD disc within this special limited edition collector’s set. Included with the collection is a gorgeous hardbound 80-page book, featuring in-depth sections about the making of each film within the set via six all-new incisive essays from renowned writers and journalists, plus rare photos from deep within the Columbia Pictures archives. The set also includes hours of special features across the films, including both newly created behind-the-scenes featurettes and commentaries and never-before-seen archival materials, plus the entirety of the 1986 “Starman” TV series, exclusively debuting in high definition! All six films will also be available for purchase at digital retailers in 4K with HDR, and the physical set includes Movies Anywhere redemption codes for each film. With redemption of the Movies Anywhere codes, the movies are available in your digital collection, across your linked and participating digital accounts, to enjoy at home or on the go. HIS GIRL FRIDAY Synopsis: A classic screwball comedy in which Rosalind Russell plays reporter Hildy Johnson, who, on the eve of her remarriage, is talked into one more assignment by her editor and ex-husband, played by Cary Grant. While interviewing a condemned man, Hildy realizes that his hanging is planned as a vote-getting measure. HIS GIRL FRIDAY Disc Breakdown 4K Ultra HD Includes: Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative Mono DTS-HD Master Audio Blu-ray Includes: Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master Mono DTS-HD Master Audio Special Features: Audio Commentary Featuring Film Critic and Author Todd McCarthy NEW: Screwball Style: The Iconic Costumes of Robert Kalloch Featurette NEW: Breaking the Speed Barrier: The Dialogue of His Girl Friday Featurette Lighting Up with Hildy Johnson Featurette Ben Hecht Featurette On Assignment: His Girl Friday Featurette Cary Grant: Making Headlines Featurette Rosalind Russell: The Inside Scoop Featurette Howard Hawks: Reporter’s Notebook Featurette The Funny Pages Featurette Vintage Advertising Theatrical Trailers HIS GIRL FRIDAY has a run time of approximately 92 minutes and is not rated. GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER Synopsis: Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn (who won the Academy Award® for Best Actress for her performance) are unforgettable as perplexed parents in this landmark 1967 movie about mixed marriage. Joanna (Katharine Houghton), the beautiful daughter of crusading publisher Matthew Drayton (Tracy) and his patrician wife Christina (Hepburn), returns home with her new fiancé John Prentice (Sidney Poitier), a distinguished Black doctor. Christina accepts her daughter's decision to marry John, but Matthew is shocked by this interracial union; the doctor's parents are equally dismayed. Both families must sit down face to face and examine each other's level of intolerance. In GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER, director Stanley Kramer has created a masterful study of society's prejudices. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER Disc Breakdown 4K Ultra HD Includes: Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative Dolby Atmos English audio 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Mono DTS-HD Master Audio Special Features: Audio Commentary Featuring Eddy Friedfeld, Lee Pfeiffer and Paul Scrabo Theatrical Teaser Feature Blu-ray Includes: Feature presented in high definition 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Special Features: Introductions Karen Kramer Steven Spielberg Tom Brokaw Quincy Jones A Love Story for Today Featurette A Special Kind of Love Featurette Stanley Kramer: A Man's Search for Truth Featurette Stanley Kramer Accepts the Irving Thalberg Award 2007 Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award Presentation to An Inconvenient Truth Photo Gallery Theatrical Trailer GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER has a run time of approximately 108 minutes and is not rated. KRAMER VS. KRAMER Synopsis: Winner of 5 Academy Awards® including Best Picture, KRAMER VS. KRAMER is a groundbreaking drama about the heartbreak of divorce and the struggle between work and family. Young husband and father Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) loves his family - and his job, which is where he spends most of his time. When he returns home late one evening from work, his wife Joanna (Meryl Streep) confronts him and then leaves him, forcing Ted to become the sole caregiver to their six-year-old son. Now, Ted must learn to be a father while balancing the demands of his high-pressure career. But just as Ted adapts to his new role and begins to feel like a fulfilled parent, Joanna returns. And now she wants her son back. Celebrating its 45th anniversary. KRAMER VS. KRAMER Disc Breakdown 4K Ultra HD Includes: Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative Dolby Atmos English audio 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Mono DTS-HD Master Audio Special Features: NEW: Audio Commentary with Film Professor Jennine Lanouette NEW: 5 Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes 4 Featurettes Robert Benton on Directing Justin Henry on Acting Mothers and Daughters Points of Pride Theatrical Trailer Blu-ray Includes: Feature presented in high definition 5.1 Dolby TrueHD Special Feature: Finding the Truth – The Making of Kramer vs. Kramer KRAMER VS. KRAMER has a run time of approximately 105 minutes and is rated PG. STARMAN Synopsis: Director John Carpenter presents a romantic science fiction odyssey starring Jeff Bridges in his Oscar®-nominated role as an innocent alien from a distant planet who learns what it means to be a man in love. When his spacecraft is shot down over Wisconsin, Starman (Bridges) arrives at the remote cabin of a distraught young widow, Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen), and clones the form of her dead husband. The alien convinces Jenny to drive him to Arizona, explaining that if he isn't picked up by his mothership in three days, he'll die. Hot on their trail are government agents, intent on capturing the alien, dead or alive. En route, Starman demonstrates the power of universal love, while Jenny rediscovers her human feelings for passion. Celebrating its 40th anniversary. STARMAN Disc Breakdown 4K Ultra HD Includes: Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative Dolby Atmos English audio 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio Blu-ray Includes: Feature presented in high definition, from the 4K master 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio Special Features: Audio Commentary with Director John Carpenter and Actor Jeff Bridges NEW: Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes NEW: Behind-the-Scenes Time Lapses They Came from Hollywood: Revisiting Starman Featurette Making-Of Featurette Music Video Still Gallery Theatrical Trailer STARMAN has a run time of approximately 115 minutes and is rated PG. SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE Synopsis: Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star in Nora Ephron's wonderfully romantic comedy about two people drawn together by destiny. Hanks stars as Sam Baldwin, a widowed father who, thanks to the wiles of his worried son, becomes a reluctant guest on a radio call-in show. He's an instant hit with thousands of female listeners who deluge his Seattle home with letters of comfort. Meanwhile, inspired in equal parts by Sam's story and by classic Hollywood romance, writer Annie Reed (Ryan) becomes convinced that it's her destiny to meet Sam. There are just two problems: Annie's engaged to someone else and Sam doesn't know yet that they're made for each other. Co-starring Rosie O'Donnell, Rita Wilson and Rob Reiner. SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE Disc Breakdown 4K Ultra HD Includes: Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, restored from the original camera negative Dolby Atmos English audio 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio Feature Blu-ray Includes: Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio 2-Channel Surround DTS-HD Master Audio Special Features: NEW: 30th Anniversary Critic Commentary with Karen Han & David Sims NEW: A Conversation on Sleepless in Seattle with Gary Foster and Meg Ryan Audio Commentary Featuring Nora and Delia Ephron 4 Deleted Scenes Love in the Movies Featurette "When I Fall in Love” Music Video Theatrical Trailer SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE has a run time of approximately 105 minutes and is rated PG for some language. PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE Synopsis: Winner of the Best Director Prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, this misfit love story of disconnected people trying to find one another in an antagonistic world is a comedy of discomfort and rage that turns unexpectedly sweet and pure. Adam Sandler gives an amazing and unusual performance as Barry Egan, a socially impaired owner of a small novelty business, who is dominated by seven sisters and is unlikely to find love unless it finds him. When a mysterious woman comes into his life, his emotions go haywire, fluctuating between uncontrollable rage, lust and self-doubt. From the writer/director of Boogie Nights and Magnolia, PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE is a dark, lovely and unique film experience. PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE Disc Breakdown 4K Ultra HD Includes: Feature presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision, approved by director Paul Thomas Anderson Dolby Atmos English audio, approved by director Paul Thomas Anderson 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Feature Blu-ray Includes: Feature presented in high definition, sourced from the 4K master 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Special Features: 2 Deleted Scenes Mattress Man Commercial Blossoms and Blood 12 Scopitones Jon Brion Featurette Recording Session Theatrical Trailers PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE has a run time of approximately 95 minutes and is rated R for strong language including a scene of sexual dialogue. EXCLUSIVE BONUS DISCS INCLUDE: STARMAN – the complete 1986-1987 22-episode follow-up series, based on the feature film—exclusively presented in high definition! HD episodes included on 4K UHD discs for maximum space Academy Award® and Oscar® are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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[Robert Crawford]

I guess Sony is celebrating their film history.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I guess Sony is celebrating their film history.

Funny how some of us were just debating how beneficial these box sets were for Sony as far as sales were concerned.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Funny how some of us were just debating how beneficial these box sets were for Sony as far as sales were concerned.

Well, they did skip 2023 and pushed this boxset into their centennial year.

 

[SD_Brian]

Kramer vs. Kramer in Atmos? Sick.

I'm sure I'll probably end up buying it anyway, but (to put it mildly) I was not a fan of Punch-Drunk Love.

 

[Konstantinos]

I can't stand these boxes!
I mean I wouldn't have any problem if those films were released as separate UHDs!

 

[seangood79]

Really was thinking that if they released a Vol 4, Funny Girl would be a part.

 

[SD_Brian]

Really was thinking that if they released a Vol 4, Funny Girl would be a part.

I was hoping for Tootsie, but they went with a different Dustin Hoffman title.

I wouldn't be surprised to see standalone releases of Tootsie and Funny Girl as part of their 100th anniversary celebration. Or maybe they'll be in volume 5.

 

[Indy Guy]

Disappointed! For me, none of these titles cry out for 4K treatment. Curious about Starman in 4K, but not enough to buy the whole box full of what would end up being dust collectors on my shelf!.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Great selection - His Girl Friday, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Starman, and Punch-Drunk Love are the highlights for me. Kramer vs Kramer and Sleepless in Seattle are good films, too.

 

[jayembee]

Great selection - His Girl Friday, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Starman, and Punch-Drunk Love are the highlights for me. Kramer vs Kramer and Sleepless in Seattle are good films, too.

Agreed...at least somewhat. The previous boxes each had more films that I liked than that I either disliked or weren't interested in. And they had more films that I really liked than this one does (three each in the previous boxes; just two in this one).

This one, on the other hand has an "I like" all across the board, even if the individual films generally don't reach the heights of some of the films in the previous boxes.

On edit: Somehow, I missed that it was including the entire run of the Starman TV series. Holy moly! Interesting that it'll be in HD format, but on UHDs (like some minor labels encoding SD-format files onto Blu-ray discs).

 

[PMF]

Ummmm…well…I guess.

Obviously Columbia is aware of the swelling requests for Funny Girl in 4K/UHD.

Still, it’s the 100th Anniversary year, so maybe they’ll put out a Volume 5 - also in 2024 - as a later in the year bookend release to Volume 4. After all, how could Columbia not celebrate itself without the 4K/UHD presence of a majestic or ultra-classic centerpiece film such as A Man For All Seasons, A Passage to India, Tootsie, On the Waterfront, Lost Horizon or a Tri-Star success such as Legends of the Fall, Places in the Heart or Bugsy?

Yes - with the exception Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? and/or Best Picture winner Kramer vs. Kramer - I am complaining on this round. This box set of Volume 4 is simply lacking of whallop anchor titles; but I’ll continue to support this series with a purchase in the hopes that Volume 5 will provide greater peaks.

 

[MarkA]

Disappointed! For me, none of these titles cry out for 4K treatment. Curious about Starman in 4K, but not enough to buy the whole box full of what would end up being dust collectors on my shelf!.

I agree.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Ummmm…well…I guess.

Obviously Columbia is aware of the swelling requests for Funny Girl in 4K/UHD.

Still, it’s the 100th Anniversary year, so maybe they’ll put out a Volume 5 as a bookend to Volume 4 in 2024. After all, how could Columbia celebrate itself without the 4K/UHD presence of an ultra-classic centerpiece film such as A Man For All Seasons, A Passage to India, Tootsie, On the Waterfront, Lost Horizon or a Tri-Star success such as Legends of the Fall or Bugsy?

Yes, I complaining on this round;, but I’ll support the series with a purchase in the hopes that Volume Five will tie up loose ends.

I would love to see A Passage to India on a 4K disc. Of all the films on the box set only His Girl Friday is the one i would watch.

 

[Todd Erwin]

For me, Punch Drunk Love is the one I am least looking forward to in this set. I did find some interesting things about this set, though:

1. Sony is including Blu-rays in this set. Both Sony and Warner have been shying away from including Blu-ray on many of their more recent releases.

2. Four of the films include remastered Blu-rays

3. The bonus disc of the Starman TV series in HD is using "UHD discs." I'm assuming this could be a single BD100. Although this has been done in Blu-ray before (SD content on a BD25 or BD50), it was usually just featurettes and other special features. Studios tried releasing SD content on Blu-ray before, but mostly in Europe or Australia, and was not very popular. Personally, I would have preferred it, as it allows the use of better codecs (AVC over MPEG2) and fewer discs overall.

 

[jayembee]

The other thing of note is that this will be the first instance of a Stanley Kramer film on UHD.

(I was going to say the same for Howard Hawks before I remembered Rio Bravo. D'oh!)

 

[dpippel]

I'm not too excited about that slate of films either, but DAMMIT, *why* did they have to include Starman, one of my favorite Carpenter movies?!? Now I'll just have to buy the whole set. DAMN YOU SONY!!!

Ah well, I suppose I can just sell off the digitals and the other five 4Ks and maybe come out pretty good.

 

[Garysb]

I am very glad to be wrong in the other thread about the future of the Columbia Classics sets. This volume seems to be more narrowly focused that previous sets. All the films are different takes on romance instead of just being random films put together in a box. It does share a through the years approach of the other sets. The comments about having to buy films you don't want has already been expressed and it looks like I will be buying my first Adam Sandler movie eventually. The Way We Were would have been preferable to Punch Drunk Love in my opinion. See I can do it too.
This set seems to have one of the first films that is or will be in the public domain to make it to 4K with "His Girl Friday. " The film's copyright wasn't renewed after the 1st 28 years but the play it is based on "The Front Page" was still protected which saved it from being treated as PD. "The Front Page" play was first produced in 1928 so I am guessing it will go into PD at the beginning of 2024. Similar situation to "It's A Wonderful Life " which made it to 4K first. However the short story "Life" is based on, "The Greatest Gift" was written in 1943 so there are a few years before it goes PD.

 

[SD_Brian]

3. The bonus disc of the Starman TV series in HD is using "UHD discs." I'm assuming this could be a single BD100.

For 22 hour-long (45-minute, anyway) episodes, I'm guessing it would have to be at least 2 UHDs: If it were BD50s, there would generally be 5-6 episodes per disc, so 11 episodes per disc on a BD100 would seem about right. They'd have to compress the hell out of it to fit it all on one.

 

[battlebeast]

Of course the only film I’d want is one without the new bonus features on the Blu ray. even thought I hate Kramer v. Kramer, the deleted scenes are worth a look.

I really question why some of the films in these boxes get a new Blu ray and some don’t.