Tag Archives: SDR

1960 Billy Wilder film The Apartment on 4K in March

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The 1960 Academy Award-winning film “The Apartment“ is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on March 8th via KL Studio Classics.  The movie won 5 “Oscars” (Academy Awards) including “Best Picture” out of the 10 awards it was nominated for.  Directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, the film starred Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston, and Edie Adams.

The tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray release include a 2160p Black & White video presentation in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio and lossless 5.1 surround and the original 2.0 Mono sound mixes on a BD-100 disc.  NOTE:  This release appears that it will be presented in SDR (standard dynamic range) and lack HDR (high dynamic range).  The release will come in the form of a “combo pack” with its Blu-ray Disc counterpart featuring the same aspect ratio and audio mixes.

UPDATE:  You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon.  You also can find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder directly via Kino Lorber’s website.

It’s most certainly worth noting that there will also be a Blu-ray “Special Edition” released (by KL Studio Classics) on March 8th as well, which is included in this set.

The full set of bonus materials that will be included with the two discs of the 4K UHD Blu-ray release are listed below.

4K UHD Disc 1:

  • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Joseph McBride, Author of Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge
  • Audio Commentary by Film Historian Bruce Block

BLU-RAY Disc 2:

  • NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Joseph McBride, Author of Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge
  • Audio Commentary by Film Historian Bruce Block
  • Inside The Apartment: Documentary (29:36)
  • Magic Time: The Art of Jack Lemmon (12:47)
  • Theatrical Trailer

1963 film The Great Escape comes to 4K in January

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The 1963 film “The Great Escape“ is officially coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray on January 11th, 2022, via KL Studio Classics. The film, directed by John Sturges, starred Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasence, and James Coburn.

The tech specs for the release include a 2160p video presentation in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio with lossless 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 Mono sound mixes on a BD-100 (100-gigabyte disc). NOTE: This will be presented in SDR (standard dynamic range) and lacks HDR (high dynamic range). A bit of further detail about this presentation can be found in a quote below, taken from the original announcement tweet (by KL Studio Classics) from back in October.

“Fully Restored UHD SDR Master by MGM – Color Corrected in 2020”

You can now find the 4K UHD Blu-ray available for preorder over at Amazon. This 2-disc set will include a Blu-ray with special features. The bonus materials set to be included on the 2 discs are detailed below.

4K UHD DISC 1:

  • NEW Audio Commentary by Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Combat Films: American Realism Author Steven Jay Rubin
  • Audio Commentary with Director John Sturges, Actors James Garner, James Coburn, Donald Pleasence, David McCallum, Jud Taylor and Many other Crew Members – Moderated by Steven Jay Rubin

BLU-RAY DISC 2:

  • Return to THE GREAT ESCAPE: Making of the Classic with the Cast and Crew (24:09)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: Bringing Fact to Fiction – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (12:21)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: Preparations for Freedom – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (19:50)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: The Flight to Freedom – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (9:22)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: A Standing Ovation – Narrated by Burt Reynolds (5:58)
  • The Real Virgil Hilts: A Man Called Jones – Narrated by James Coburn (25:01)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: The Untold Story – Documentary by Steven Clarke (50:47)
  • THE GREAT ESCAPE: The Untold Story – Additional Interviews (9:35)
  • Theatrical Trailer (2:42)