Comments:

NOTE : The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray September 16' : This was delayed as I know Criterion were taking great pains to produce the most authentic video presentation and their transfer is cited as a "New 4K digital restoration". This 'Revisionist Western' is often described as an 'impressionistic' and Vilmos Zsigmond, at a Toronto’s TIFF Bell Lightbox, described it, in 2014, by stating “If they had movies in those days they would look faded away, scratchy, grainy and very soft and no contrast" and the production utilized a flashing technique to underexpose the film. “Flashing” is a technique to faintly expose a negative prior to shooting. Naturally this can make it difficult to establish a firm exposure, and is often considered a high-risk technique. So we have a brief understanding of how McCabe & Mrs. Miller was intended to visually appear. The Criterion can look occasionally greenish and sometimes very brown, flat, dull, thick and, probably, wholly authentic to the filmmakers wishes. The 4K restored transfer is housed on a dual-layered disc with a high bitrate for the 2-hour film. As Peter tells us in email " Gary - thanks much for your review and screen caps for MCCABE & MRS MILLER. I've been very anxious to see what decisions Criterion would make in terms of the "look" of the transfer, as it has been botched (one way or another) in every single try for home video so far.



I wanted to just offer the observations of someone who knows what the original-release IB Tech prints looked like, insofar as I am in possession of one of those prints and know it well. Granted, the IB prints themselves would vary reel-to-reel and print-to-print, especially in those days, when the process was getting sloppier and more uneven. BUT! I am pleased to report that, at least based on the stills Gary shows, this is the closest representation to the original color scheme yet. Previously, only the LaserDisc was in the ballpark, as it was (in all likelihood) transferred from an IB vault print. Every other video release has been way off base, as were the shameful-looking reissue prints.



The greenish cast is a little arguable, in that I don't think it was that pervasive in the original, but again, some prints may well have leaned green and others not. The IB process was an art form in itself, and with Zsigmond and Altman supervising at the time, one could imagine that the overall look of the prints was dialled in to their satisfaction, but they'd be at the mercy of quality control as multiple prints were struck.



One thing which looks slightly suspect is the lack of contrast in the interiors, but this may simply be the result of the colorist not being able to properly replicate the odd "flashed" look in the digital domain. Another thing which is different on my own print is that the first few reels, effectively before sunlight is shown in the film, seem somewhat desaturated compared to how they are represented here, but this is a minor quibble.



Overall, as Gary suggested, if some "consumers" complain or shake their heads and insist that Criterion did a "bad job", then they don't know their asses from holes in the ground. But in fairness, modern audiences just wouldn't know what this film was "supposed" to look like. It's a good representation, to my eye". (Thanks Peter!) Criterion use a linear PCM mono track and the naturalistic effect sounds are flat and authentic. It utilizes Altman's overlapping dialogue on 16 tracks notable in films like Nashville. We have the Leonard Cohen songs as a 'score' with The Stranger Song, Sisters of Mercy and Winter Lady. It sounds quite pleasing with some depth present - certainly clearer and more resonant than the SD - the intentional scattered dialogue adding an elusive layer to the narrative. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles on Criterion's region 'A'-locked Blu-ray disc. Criterion augment the release with many extra features including the audio commentary from 2002 featuring director Robert Altman and producer David Foster as found on the 2004 DVD. There is a new, 55-minute, making-of documentary, featuring members of the cast and crew - produced by Criterion in 2016 and includes interviews with several of director Robert Altman's longtime collaborators: the film's casting director, Grahame Clifford; script supervisor, Joan Tewkesbury; and actors Rene Auberjonois, Keith Carradine, and Michael Murphy. There is a new, 36-minute, conversation about the film and Altman’s career between film historians Cari Beauchamp and Rick Jewell. They discuss McCabe & Mrs. Miller in light of Robert Altman's career, the New Hollywood, and the western genre. Criterion include a featurette from the film’s 1970 production, shot on location in Canada, focus on details of the building on the film's town of Presbyterian Church. It runs shy of 10-minutes. In 1999, the Art Directors Guild Film Society in Los Angeles hosted a Q&A with production designer Leon Ericksen, led by his fellow production designer Jack De Govia. The film's art director, Al Locatellu, also participated in the discussion. A 37-minute excerpt is presented in this supplement. There are some excerpts from archival interviews with cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond running over 10-minutes and a gallery of stills from the set by photographer Steve Schapiro. We also get excerpts from two 1971 episodes of The Dick Cavett Show featuring Altman (11:49) and film critic Pauline Kael (10:34). There is also a trailer and the package has a liner notes booklet with an essay by novelist and critic Nathaniel Rich. Such an amazing film and it makes the Criterion Blu-ray , with its stacked extras including commentary, essential for cinema fans everywhere. The genuineness of the video may have fans shaking their heads but seeing this in 1080P is an experience you aren't going to find, even remotely, as compelling in SD. One of the best packages of the year, IMO. Our highest recommendation! *** ON THE DVD: "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" is one of those movies that is particularly difficult to transfer to the digital medium, but this DVD is probably still the best that Warner could do. The image features a lot of grain, but is still able to represent the dimly lit interiors nicely. Sharpness is evident as well.



There are no big complaints about the audio either. Everything always sounds clear and crisp. The audio commentary by Altman and producer David Foster has obviously been assembled from two separately recorded sources. The most interesting remarks are naturally Altman's, but Foster fills a few of the gaps as well. "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" is one of the most poetic achievements in narrative cinema. It has a dreamlike flow and mood unlike any other film I've seen and remains one of Robert Altman's very greatest works.



NOTE: The disc reviewed here is the German R2. To our knowledge the image quality is basically identical to the US and UK releases (and all have the Altman commentary). - Stan Czarnecki