Michael Collins (1996)

UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray see AVForum review

The slight darkening of the colour palette with the new WCG/HDR grades suddenly seems to add another layer of detail and immersion into the picture. Now, those dark night times punctured solely by neon or those dreary overcast half-light early mornings or dusks feel more alive with authenticity. Skin tones are gorgeous, the subtlety in colour detail of Hoskins’ atrocious leather jacket/Hawaiian shirt combo is sublime and those all-important blacks go deep. But it’s the now huge variations in colours that stand out – the reds of the Peep Show as Genesis’ classic In Too Deep plays now have a much richer, darker saturation to them than the previous 1080p SDR grade, helping them stand out so much more than those more neutral, toned down colours of the Brighton seaside against the morning skies. It’s a gorgeous colour reproduction from top to bottom.

Detailing is also tightened up significantly – again, the 2K picture was good, but this improves on that with keener lines, sharper edges and a greater sense of delineation in those finest of fine details that add an extra little touch of depth to the picture. Add to this another beautiful grain presentation – with organic looks and movement throughout - and it’s an image where its edges match the brilliance of its colouring.

... and the encode – courtesy of Fidelity in Motion – is absolutely rock solid. Hope were not high for this over the very good 2K edition, but I am very pleased to say that those hopes were well and truly exceeded: Mona Lisa on 4K looks absolutely stellar

US Criterion Blu-ray