Blow Out – The Criterion Collection (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1981
Director: Brian De Palma
Writers: Brian De Palma, Bill Mesce Jr.
Cast: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz, Peter Boyden, Curt May, John Aquino, John McMartin

Release Date: September 6th, 2022
Approximate Running Time: 108 Minutes 13 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $49.95

"In the enthralling Blow Out, brilliantly crafted by Brian De Palma, John Travolta gives one of his greatest performances, as a film sound-effects man who believes he has accidentally recorded a political assassination. To uncover the truth, he enlists the help of a possible eyewitness to the crime (Nancy Allen), who may be in danger herself. With its jolting stylistic flourishes, intricate plot, profoundly felt characterizations, and gritty evocation of early-1980s Philadelphia, Blow Out is an American paranoia thriller unlike any other, as well as a devilish reflection on moviemaking." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (4K UHD), 4.5/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "New 4K digital restoration."

Blow Out comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 61.1 GB

Feature: 60.3 GB

As solid as The Criterion Collection’s 2011 Blu-ray transfer was. This new 4K digital restoration is a noticeable improvement. Areas of greatest improvement include grain structure, compression, and colors, which benefit from HDR/Dolby Vision. It should be noted that the 4K UHD corrects the fade that occurs around the twenty-eight minute mark.

Blow Out comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.5 GB

Feature: 20.7 GB (Blow Out), 10.7 GB (Murder à la Mod)

The Blu-ray is the same disc that The Criterion Collection released in 2011.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Stereo English)

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD stereo mix in English, and included with this release are removable English SDH. The audio sounds are clean, clear, and balanced; the ambient sounds are well-reproduced; and the score sounds robust.

Extras:

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include Louis Goldman’s on set photographs, a theatrical trailer (1 minute 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with steadicam inventor Garret Brown (15 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Nancy Allen (25 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with director Brian De Palma (57 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and a feature film directed by Brian De Palma titled Murder à la Mod (80 minutes 23 seconds, 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles).

Other extras include a 34-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled American Scream written by Michael Sragow, an essay titled Portrait of an Artist as a Young Gadgeteer written by Paulene Kael. McRyan’s Tragic Blow Out Frame by Frame Sequence and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Blow Out was written and directed by Brian De Palma, whose output as a filmmaker in the first half of the 1980’s is arguably one of the strongest five-year runs that any filmmaker has had in the last forty years. During this stretch, he would direct Dressed to Kill, Scarface, Body Double, and the aforementioned Blow Out. Brian De Palma's sense of style as a filmmaker would also be refined during this period of his career. Another aspect of his career that is well-known is his constant battle with the MPAA, who would repeatedly ask him to change his views in order to reduce the rating they would eventually impose on the final released versions of said films.

Content wise, the film that Blow Out draws more from than any other would be Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-up. Only where the mystery at the heart of Blow-up rested upon the contents of a photograph. Blow Out takes things to the next level by introducing the importance of sound into a similar equation.

Though Brian De Palma’s films are known for their strong sense of visual style, those who have yet to see Blow Out but have seen many of Brian De Palma’s other films will be very surprised by Blow Out's unique visual style. The visuals are best summed up as film noir in color. The cinematographer on Blow Out was Vilmos Zsigmond, whose other collaborations with Brian De Palma include Obsession, Bonfire of the Vanities, and The Black Dahlia. Other notable films as a cinematographer that he also worked on include Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Deer Hunter, and Heaven’s Gate.

As mentioned before, Blow Out’s striking visuals add to the many layers of subtext to the story at hand. Another area in which Blow Out holds up really well is the way they help sell the tremendous amount of misdirection that is employed throughout. Most notably, the opening and closing moments.

The main factor that holds this murder mystery together is a sound recording of a prominent political figure who has been murdered. It should not come as a surprise that the sound design is rock solid. And to back up this meticulously laid out sonic experience, there is an extraordinary score that was composed by Pino Donaggio, whose other collaborations with Brian De Palma include Carrie, Home Movies, Dressed to Kill, Body Double, and Raising Cain. In particular, Pino Donaggio's motif for Blow Out's finale is easily his most haunting piece of music that he has ever committed to the silver screen.

Casting reunites Brian De Palma with several familiar faces. Most notably, that of his two leading performers, John Travolta and Nancy Allen, who had previously worked together on Carrie. John Travolta's performance is easily the most surprising of his career, and it only gets more impressive with subsequent viewings. Nancy Allen, though very good in her role here, often gets overshadowed by John Travolta’s. Other recognizable faces in the cast include Dennis Franz in the role of a sleazy pimp named Manny Karp and John Lithgow in the role of a sadistic killer that uses ice picks and piano wire to dispose of his victims. Ultimately, Blow Out is a first-class thriller that does not miss a beat as it moves briskly from one shocking moment to the next.

Blow Out makes its way to 4K UHD via a solid audio/video presentation from The Criterion Collection, and all the extras from their previous release have been ported over, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Murder à la Mod screenshots.

Written by Michael Den Boer