1999 Trimark DVD top; 2024 Criterion BD mid; 2024 Criterion UHD bottom. |
Critically, the Trimark DVD (and the Lions Gate reissue and all other DVD releases around the world) are non-anamorphic, meaning they weren't made for widescreen TVs. I left the negative space around the first set of shots to show what they'd look like on any modern set. So getting a 16x9 anamorphically enhanced picture alone is a major, sorely needed upgrade. A smaller, but still welcome improvement, is that the aspect ratio has been corrected from 1.83:1 to 1.85:1. A small tweak, and it actually tightens the framing rather than revealing more picture, but it's always nice to get the original composition exactly right.
The color correction is a bigger gain; with Criterion's new image looking more natural and no longer overcast by inappropriate hues (skin tones are a bit red in that first shot, and everything's a bit green in the second DVD screen grab). And of course, the jump to HD is substantial. Fine detail looks out of focus on the DVD, with unwelcome compression noise replaced by authentic film grain. It's even better on the triple-layer UHD, but I have to say, it's a surprisingly strong encode on the 1080p BD, too, so it holds its own even against the higher generation disc.
Both releases offer the original stereo track with optional English subtitles, but the audio is bumped up to lossless DTS-HD on Criterion's discs. Trimark did also include Spanish and French subtitles, which Criterion drops, though, if anybody out there cares about that. And of course, all previous Happiness releases were barebones, apart from the trailer and a handful of bonus trailers. Criterion now offers an all new, 40+ interview with Solondz himself. And there's a nice, roughly 15 minute talk with star Dylan Baker. The trailer's still here, and Criterion's release also includes a fold-out booklet with an essay by Bruce Wagner (Writer of Maps To the Stars and Scenes From the Class Struggle In Beverly Hills). So obviously I recommend this, in a "why haven't you already run out and got this" kind of way. Enjoy it, because it may be a longer wait for Love Child than we though.