Oliver Stone’s conspiracy drama that explores the assassination of President John F. Kennedy has been released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from Shout! Studio’s “Shout Select” label on December 19, 2023. The 4-Disc Collector’s Edition includes the Extended 206-minute Director’s Cut of the movie on 4k Blu-ray and 1080p Blu-ray, as well as the 188-minute Theatrical Cut on 1080p Blu-ray.
Movie
JFK takes the point of view of Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner), the district attorney of New Orleans, who was convinced that Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was not acting alone. JFK was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won two for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing. The ensemble cast, along with Costner, includes Kevin Bacon, Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Oldman, Michael Rooker, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Ed Asner, and John Candy. And, Martin Sheen serves as the narrator.
The film was nominated for a total of 8 Academy Awards, winning for Best Film Editing (Pietro Scalia and Joe Hutshing) and Best Cinematography (Robert Richardson). Nominations included Best Picture, Best Director (Oliver Stone), Best Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones), Best Screenplay Based on Material, Best Original Score, Best Sound, and Best Sound Effects Editing.
Video
On 4k Blu-ray, JFK is presented in 2160p resolution with Dolby Vision/HDR10 High Dynamic Range specs. The overall aspect ratio is 2.39:1 (although the prologue is 1.33:1). The film is made up of a mix of different sources (8mm, 16mm, 35mm) in both color and black and white. Some content is vintage, while other shots were created to look vintage. The 4k restoration from the original camera negatives was approved by Director Oliver Stone.
A good portion of JFK deals with flashbacks and actual news footage, so don’t expect 4K magic in this entire film. But the main footage that was shot specifically for the film on 35 mm shows an improvement over previous Blu-ray prints that lacked any punch in detail. The outdoor footage, specifically the scene when Garrison is interviewing Willie O’Keefe (Kevin Bacon), is some of the best 4K imagery in the film.
Interior shots have a flatter quality with not much saturation or depth, and a bit of halation that gives a sort of dreamy effect. However, this is part of the aesthetic of the film and shouldn’t be criticized, at least, if comparing to movies using today’s digital technology. The variable bitrates at the lowest played around 30 Mbps, while other scenes hovered between 40 Mbps and 50 Mbps, or 60 Mbps and 70 Mbps ranges. A peak bitrate was seen at 80 Mbps.
Audio
The soundtrack to JFK is offered in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, on all versions and formats included in the collection. Subtitles are provided in English for the main feature. The audio format is different than previous Blu-ray prints that offered Dolby TrueHD 5.1, which had its share of issues with some distortion and lack of dynamics. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 seems to improve the audio somewhat, but is still a rather flat delivery.
The dialogue for the most part projects directly from the center of the screen, with music and environmental sounds that fade from the front to the back of the audio layers depending on the focus of the moment. There was some distortion noticed in louder moments for example when David Ferrie (Joe Pesci) is going on his tyraids. And, the center speaker (where most of the dialogue comes from) has a thin quality to it.
As far as surround distribution, some of the music composition, non-diegetic and diegetic sounds, and background conversations can be heard in the rare and side speakers. Most notably, gunshots travel from the rear or side speakers, immersing the viewer in the space. All in all, this soundtrack isn’t about wowing the viewer, but rather delivering clean dialogue in a very complex story that requires an interference-free listening environment.
Bonus Features
This is a 4-disc collection that offers 2 versions of the film, along with an entire Blu-ray disc dedicated to extra bonus features where viewers can learn more about the making the film. In addition, each disc offers audio commentary with Director, Producer, and Co-Writer Oliver Stone. Along with legacy bonus features and deleted/extended scenes, new bonus features on Disc 3 (Blu-ray) include featurettes with Oliver Stone, Cinematographer Robert Richardson, Editor Hank Corwin, Co-Producer Clayton Townsend, Special Makeup Effects Artist Gordon J. Smith, and Dallas Location Manager Patty Doherty Hess.
Summary
The new director-approved restoration of JFK improves sharpness and color over previous HD (1080p) presentations. It’s a montage of various sources focusing more on storytelling (notably for its editing style that won an Oscar) than presentation quality. The new audio track delivers some bangs, but resolves mainly as a dialogue-driven experience. The 3-case, 4-disc box set from Shout Select is a durable piece of physical media that belongs in any disc library, especially for those who want to take a deep dive into this 8x Oscar-nominated film.
Scores
Movie
5/5
Video
3.5/5
Audio
3.5/5
Bonus Features
4/5
Collector’s Edition Features
Disc 1: (4K Blu-ray Director’s Cut)
- NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE APPROVED BY OLIVER STONE (2023)
- DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
- Audio Commentary With Director, Producer & Co-Writer Oliver Stone
- Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0
- Optional English subtitles for the main feature
Disc 2: Blu-ray (Director’s Cut)
- NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE APPROVED BY OLIVER STONE (2023)
- Audio Commentary With Director, Producer & Co-Writer Oliver Stone
- Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0
- Optional English subtitles for the main feature
Disc 3: Blu-ray (Theatrical Cut)
- NEW 4K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE APPROVED BY OLIVER STONE (2023)
- Audio Commentary With Director, Producer & Co-Writer Oliver Stone
- Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0
- Optional English subtitles for the main feature
Disc 4: Blu-ray (Bonus Features)
- NEW “One Person Can Make A Difference” – Oliver Stone On JFK
- NEW “Stone Bold” – Cinematographer Robert Richardson On JFK
- NEW “Brave New Worlds” – Editor Hank Corwin On JFK
- NEW “Supporting The Vision” – Co-Producer Clayton Townsend On JFK
- NEW “Re-Creating The Unthinkable” – Special Makeup Effects Artist Gordon J. Smith On JFK
- NEW “The Delicate Hands Of Time” – Dallas Location Manager Patty Doherty Hess On JFK
- 12 Deleted And Extended Scenes/Alternate Ending (With Optional Commentary By Oliver Stone)
- “Assassination Updated”
- “Meet Mr. X: The Personality And Thoughts Of Fletcher Prouty”
- Still Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer
Collector’s Edition Packaging
JFK (1991) was directed by Oliver Stone and distributed by Warner Bros., earning $205M at the box office on a $40M budget. The film was nominated for a total of eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, winning two Oscars including Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.
Byline: He’s a District Attorney. He will risk his life, the lives of his family, everything he holds dear for the one thing he holds sacred… the truth.