McCabe & Mrs. Miller (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

Criterion did a great job here by respecting the way the movie looked. It had this (intended) look of an old and faded postcard and the 4K greatly enhances this look in just the right way. I'm so glad that they didn't try to "improve" it (as they seem to be doing more and more lately in their 4K's Or perhaps I was just unlucky in picking the ones where they overdid the cleaning up...)

One of my favorite movies of all time. Best soundtrack with Leonard Cohen. Excellent.

Robert Altman's McCabe and Mrs. Miller portrayed, back in the 1970s, the gritty and realistic kind of west we would see decades later portrayed in the series Deadwood. It was revolutionary at the time it was made and turned the western genre on its ear. It portrayed this quickly slapped together mountain gold town so realistically you can practically feel the cold and the rain on your face while watching it. Warren Beatty plays McCabe, who opens a high-class house of ill repute the likes of which these prospectors never expected to find in a middle of nowhere town like this. Julie Christie is Mrs. Miller, McCabe's business partner and head Madame of the house. They prosper so well, men soon arrive in town representing clients who want to buy the house from McCabe outright, and their clients are men who would rather put a bullet in someone than take no for an answer, people who make offers which cannot be refused, in the true "Godfather" sense of the expression. But McCabe does foolishly say no to their first offer in an attempt to raise the stakes. And that leads to all that follows. How it all turns out, I will not share in credence to those who've not seen the movie. Few films create the feeling of having truly lived in a REAL western gold mining town as McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Love it or hate it, this is a one of a kind film like no other western and is considered an anti-western classic. I recommend it highly.

The realism of the grimy mining town is epitome of western set design. Cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond captured the film brilliantly; his many esteemed credits include Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Deliverance, Deer Hunter, The Long Goodbye, etc. Film is grainy, foggy, due to fact Zsigmond and director Altman chose to flash the film negative to slightly flatten or over expose image to give it a weathered appearance. But closeups of Julie Christie, Beatty, etc. are detailed. This 4k though is a big improvement over the hd blu-ray. No hdr or Dolby Vision applied as that would have ruined the already perfectly recorded image with unique stylization.

The more I watch this film the better it gets and it was great the first time. Maybe only Blade Runner matches it for atmosphere. The authentic re-creation of a frontier town and delicately crafted scenes make you forget you’re watching a film. The soundtrack to the film alone is a masterpiece but added to the visuals and story here make it the most haunting soundtrack I can think of. The audio to the film is poor and you often can’t make out what anyone is saying. It’s all authentic, all part of the experience and Altman didn’t want to change it, for reason now understood.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller has never looked or sounded better. A new 4K restoration, commentaries, new documentaries and interview with cast, crew, cinematographer, essay. Criterion has outdone themselves once again, with this Robert Altman classic. What else can be said about the film? It's fantastic. It's funny, bleak, exciting, violent, poignant, evocative. The music is great: featuring songs from the late Leonard Cohen, which are anachronistic to the time the film depicts, yet seem to fit the images perfectly. It contains a wonderful ensemble cast, in addition to its stars, Warren Beatty and Julie Christy. If you have any interest in the New American Cinema movement (70's Cinema), then this is an absolute must-see! The last twenty minutes feature a gun battle in a snowstorm. I recommend watching this movie on a very cold, snowy night. That will really bring home the ending for you! Thanks for reading.

Some will not like the dreamy-like atmosphere (I usually don't). But the flow and fantastic acting makes this one of favorite films of all time. I especially appreciate the depth of acting that Warren Beatty does in this movie.

This movie holds up pretty well. The town is gritty and realistic. Not sure if 4K makes it better than blu ray, but it looks good.

The disc will not work in the UK (verified this by showing it to a film archivist) and returning it is very complicated. Should not be selling the product without indicating this.

I was blown away by the quality of the transfer. This is surely more than an upscaled version of the blu-ray print. It feels like a whole new master. The sound is as crisp and comprehensible as one can hope for, given the manner in which Altman recorded overlapping layers of dialogue. A welcome addition to anyone's collection and an easy recommendation.

NOICE

Great film with insightful commentary and special features.

A Robert Altman classic and one of my all-time favourite Westerns. In fact, one of my favourite films period. Filmed in Squamish, BC with a set/town that was being built as the film was shot sequentially around it, giving an incredibly authentic feel to the entire production. Fantastic use of Leonard Cohen songs/music, which suits the tone of the film perfectly. Great performances from Warren Beatty and Julie Christie who was nominated for best actress for her role. Keith Carradine in his first film performance has a comic turn as a young wannabe cowboy very enthusiastic about the newly established brothel. It is an Altman film, so there is lots of use of his signature layered, overlapping dialogue throughout. If new to his work some may find it a bit frustrating at first, but if you approach the dialogue more like a collage than traditional structure it works on an entirely different level. Altman referred to the film as an "anti-Western", partly due to it's unglamorous portrayal of frontier life but for me the climax of the film strays the most from convention. It is fantastically choreographed, with no heroes nor happy ending. The antithesis of typical Western "showdown" scenes. The new Criterion transfer on Blu-ray made it a must have for me. As always with Criterion, it looks fantastic. A huge upgrade from the old DVD version I had previously. Highly recommended for Altman fans in particular, but also for anyone who enjoys a quirky and authentic feel to their Westerns.