The Age of Innocence - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

The Age of Innocence



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
The 2nd film in the Columbia Classics: Volume 5 set is yet another film that has only had a Blu-ray release from Criterion, and also a film that I haven’t seen in at LEAST 20 years (judging by my memory of events, it may actually have been closer to 23 or 24 years ago). So, while not AS virginal a run as Tootsie was for me, this was like watching the entire thing for the very first time. Just with a few interspersed memories that brought back little niggles of “oh, I think I remember that!”. Needless to say, looking back on the film today vs. when I was a 19 year old boy, I have a different take on Scorsese’s period piece drama, and came away appreciating it a lot more than I remembered in my youth.

Adapting Edith Wharton’s book of the same name, we’re thrust right into the heart of 19th century upper class where lawyer Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) is soon to be wed to his fiancee May Welland (Winona Ryder) only to have his entire world turned upside by the introduction of Countess Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer), a wealthy American heiress who married a Polish count some years ago, only for her marriage to end rather badly. Count Olenska has refused to finalize her divorce papers, having stolen most of her wealth and refusing to split the money as a result of the divorce. Forced out of her home, Madame Olenska has come to New York City to make a new life for herself with the meager allowance she has from family members.

Immediately stricken by her beauty, Newland falls head over heels in love with the countess, despite his upcoming nuptials with his fiancee. Dancing just around the edges of propriety, Newland and the Countess being a torrid emotional affair that forces the pair to realize that the lives they are living are merely of facsimile of love, and that what they experience with each other only hungers them further for what TRUE love could offer. But as you can guess from the setup, this is not going to go well for the lovers. Newland is forced deeper and deeper into his own commitments, sacrificing what love he thinks he has for stability and honor to his vows, and bearing the weight of his own wife knowing that her husband’s heart belongs to someone else, even if he never acts on it.

I vaguely remember being bored out of my MIND when I watched this during college, and coming away wondering why I even watched the film, but as I’ve aged I have gained a new appreciation for Martin Scorsese’s period piece drama. Instead of simply being “just another affair movie”, it explores the intricate balance of love and honor, love and sacrifice, and how our own paths and directions choose our romantic choices for us more than we’d like to admit. It’s got a very real and raw feeling (stylized very heavily in late 19th century American aristocracy) to the ill fated romance of two people whose lives could have been so different if different choices had been made instead.

Looking back, I still feel a bit bothered by the near “star crossed lovers dallying near affair territory” nature of the narrative, but looking at it from much older eyes, I can see what Scorsese was trying to accomplish here. It was more than just “I want what I want”, but feels more like a critique and admonition for those who give up true love for the sake of “this is how my life must go”. There’s some intrigue and drama with Winona Ryder’s May manipulating things just a bit, and some definite intense acting by Daniel Day-Lewis as the love struck young Newland Archer, but it’s really Michelle Pfeiffer who steals the spotlight as the effervescent Lady Olenska. She captivates the audience in every scene that she enters, and leaves you constantly wanting MORE screen time with her. Which, to be fair, is exactly what Scorsese is going for.




Rating:

Rated PG by the MPAA




4K Video: Video:

According to several other reviewers whom I trust, this is seemingly struck from the same master as the 2018 Criterion Collection Blu-ray, although I will have to take their word for it as I have never seen the disc. Thankfully the remastered source (at least that’s what we’re presuming) looks excellent in 4K. Taken from the 35mm camera negative, it is a rich and lusciously textured film that utilizes the typical 1990s period piece color grading (slightly pale faces, muted and dimmed colors, slight hints of sepia over tones) and features a VERY healthy layer of grain. Grain appears natural and even flowing, without signs of digital manipulation with only a couple of grain level spikes that really make it obtrusive. Edges are clean and well defined, with no signs of haloing or other artifacts, and fine details are well received. I did notice that Scorsese’s pans seemed to increase the judder effect just a bit, especially near the beginning of the film, but that seems to be filming related rather than something to do with the encode. All in all, this is a VERY good 4K representation of the film, and I don’t see it looking much better.





Audio:

Much like Tootsie I wondered just how much of a boost in audio quality we would get with the Atmos upgrade over the 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix (which is also found on the 4K disc). Luckily it’s a slight fine tuning of the 5.1 track, adding in some minor directional cues for the hubbub of downtown New York, and some rather invigorating score elements. The track is very well defined, with pin point precise dialog and a score that absolutely lends itself to complete and total absorption by the listener. Overheads get some minor ambient noises, but I found very few discrete tones being placed there, which to be fair, is a good thing as I would prefer an accurate track over a heavily revisionist one. Comparing the two tracks side by side I find more similarities than differences, but he Atmos mix just slightly edges out the 5.1 mix simply due to the fact that it very delicately expands the sound stage just a tad. .






Extras:

• Interview with Martin Scorsesee
• Interview with Jay Cocks
• Original 1993 EPK
• Moments from the set B-Roll
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score: ​

The Age of Innocence may not be my FAVORITE Scorsese film, but it’s a unique entry into the director’s long and storied career, and one that showcases a very accurate adaptation of Edith Wharton’s famous novel. The 4K UHD disc looks stunning, and the new Atmos track (while not exactly NECESSARY) sounds fantastic. Once more, Sony has done an absolutely stellar job with the new transfer and it makes for a highly desirable package. Worth a watch for period piece fans.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, Winona Ryder, Richard E. Grant, Stuart Wilson
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Written by: Edith Wharton, Jay Cocks, Martin Scorsese
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English, French, German, Italiain, Korean, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Hispanic) DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Arabic, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish
Studio: Sony Pictures
Rated: PG
Runtime: 138 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: October 22nd, 2024

Recommendation: Solid Watch