1776 - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

1776



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



​

Movie
1776 is one of those old musicals that you either love, or you hate, with very little in between. It’s an interesting flick that has garnered much critical hate, and much love over they years, garnering it a sort of cult following for musical lovers. Being that I grew up in a fairly conservative home, musicals were our main source of family movie watching time, and I grew up watching everything from My Fair Lady, to Grease, to On A Clear Day You can See Forever. However, the one film that just never struck truly at home was the giant behemoth that is 1776. Filmed back in 1972 it was met with wildly diverse opinions and has been labeled as one of the biggest 1970s musical flops of the time. Even though years later it has sort of garnered a cult following that can’t be denied.

Back in 2015 Sony gave us a brand new 4K remastered Blu-ray that was quite the looker, and now we get to check out the upgraded 4K UHD boxset that includes both Blu-ray discs of the previous 2015 release, as well as the 4K UHD in a 4 disc case (I thought 3 discs in a 4 disc case was eyebrow raising as well, but chalked it up to Sony not having enough 3 disc cases on hand for this set).

1776 was labeled as hammy and cheesy back in 1972, and for very good reason. It took a fantastic section of the USA’s forming history and turned it into a G rated caricature, with hammy acting, 1 dimensional characters, and lots and LOTS of singing. It’s fun, and goofy, and feels almost like a 1970s Disney movie at times, which is a sharp change of pace from the broadway musical. It’s interesting, but in my opinion fails to hold up like many of the great musicals has.

John Adams (William Daniels) is on fire for the independence movement that would form our great nation, while many of the delegates to the continental congress were not exactly on board. The rest of the delegates are focusing on piddly manners while the giant conundrum of stating independence is the giant elephant in the room that everybody seems to be ignoring. Confiding in Benjamin Franklin (Howard Da Silva), Adams is advised to let the idea of independence go to another delegate. Someone with less baggage to whom the remaining delegates might actually listen to.

That man turns out to be Virginia’s own Richard Henry Lee (Ron Holgate), who when introduced to the audience, begins the gigantic debate over freedom, or continued servitude to England. The movie can be a mess at times, with major plot lines and sub plots smattering the viewer helter skelter. The main story stays focused on the desire for independence, and getting the proper votes on their side, but it gets side tracked with a million musical numbers (more than most musicals I’ve seen, including things like Hamilton), and a propensity to get bogged down in minutia. We tend to like long films about battles, action, or romance, but a play about arguing whether we should or shouldn’t declare independence feels bland and boring in many ways. It could have been saved with some trimming here or there, or cutting out of superfluous side plots, but the biggest drain on the film stems from hammy acting, 1 dimensional caricatures of famous people, and that whole “1970s G rated cheese” that feels more at home with Herbie movie rather than a dramatic film.




Rating:

Rated G for General Audiences




4K Video: Video:

The 1080p Blu-was (and still is) a stunning transfer, but the 4K UHD disc handily outclasses it. Boasting increased sharpness, color detail and general ambient detail, the 4K UHD is a near perfect presentation. The film was shot in a time when skin tones were more burnished, and colors more brocade than anything, and the 4K UHD replicates that perfectly. You can sometimes see a smattering TOO MUCH detail as the makeup on our actors is a bit more obvious, and the clunky stitching on the costumes a bit obvious. Still, fine details are resplendent, with deep inky blacks that show tons of shadow detail. The HDR and Dolby Vision upgrades are some of the most noticeable upgrades, with colors seeming way richer and deep black levels don’t show the banding the Blu-ray has. This is a fantastic looking 4K upgrade, and well worth watching.



.




Audio:

As you could probably guess, the Dolby Atmos track isn’t a massive change up from the Blu-ray’s 5.1 DTS-HD MA track. Made in the 1970s with a focus on music, we’re only going to see fine tuning to the mix, as well as a slightly lighter and more expansive field of sound with the added speakers. The 5.1 mix was considered superb back in the day, and while I will say that this is an upgrade with the heights added in for the musical numbers, as is the rears, it’s not going to be night and day different. There’s nothing discrete with the new added channels, simply a wider field of sound for the music. Other than that, it’s still the same fantastic sound mixing with good vocals and great music.











Extras:

Disc 1: 4K UHD
• PREVIOUSLY RESTORED IN 4K
• NEW DOLBY ATMOS TRACK + 5.1 audio
• Includes both the 165-minute Director's Cut and the 167-minute Extended Cut

Disc 2: Blu-ray

• Includes both the 165-minute Director's Cut and the 167-minute Extended Cut
• Both versions presented in High Definition with 5.1 audio
• Commentary with Peter H. Hunt, William Daniels & Ken Howard (Director's Cut only)
• Commentary with Peter H. Hunt and Peter Stone (Director's Cut only)
• Deleted & Alternate Scenes with Director Commentary
• 9 Screen Tests
• Teaser & Theatrical Trailers

Disc 3: Blu-ray

• 1972 Theatrical Version of the Film (presented in HD with original mono audio)
• 1992 Laserdisc Version of the Film (presented in SD with stereo audio)
• Includes optional archival commentary featuring director Peter H. Hunt

Final Score: ​

1776 is an odd musical, and one that kind of fits the odd time that was the 1970s. It definitely finishes a lot stronger than it starts, but I could never TRULY get into the film due to the hammy nature of it. The 4K UHD will definitely please fans of the film though, as it carries the same Blu-rays of the 2015 remaster, just with a fantastic 4K UHD mix and a great Atmo track to enhance the flavor a bit. Extras are hefty as usual, making this a great Sony release technically speaking. Rental for most people, but fans will love it.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: William Daniels, Howard Da Silva, Ken Howard, Donald Madden, Blythe Danner, John Cullum, David Ford
Directed by: Peter H. Hunt
Written by: Peter Stone, Sherman Edwards
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French
Studio: Sony
Rated: G
Runtime: 168 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: May 31st, 2022

Recommendation: Solid Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I never heard of this actually. I will check it out once available on amazon prime/netflix.