NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Radiance Blu-ray (July 2024): Radiance are also releasing  Hal Ashby's directorial debut "The Landlord" on Blu-ray. It is cited as being a "2K transfer by Kino Lorber". So it is the same D1 source as the 2019 Kino Blu-ray but is slightly more robustly transferred with a marginally higher bitrate. So the image, in our static comparison captures, are the same, but I would give a very minimal edge in motion for the Radiance rendering. It can still look quite heavy with some inherent softness but is clean and probably the best digital representation we are likely to get on this medium.

NOTE: We have added 42 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Radiance use a linear PCM 2.0 channel track (24-bit) in the original English language. This is another small bump over the 2019 Kino (24-bit over 16-bit.) This shows up mostly in the score music by Al Kooper (The Stand) has Brand New Day sung by Kooper/The Staple Singers, Doin' Me Dirty and Let Me Love You sung by Lorraine Ellison, A Man by Al Kooper and God Bless the Children by The Staple Singers. Sounds clean and clear. Radiance offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'B'-locked Blu-ray.

The Radiance Blu-ray includes a new (March 2024) 22-minute interview with Hal Ashby biographer Nick Dawson (Being Hal Ashby: Life of a Hollywood Rebel) who introduces The Landlord, exploring how Ashby made the transition from editor to director for this, his debut feature. There is also an 18-minute interview with critic and author Ellen E. Jones (Screen Deep: How Film and TV Can Solve Racism and Save the World) who explores the complex racial politics of The Landlord and examines the key role of screenwriter Bill Gunn. There are also the extras from the 2019 Kino Blu-ray - where Beau Bridges is interviewed for 25-minutes about his experiences working on The Landlord in the starring role of Elgar Enders. Also actress Lee Grant reflecting on her memorable role as Joyce Enders, Elgar's mother for 36-minutes and lastly, almost 1/2 hour with the late director and producer Norman Jewison discussing his role in the production of The Landlord, and his long relationship with Hal Ashby. The Radiance package has a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Vincent Wild and a limited edition booklet featuring new writing by critic Jourdain Searles, plus an archival piece with Hal Ashby.

From Kristin Hunter's novel - Hal Ashby's directorial debut "The Landlord" shows the story of a wealthy, unaware, white man and committed businessman who purchases a building in a ghetto neighborhood meeting the eccentric and interesting tenants while given a crash-course in self-education. There is a satirical take on gentrification, wealth and race privilege. It's fun and witty. It is one of Beau's best roles. Point of trivia - comedian Eddie Murphy's older brother, Charlie, lived in the neighborhood where "The Landlord" was filmed, and briefly appears as a boy stealing Elgar's hubcaps. It remains a provocative, cute, and entertaining film that Ashby fans will want to own. The Radiance Blu-ray improves in all areas; a/v and additional new supplements including a booklet. A great package that is warmly recommended. 

Gary Tooze

***

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (May 2019): Hal Ashby's directorial debut (and produced by Norman Jewison) "The Landlord" premieres on Blu-ray thanks to Kino Lorber. The film is transferred on a dual-layered disc. The 1.85:1 HD image is given a high bitrate. "The Landlord" features many varied locations, and as such, certain shots look better than others. The black levels sadly aren't too varied or strong, resulting in some rather unremarkable shadows. Whites seem to be frequently teal leaning as well, which is unfortunate. Closer inspection of the image also sadly shows a rather soft, undefined detail.

Kino Lorber's Blu-ray of "The Landlord" contains only a 16-bit DTS-HD Master Audio track. No linear uncompressed version, but this lossless track will suffice. Great to hear all that music from Al Kooper and The Staple Singers. There are optional English subtitles on this Region 'A' Blu-ray.

"The Racial Gap" is a new 25-minute interview with Beau Bridges, star of "The Landlord". "Reflections" is a new 25-minute interview with star Lee Grant. "Norman Jewison and Hal Ashby - Style and Substance" is an all new interview with producer Norman Jewison, talking about the late director. Also included is the film's theatrical trailer, as well as trailers for "Coming Home" and "Where's Poppa?".

Hal Ashby's "The Landlord" is a film that gets more interesting the longer it goes on. What at first seems like a rather lifeless joke, takes on new meaning and deeper layers by the end of the film. Still not as good as some of Ashby's later work. Kino's Blu-ray is not all that stunning, in A/V quality, but it is still nice to see Kino getting out some of these sought-after titles on Blu-ray nonetheless.

Colin Zavitz