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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (August 2024): Criterion have transferred Martha Coolidge's Not a Pretty Picture to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Martha Coolidge". It was shot in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio and on 16 mm. It looks very textured as we have seen from other 1080P transfers from that format; thick, heavy, grainy but there are rich colors and a very personalized appearance with plenty of close-ups. There is no damage, speckles or marks. A text screen informs us:

"Not a Pretty Picture (1975) was restored in 2022 by the
Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation
Restoration funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation"

Hopefully the screen captures give you and idea of the HD presentation on your system.

NOTE: We have added 27 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. Not a Pretty Picture has no requirements for extensive effects or strong bass. Dialogue is clear and reasonably consistent. The score was credited to Tom Griffith (his only feature film composition), sounding subtle and supportive in the uncompressed transfer. Criterion offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray includes a 26-minute interview with Coolidge conducted by filmmaker Allison Anders (Gas Food Lodging) as Martha reflects on her feature film directorial debut. Old-Fashioned Woman is a 1974 documentary by Coolidge about the filmmaker's New England grandmother. The 3/4 hour is filled with photographs and Grandma Mabel discussing her life experiences including being married to the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, Arthur W. Coolidge (who was a fourth cousin of President Calvin Coolidge.) The package has liner notes with an essay by film critic Molly Haskell (author of From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies.)

Martha Coolidge's Not a Pretty Picture was based on a date rape she suffered at age sixteen. The film balances fiction and documentary in a very impactful, grassroots, way hinting at neo-realism. Coolidge spent several years as a part of Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Studio and her film Valley Girl, was credited with launching the career of Coppola's nephew, Nicolas Cage. She's directed over 50 films including  Real Genius and Rambling Rose with Laura Dern and Robert Duvall. I appreciate when Criterion bring a film like this to Blu-ray as I doubt I would have ever seen it otherwise. Martha Coolidge's Not a Pretty Picture is pure, meaningful, cinema that we whole-heartedly endorse.

Gary Tooze