ADDITION: Studio Canal 4K UHD (July 2021): Studio Canal's have released Joseph Losey's 1963 film The Servant to 4K UHD. It is in HDR10. It has the feature in both 1:66 and 1:77 aspect ratios with the same high bitrates and 3840 X 2160 resolution. The image improves in the anticipated areas - contrast - black levels are rich and deeper plus there are fine, consistent grain textures present. This 4K restoration is flawless exporting an incredibly true-image of the film that is a demonstrative improvement over the past digital editions - DVD and Blu-ray.

It is likely that the monitor you are seeing this review is not an HDR-compatible display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider and notably granular range of color and light. Our capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more 4K UHD titles in the future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the 4K system at your home. But the framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by this simulation representation.

NOTE: 66 more more full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K UHD captures, in lossless PNG format, for Patrons are available HERE

We have reviewed the following 4K UHD packages to date: Anatomy of a Murder (software uniformly simulated HDR), Taxi Driver  (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Wolf Man (1941) (software uniformly simulated HDR), Frankenstein (1931) (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Deep Red (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Misery (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Silence of the Lambs (software uniformly simulated HDR), John Carpenter's "The Thing" (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Cat' o'Nine Tails (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Bird With the Crystal Plumage (software uniformly simulated HDR), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (software uniformly simulated HDR), Perdita Durango (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Django (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Fanny Lye Deliver'd (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, (NO HDR applied to disc),  Rollerball (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Chernobyl  (software uniformly simulated HDR), Daughters of Darkness (software uniformly simulated HDR), Vigilante (software uniformly simulated HDR), Tremors (software uniformly simulated HDR), Cinema Paradiso (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Bourne Legacy (software uniformly simulated HDR), Full Metal Jacket (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Psycho (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Birds (software uniformly simulated HDR), Rear Window (software uniformly simulated HDR), Vertigo (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Spartacus (software uniformly simulated HDR), Jaws (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Invisible Man, (software uniformly simulated HDR), Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds (software uniformly simulated HDR), Lucio Fulci's 1979 Zombie  (software uniformly simulated HDR),, 2004's Van Helsining (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Shallows (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Bridge on the River Kwai (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Deer Hunter (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Elephant Man (software uniformly simulated HDR), A Quiet Place (software uniformly simulated HDR), Easy Rider (software uniformly simulated HDR), Suspiria (software uniformly simulated HDR), Pan's Labyrinth (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Wizard of Oz, (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Shining, (software uniformly simulated HDR), Batman Returns (software uniformly simulated HDR), Don't Look Now (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Man Who Killed Killed and then The Bigfoot  (software uniformly simulated HDR),,  Bram Stoker's Dracula (software uniformly simulated HDR), Lucy (software uniformly simulated HDR), They Live (software uniformly simulated HDR), Shutter Island (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Matrix (software uniformly simulated HDR), Alien (software uniformly simulated HDR), Toy Story (software uniformly simulated HDR),  A Few Good Men (software uniformly simulated HDR),  2001: A Space Odyssey (HDR caps udated), Schindler's List (simulated HDR), The Neon Demon (No HDR), Dawn of the Dead (No HDR), Saving Private Ryan (simulated HDR and 'raw' captures), Suspiria (No HDR), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (No HDR), The Big Lebowski, and I Am Legend (simulated and 'raw' HDR captures).

On their 4K UHD, Studio Canal offer a 24-bit DTS-HD Master dual-mono track in the original English language with similar DUB options in French and German.  This is a bump from Studio Canal's own 2013 BD that had a 16-bit audio transfer. The included feature Blu-ray also has 24-bit DTS-HD Master transfers for English, German and French. It is as clean as the video exporting the jazzy score by John Dankworth (The Criminal, Return From the Ashes, The Magus, 10 Rillington Place, Sands of the Kalahari, The Last Grenade, Losey's Accident among his credits) including Cleo Laine singing All Gone. Studio Canal add optional English, French and German subtitle options on the Region FREE 4K UHD disc with similar subtitles and DUBs on their included two Region 'B' Blu-rays produced in 2021.

These supplements repeat the 3-hours of extras - mostly in the form of interviews with principals or experts on Pinter or Losey found on their 2013 Blu-ray (reviewed HERE.) They also add a new 'locations featurette' with Adam Scovell running 1/4 hour showing the past and present film locations in London. Surprising to see so much is the same. I really enjoyed the 40-minute video essay with film historian Matthew Sweet and film critic Phuong Le. It is entitled "Dirkology' and discusses Dirk Bogarde and The Servant. I found it revealing with keen analysis. The packaged also has a 64 page booklet with photos and essays by Peter Bradshaw and Anna Smith and four Artcards (see image above.)

Studio Canal's 4K UHD release of Joseph Losey's masterful The Servant, does raise two questions; the necessity for the 1.77:1 version doesn't seem valid. It takes up unnecessary space that could have been used for both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray 1.66:1 transfers. The following of The Servant are far more likely to be purists opting for the accurate aspect ratio. I can't see a reason for the inclusion of the 1.77:1 version. Also this work screams out for a commentary. I'd love to hear thoughts from the likes of an Adrian Martin etc. who could examine details of the complex narrative and Losey's intentions. That aside, this is still an amazing release and the director's following, nay cinephiles in general, will want this 4K UHD presentation of such a deeply layered and unique piece of 60's cinema. The fact that it remains relevant, and still in the conversation, today is a testament to its resiliency - as is much of Losey's auteurist oeuvre. Many rank The Servant as his best. Studio Canal's 4K UHD is warmly recommended.

Gary Tooze