Southern Comfort 4K UHD - Keith Carradine / Fred Ward

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Walter Hill
USA 1981

Set during the height of the Vietnam War and deep in the swamps of Louisiana, a group of National Guardsmen have been ordered to partake in a simulated jungle exploration in an isolated part of Cajun country. After getting lost during the training mission, the soldiers commandeer canoes belonging to the locals in order to take a shortcut. When the rightful owners discover the soldiers with their property, the situation spirals out of control leaving one man dead and the soldiers caught in a deadly game of retribution. What follows is a bloody fight for survival as, with only their wits and blanks for ammunition, the soldiers will have to journey deeper and deeper into the bayou as they’re forced to face the brutal reality of Cajun justice…

An intensely violent war metaphor filmed on location in the Louisiana Bayou, director and co-writer Walter Hill’s (The Warriors, 48 Hrs.) acclaimed "backwoods" survival thriller, SOUTHERN COMFORT features an all-star cast headlined by Oscar winner Keith Carradine (Nashville), Emmy winner Powers Booth (Red Dawn), Fred Ward (Remo Williams The Adventure Begins), T.K. Carter (John Carpenter’s The Thing), and Emmy winner Peter Coyote (Bitter Moon).

***

A squad of National Guards on an isolated weekend exercise in the Louisiana swamp must fight for their lives when they anger local Cajuns by stealing their canoes. Without live ammunition and in a strange country, their experience begins to mirror the Vietnam experience.

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 21st, 1981 (San Sebastián Film Festival)

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Review: Vinegar Syndrome - Region FREE - 4K UHD

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Vinegar Syndrome - Region FREE - 4K UHD
Runtime	1:46:00.854
Video	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 48,399,535,606 bytes Feature: 31,228,142,400 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.94 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video	1.85:1 2160P 4K Ultra HD Disc Size: 63,907,279,494 bytes Feature: 63,622,824,192 bytes Video Bitrate: 73.98 Mbps Codec: HEVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Bitrate 4K Ultra HD:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 2126 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2126 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Vinegar Syndrome 1.85:1 2160P 4K Ultra HD Disc Size: 63,907,279,494 bytes Feature: 63,622,824,192 bytes Video Bitrate: 73.98 Mbps Codec: HEVC Video Edition Details: 4K Ultra HD disc • Commentary track with Walter Chaw, author of A Walter Hill Film: Tragedy and Masculinity in the Films of Walter Hill Vinegar Syndrome - Region FREE - Blu-ray • Commentary track with Walter Chaw, author of A Walter Hill Film: Tragedy and Masculinity in the Films of Walter Hill • "Battle in the Bayou" (17:26) - brand new interview with co-writer / director Walter Hill • "Behind Enemy Lines" (26:01) - brand new featurette with editor Freeman A. Davies and assistant editor Lisa Zeno Churgin • "Soldiers, Not Mailmen" (17:17) - brand new interview with costumer Dan Moore •"Into the Unknown" (15:00) - brand new interview with film historian Wayne Byrne on Southern Comfort and the legacy of Walter Hill • Archival featurette featuring interviews with: co-writer / director Walter Hill and co-writer / producer David Giler, along with actors Powers Boothe, Keith Carradine, Peter Coyote and Lewis Smith (27:10) Still gallery (5:46) • Video trailer (2:09) 20-page booklet with an essay by author Brian Brems Reversible sleeve artwork 4K Ultra HD Release Date: February 27th, 2024 Black 4K Ultra HD Case Chapters 6

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray and 4K UHD captures were taken directly from the respective discs.

ADDITION: Vinegar Syndrome 4K UHD (February 2024): Vinegar Syndrome's are releasing Walter Hill's Southern Comfort to 4K UHD. It is cited as "4K UHD presented in High-Dynamic-Range - Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm interpositive". This is a 2-disc package with a 4K UHD disc containing the feature in 2160P and an optional commentary plus a second disc Blu-ray with the feature in 1080P and additional supplements. We reviewed the Shout! Factory Blu-ray from 2014, HERE - and there is quite a significant difference in the HD presentations. The comparison captures below really highlight the heavy blue-green of the Shout! Factory transfer. Uggg. The 4K UHD looks much more balanced and authentic with army fatigues (camo) appearing more 'olive drab green' accurate. Actually everything is superior on the new 2160P with richer black levels, more information in the frame (correct 1.85:1 frame - the Shout! was 1.78:1), depth and wonderfully consistent and thick grain textures etc. This looked amazing on my system - very film-like and a giant improvement. The Shout! Factory Blu-ray is already in the bin. Vinegar Syndrome does it again!

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: 46 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 recently: Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Wages of Fear (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Roaring Twenties (software uniformly simulated HDR), Universal Classic Monsters Limited Edition Collection (software uniformly simulated HDR), Scarlet Street (software uniformly simulated HDR), eXistenZ (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (software uniformly simulated HDR), Conan the Barbarian (software uniformly simulated HDR), Django (no HDR), Lone Star (software uniformly simulated HDR), Suspect Zero (software uniformly simulated HDR), Count Dracula (software uniformly simulated HDR), Full Circle - The Haunting of Julia (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Warriors (software uniformly simulated HDR), Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (software uniformly simulated HDR), Blackhat (software uniformly simulated HDR), Mark of the Devil (software uniformly simulated HDR), Barbarella (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Last Picture Show (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Man Who Knew Too Much (software uniformly simulated HDR), Rope (software uniformly simulated HDR), Frenzy (software uniformly simulated HDR), American Graffiti (software uniformly simulated HDR), East End Hustle (software uniformly simulated HDR), Three Days of the Condor (software uniformly simulated HDR), Witness (software uniformly simulated HDR), Fascination (software uniformly simulated HDR), Lips of Blood (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Others (no HDR), It Came From Outer Space (software uniformly simulated HDR).

On their 4K UHD, Vinegar Syndrome use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track (24-bit) in the original English language (with some French.) "Southern Comfort" is filled with various types of violence from rapid gunfire to snapping traps to attacking dogs. The bass depth can surprise at times. The score is by Hill collaborator Ry Cooder (The Border, The End of Violence, Paris Texas, Streets of Fire, The Long Riders) with "Parlez-nous à Boire" by Dewey Balfa performed in the Cajun village near the conclusion. The score is effectively dark and brooding sounding crisp and clean in the lossless. All great in enhancing the film's moods. Both Vinegar Syndrome discs offers optional English (SDH) subtitles - and both are region FREE, playable worldwide.

The 4K UHD has a commentary track with Walter Chaw, author of A Walter Hill Film: Tragedy and Masculinity in the Films of Walter Hill. He discusses the Hill theme of 'squad construction' of men with a variety of rated masculinity (The Warriors) banding together with comparisons to Howard Hawks (Rio Bravo, The Thing From Another World), racial and power dynamics between men, Andrew Laszlo's cinematography, the cast; Peter Coyote, Keith Carradine, Powers Booth, Fred Ward, Southern Comfort as an allegory for US involvement in Vietnam etc. But mostly it references Walter Hill because Mr. Chaw is an observant expert with plenty to share with us. I enjoyed his commentary very much and felt that I learned a ton.

The Blu-ray disc has the commentary and video extras; "Battle in the Bayou" is a new 18-minute interview with co-writer / director Walter Hill discussing his filmmaking philosophy. "Behind Enemy Lines" is a new 25-minute featurette with editor Freeman A. Davies and assistant editor Lisa Zeno Churgin talking about the director and making Southern Comfort. "Soldiers, Not Mailmen" is a new 17-minute interview with costumer Dan Moore (Another 48 Hrs., Johnny Handsome.) "Into the Unknown" is a new 1/4 hour interview with film historian Wayne Byrne on Southern Comfort and the legacy of Walter Hill. Vinegar Syndrome include a 1/2 hour's worth of archival featurette featuring interviews with: co-writer / director Walter Hill and co-writer / producer David Giler, along with actors Powers Boothe, Keith Carradine, Peter Coyote and Lewis Smith (that were also on the Shout! Factory Blu-ray.) Lastly are a stills gallery and a video trailer. The package comes with a 20-page booklet with an essay by author Brian Brems (The Films of Walter Hill: Another Time, Another Place) and has reversible sleeve artwork.

Walter Hill's Southern Comfort was the second film of The Cinema Group and was shot in Louisiana in 55 days - in the Caddo Lake area outside Shreveport. The typically machismo Hill effort is set in 1973, featuring a Louisiana Army National Guard squad of nine different-tempered men (one pragmatic, one hard-working, another idealistic etc.) on weekend maneuvers. They antagonize some local Cajun hunter-trappers in the rural bayou country and become the hunted themselves - picked off methodically while struggling to defend / survive. Intentional or not, Southern Comfort is frequently read as a metaphor for U.S. involvement in the Vietnamese war and there are certainly similarities to John Boorman's Deliverance (there's a film I'd love to see in 4K UHD as well!) Hill is an important and influential film artist and Southern Comfort deserves re-examination. The Vinegar Syndrome's 4K UHD release is amazing. The Shout! Factory Blu-ray from a decade ago looks like a disgrace beside this new transfer. The 4K UHD package has an expert commentary and over an hour's worth of brand new supplement extras. A magnificent choice of film to upgrade to this new format and we give it our highest recommendation.

Gary Tooze

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