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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (March 2023): Criterion have transferred Joan Micklin Silver's Chilly Scenes of Winter to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New, restored 4K digital transfer". The Criterion 1080P is very different from Twilight Time's from 2017. Colors and contrast improve. It also looks sharper if having a slight green cast. The Criterion is better looking in almost all areas.

NOTE: We have added 38 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. Chilly Scenes of Winter has no aggressive audio sequences. The score is by Kenneth Lauber (The World of Henry Orient), sounding clean with consistent dialogue in the uncompressed transfer. Criterion offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offers a supplements. There is a new 1/2 hour video piece on the producers. Chilly Scenes of Winter was the first film produced by Griffin Dunne, Mark Metcalf, and Amy Robinson. In this program, recorded for the Criterion Collection in December 2022, the three discuss the project's beginnings, their work with director Joan Micklin Silver, and the impact the film had on their subsequent careers. There is also a 3/4 hour 1983 documentary by Katja Raganelli featuring director Joan Micklin Silver; her husband and frequent producer, Ray Silver; and other key collaborators discussing Micklin Silver's work, from her debut feature, Hester Street, through Chilly Scenes of Winter, originally released as Head over Heels. There are 1/4 hour's worth of an excerpt of a September, 2005, video where filmmaker Michael Pressman sat down with director Joan Micklin Silver for a career-spanning interview for the Directors Guild of America's Visual History series. In this excerpt, Micklin Silver talks about her work on Chilly Scenes of Winter. Lastly the original ending is presented. In 1982, director Joan Micklin Silver had the opportunity to recut the ending of her 1979 film Head over Heels. At that time, she also changed the film's title to that of the Ann Beattie novel on which it was based, Chilly Scenes of Winter. There is a trailer and the package has liner notes with an essay by scholar Shonni Enelow.

Joan Micklin Silver's Chilly Scenes of Winter has attained a minor cult-status. It's based on Ann Beattie's 1976 novel and the author also played a waitress in a diner scene. There is an unrequited love revolving around the centre of Chilly Scenes of Winter. It's an intelligent and honest film that is hard to dislike. The Criterion Blu-ray doesn't have the Twilight Time commentary but has other valuable extras. It's always reason to celebrate to see Gloria Grahame - if only for a few brief scenes. Good film choice by Criterion to advance on an alternate out-of-print edition.

Gary Tooze