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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (February 2023): Criterion have transferred Robert Townsend's Hollywood Shuffle to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New, restored 4K digital transfer, approved by writer-director-actor Robert Townsend". This came out on Blu-ray in 2015 by Olive Films HERE. in one of their typical single-layered bare-bones editions. The 1080P image here is solid - clean with a hint or two of teal but overall a pleasing HD presentation on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate.

NOTE: We have added 42 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. Hollywood Shuffle has some aggression but never anything overly elaborate - unless satirized - and it comes through authentically flat with a tinge of buoyancy. The score is credited to by Udi Harpaz (mostly animated TV scores) and Patrice Rushen (her first feature film) who composed Not Just One in a Million (Bobby's Theme) that she also sings and Closer to You while Robert Townsend contributes with his own There's a Bat in My House (Batty Boy's Theme) that he wrote and sung. It's mostly light and fun. The audio transfer has clean, consistent, dialogue in the flat uncompressed transfer. Criterion offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offers a new commentary by co-writer, director, producer, star, Robert Townsend. He talks about how being cast in Norman Jewison's A Soldier's Story - he played Corporal Ellis - that changed his life from constantly being typecast. He talks about doing stand-up comedy where he met Keenen Ivory Wayans. He talks about the film being shot in 10 days over 2+ years. He discusses the struggles of a young artist - this being his first directorial effort - he had never even done a short, casting and many of the supporting plays in Hollywood Shuffle, noting friends who had passed. It's an excellent commentary. There is also a 25-minute interview program featuring actors Rusty Cundieff, Anne-Marie Johnson, and Bobby McGee, members of the film's Hollywood Shuffle Players. It was produced by the Criterion Collection in 2022. Included is a 27-minute Radio program - a conversation, recorded for film critic Elvis Mitchell's radio show The Treatment, that first aired on October 22nd, 2022. It is presented on the Blu-ray courtesy of the public radio station KCRW in Los Angeles. Lastly is a trailer and the package has a liner notes booklet with an essay by critic Aisha Harris.

Criterion fans complain to me about the excess 'woke' titles being released (yes, we all want Antonioni 4K) but Robert Townsend's Hollywood Shuffle is excellent! It's filled with insightful satire on inequities and short comedy sketches / skits with hilarious observations from frustrating auditions to '70s blaxploitation. What we get is an amazingly impressive debut feature with a wonderful cast and laugh-out-loud dialogue. Some of the 'stereotyping' humor is still, unfortunately, relevant today. Hollywood Shuffle is an underrated and important eighties comedy - very much worth seeing or revisiting. The Criterion Blu-ray has the new, excellent, director commentary that might be the best I have heard so far this year - and other revealing supplements. We give this a very strong recommendation! I really enjoyed Hollywood Shuffle.

Gary Tooze