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

ADDITION: Imprint Blu-ray (May 2023): Imprint have transferred William Wyler's Carrie to Blu-ray. It is on a dual-layered disc with a high bitrate. We reviewed the 2005 Paramount DVD of Carrie, HERE, and have compared some captures below. We continue to be suspicious of 1080P bumps but, regardless this is a healthy step above the SD. The HD presentation has superior contrast, is sharper and shows a sliver more information in the frame on all four edges. There are instances of depth and the textures are consistent. It still has a few surface scratches but nothing untoward in terms of damage. A pleasing high-def image - kudos to the strong density of the source.

NOTE: We have added 64 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Imprint use a linear PCM dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. Carrie has no aggressive moments - horse and carriages, murmuring restuarant crowds - that's about it. So the uncompressed transfer handles everything with ease. The pleasant score is by David Raksin (Night Tide, Forever Amber, The Bad and the Beautiful, The Day After, Separate Tables, Laura, Bigger Than Life, The Big Combo) adding subtle melodramatic touches. The audio is consistent and clean in the lossless transfer. Imprint offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Imprint Blu-ray offers a new commentary by American Literature professor and film scholar Jason Ney. He talks about Theodore Dreiser's "Sister Carrie" novel, the long and winding journey the film adaptation took to make it to the big screen, the conflicts that arose when the film went in to production, why its releases was delayed for over a year after it was complete, critical responses from 1952, the many changes they made to the source material when adapted to the screen - and why it matters - and where this film fits into the careers of the major players, as well as the significance of many scenes. It's very informative. There is also 1/2 hour with Neil Sinyard on Carrie. He discusses the adult subject matter in the film and book that gave it issues with references to adultery, sexual misconduct, bigamy, theft, industrial injury and a descent into poverty so extreme that the person inflicted with it contemplates suicide. He talks about how influential the novel was, neo-realism in Italy and much more. He is always a pleasure to hear from. There is also a trailer with a caveat about audio imperfections. The package has a limited Edition slipcase on the first 1500 copies with unique artwork (see below.)  

William Wyler's Carrie is a sad romance film that portrays the bitter hardships and realism of turn-of-the-century American city life - juxtaposing the traditional fallen woman tale with the survival of an attractive, small town, gal - escaping factory sweatshop abuses and navigating through two relationships with men, eventually finding stage success in New York. It's brilliant story, exceptional performances, costume design (Edith Head), and art direction which supersede the many production issues, including (from Wikipedia): "Jones had not revealed that she was pregnant; Wyler was mourning the death of his year-old son; Olivier had a painful leg ailment that made him cranky, and he developed a dislike for Jones; and Hollywood was reeling under the effects of McCarthyism, and the studio was afraid to distribute a film that could be attacked as immoral." I'm a big fan of William Wyler's Carrie and am happy to have it on Imprint's world premiere Blu-ray. They add new extras; a full commentary and 1/2 hour video with Sinyard. Certainly recommended.

Gary Tooze