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

AArrow Video have 3 brand new 2K restorations of these early Brian De Palma / Robert De Niro films. "The Wedding Party and "Greetings" restorations are described in the booklet here:
"The Wedding Party and Greetings have been exclusively restored by Arrow Films for this release. "

The Wedding Party is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1 with mono audio. The original 35mm camera negative element was scanned in 2K resolution on a 4K Arriscan at OCN Labs, CT. The film was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master and restored at R3Store Studios in London. The original mono mix was remastered from the optical negative reels at OCN Labs.

All materials for this restoration were made available by Troma Entertainment Inc.

Greetings is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with mono audio. An original 35mm camera internegative element was scanned in 2K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director at EFilm, Burbank. The film was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master and restored at R3Store Studios in London. The original mono mix was remastered from the optical negative reels at Deluxe Audio Services, Hollywood.

All materials for this restoration were made available by Charles Hirsch and Academy Film Service.

The 2K restoration of "Hi, Mom!" is also described in greater depth as:
"Hi, Mom!" has been exclusively restored by Arrow Films for this release and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with mono audio. An original 35mm interpositive element was scanned in 2K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director at EFilm, Burbank. The film was graded on Digital Vision's Nucoda Film Master and restored at R3Store Studios in London. The original mono mix was remastered by MGM.

All materials for this restoration were made available by MGM."

The restoration work done is quite admirable. "The Wedding Party" shares the first dual-layered Blu-ray disc with "Greetings". "The Wedding Party" has a supportive bitrate throughout its running time. The 4:3 image has a thin grain intact, showing an excellent amount of detail in most scenes. The black levels display a healthy amount of depth, with a very layered black and white 1080P image. "Greetings" 1.85:1 image on the same Blu-ray carries a high bitrate. This color film shows a thicker grain structure, with a much less focused amount of detail. The image is still worthy of your time, though it is certainly the weakest of this set. The second Blu-ray houses "Hi, Mom!" on a dual-layered sisc. The 1.85:1 HD image is held up by an impressively maxed out bitrate. This image is quite something, as we see De Palma's later iconic pastiche of filmic techniques on full display. Certain scenes depend upon the medium they were shot on, but the image is overall masterfully restored. Skintones show a life-like warmth, and there is an appropriately moderate amount of grain. The detail in the image varies depending on the shot (focus, lens, etc) but is indicative of some great restoration work.

All three films are presented with their original English 1.0 mono audio in 24-bit uncompressed linear PCM. "Greetings" and "Hi, Mom!" feature the musical compositions of Eric Kaz. "The Wedding Party" showcases the rather interesting music of John Herbert McDowell. Even with these 1.0 mono tracks, there are a variety of ambient sounds accompanying the dialogue, creating a layered sound. During a scene in "The Wedding Party" where the young men are talking in the garden, I was struck by the sounds of the crickets and immediately imagined Travolta's character from "Blow Out" recording said crickets with his microphone. DePalma, for all of his iconic visual stylings, doesn't get enough credit for his attention to sound detail. Thankfully these tracks seem to reproduce the original theatrical experience.

"Greetings" offers an audio commentary with Glenn Kenny, author of "Robert De Niro: Anatomy of an Actor". Kenny has always been one of my favorite voices in film criticism, and this track does not disappoint. Kenny has an impressive arsenal of facts regarding the film and its' crew. This track is certainly worth checking out. Writer-producer Charles Hirsch provides 2 interviews, the first being a 12-minute discussion on "Greetings", talking about how he came to meet De Palma in film school, and how he wanted to make an American version of Godard's "Masculin Féminin". Hirsch mentions that they needed to pick 3 personalities to explore. De Palma was into voyeurism (quelle surprise!), Hirsch was into the Kennedy assassination, and the third would be computer dating, since that was "all the rage". "Brian De Palma: Early Years" is a 12-minute discussion about the director's early work with filmmaker/film historian Howard S. Berger. Berger mentions that he tends to disregard "Get to Know Your Rabbit" as part of the De Palma canon since the project was taken over by others. Berger goes on to discuss the sophistication of De Palma's work, even in these early satires. The second interview with Hirsh is on the "Hi, Mom!" Blu-ray, with the writer-producer explaining why they wanted to follow up on the story started in "Greetings". A trailer for "Hi, Mom!" rounds out the disc. There is also a booklet featuring new writing on the films by Brad Stevens, Chris Dumas and Christina Newland, plus an archive interview with Brian De Palma and Charles Hirsch, and new artwork from Matthew Griffin.

"De Niro & De Palma: The Early Films" is a welcome addition to curious cinephile's Blu-ray collections. These early satires from the director/star showcase two forces to be reckoned with. The 2K restoration work is admirable, and the commentary from Glenn Kenny is worth your time. Highly recommend this set to fans of De Palma.

Colin Zavitz