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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (January 2021): Criterion have transferred Alan J. Pakula's The Parallax View to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New, restored 4K digital transfer". It looks excellent with grain texture support and impressive detail in close-ups. It is in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio and looks like film with earth-tones and some minor blue leaning. Best I have ever seen The Parallax View look on digital.

NOTE: We have added 66 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. There are plenty of effects - expositions, gunfire and a wonderful score by Michael Small (Pakula's Klute, The Drowning Pool, Black Widow, Child's Play, Night Moves, The Driver, The Star Chamber) and it all sounds authentically flat but carrying some depth in the more aggressive sequences. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offers a new supplements. We start with a 15-minute introduction by filmmaker Alex Cox was recorded by Collection in October 2020. He's always a wealth of knowledge and extols Pakula and the film. There are interviews with director Alan J. Pakula - the first was 18-minute on November 20th, 1974 from the Harold Lloyd seminar series where he discusses his approach to filmmaking and making The Parallax View - and a second interview from 1995 for shy of 6-minutes, recorded by The American Film Institute, where he conveyed the anxieties of the early seventies. There is a new 18-minute program on the great cinematographer Gordon Willis, nicknamed "the prince of darkness", featuring an interview with Willis from 2004 for The American Society of Cinematographers where he discussed his working relationship with director Alan J. Pakula and their stylistic approach to shooting The Parallax View. There is a 1/4 hour interview with Jon Boorstin, assistant to Pakula on The Parallax View, where he discusses working on the psychological test and the Parallax test video for the film. The package has a liner notes booklet with an essay by critic Nathan Heller and a 1974 interview with Pakula.

Alan J. Pakula's The Parallax View is one of the quintessential 'paranoia' thrillers of the 70s. Pakula has stated that "The Parallax View was a whole other kind of filmmaking for me". The title refers to alternate perspectives and it runs as a theme throughout the film with unique camera angles - viewing circumstance from unusual vantagepoints - making full use of the widescreen frame. It's brilliantly realized. The Criterion Blu-ray is a perfect addition to any cinephiles digital library. Strongly recommended!

Gary Tooze