NOTE: The below 4K UHD captures were taken directly from the respective disc.

ADDITION: Criterion 4K UHD (November 2025): Criterion have transferred Arturo Ripstein Deep Crimson to Blu-ray and 4K UHD. We reviewed the Home Vision DVD of Deep Crimson HERE back in 2006. This new transfer is derived from the digitization performed by the Digital Restoration Laboratory of the National Film Archive (Cineteca Nacional) using the 35mm optical negative on acetate film, as part of the same preservation collaboration with IMCINE and Churubusco Studios, ensuring both film materials are safeguarded by IMCINE.  The 2160P image boasts exceptional sharpness, natural grain, and enhanced detail, with deep shadows and rich yet subdued colors - emphasizing the film's earthy tones and crimson hues- that pay homage to 1940s Mexican Golden Age aesthetics through strategic lighting, silhouettes, and long-take compositions by cinematographer Guillermo Granillo. The 2160P image leans green and is sharp, clean, and detailed, with natural grain structure free from digital artifacts, showcasing strong shadow depth and saturated colors - particularly the film's pervasive reds and earthy tones that evoke its 1940s Mexican setting. The film's visual palette shifts from claustrophobic interiors to wide-open deserts, symbolizing the couple's entrapment amid freedom. Granillo's cinematography uses natural light for harsh realism, contrasting with nocturnal shadows that heighten intimacy and horror. The cinematography captures stark, mesmerizing imagery of lonely landscapes. Greenish overlays dominte. The overall restoration seamlessly integrates the restored material, offering a clean, artifact-free viewing experience that elevates the film's stylized menace and scuzzy environments. The HD presentation, despite lack of HDR, shows more information in the frame, and is light years beyond the old SD rendering.

Like 4K UHD transfers of The Long Wait, I, the Jury, and many others below, Criterion's 2160P transfer of Deep Crimson does not have HDR applied (no HDR10, HDR10+, nor Dolby Vision.) We have seen many other 4K UHD transfers without HDR; Mondo Macabro's Dr. Jekyll and the Werewolf, Cult Film's Django 4K UHD, Umbrella's 4K UHD transfer of Peter Weir's The Last Wave, Radiance's Palindromes, and Criterion's 4K UHD transfers of Killer of Sheep, Chungking Express, Winchester '73, The Mother and the Whore, I Am Cuba, The Others, Rules of the Game, Branded to Kill, In the Mood For Love, Night of the Living Dead, Fires on the Plain, and further examples, Masters of Cinema's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Kino's 4K UHDs of Bob le Flambeur, Last Year at Marienbad, Nostalghia, The Apartment, For a Few Dollars More, A Fistful of Dollars, In the Heat of the Night, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, as well as Koch Media's Neon Demon + one of the 4K UHD transfers of Dario Argento's Suspiria.

NOTE: We have added 52 more large resolution 4K UHD captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray and 4K UHD, Criterion is delivered via a DTS-HD Master dual soundtrack in Spanish with optional English subtitles, providing a dynamic and immersive experience that subtly utilizes the separation for ambient effects, music, and occasional directional sounds like passing vehicles, while keeping dialogue clear and anchored front. David Mansfield's (Michael Cimino's Year of the Dragon, Heaven's Gate - where he also played the fiddler in that film - Broken Trail and The Apostle both with Robert Duvall) score fills the soundstage effectively with excellent fidelity and range, and the redubbed sections for reinstated footage blend flawlessly without noticeable sync issues, maintaining the track's restrained yet engaging design that avoids aggressive panning and ensures crisp, immersive effects throughout the film's tense and intimate moments. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray and Region FREE 4K UHD.

The special features in Criterion 4K UHD package are all on the second disc Blu-ray which include new high-definition interviews with director Arturo Ripstein (running 23 minutes,) exploring his thematic fascination with sordidness and Buñuel influences, and screenwriter Paz Alicia Garciadiego (almost 23 minutes,) discussing adaptation and collaboration. There is also a dozen minute introduction by Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar, Beau Is Afraid, Eddington) highlighting the film's disturbing gallows humor; a 1/2 hour Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences panel with Ripstein and Garciadiego hosted by Cristina Venegas, covering script and thematic development; the original trailer; and a fold-out insert featuring an essay by Haden Guest (director of the Harvard Film Archive) on Ripstein's career and the film's exploration of obsessive love, providing a concise yet insightful package that enriches understanding without excess.

Arturo Ripstein Deep Crimson stands as a pinnacle of Mexican cinema, blending elements of film noir, psychological horror, and black comedy to dissect the underbelly of human desire and depravity. Ripstein is one of Mexico's most revered auteurs with a career spanning over six decades. The film adapts the infamous "Lonely Hearts Killers" case from the 1940s, involving real-life criminals Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck. Transposed to post-war northern Mexico, it follows the toxic romance between Coral Fabre (Regina Orozco - Get the Gringo, Perdita Durango,) a desperate nurse, and Nicolás Estrella, a con artist, as their partnership devolves into a spree of scams and murders targeting vulnerable widows. Ripstein, influenced by his mentor Luis Buñuel and his upbringing in the Mexican film industry (as the son of producer Alfredo Ripstein), infuses the narrative with a subversive edge, challenging societal norms around love, class, and morality while daring viewers to empathize with its monstrous protagonists. Ripstein structures the narrative as a slow-burn descent, starting with deadpan humor and soap-opera tropes before veering into unrelenting horror. Key episodes, such as their encounters with victims like the pious widow Irene Gallardo (Marisa Paredes - All About My Mother, The Skin I Live In, The Flower of My Secret) and the attractive Rebeca Sampedro (Verónica Merchant), build tension through ironic interruptions and escalating violence, culminating in a harrowing finale that exposes the couple's mutual delusions. Nicolás, played by Giménez Cacho (Bad Education, Y tu mamá también, Zama, Cronos) with nuanced sleaziness, is a pathetic fraud defined by vanity and insecurity; his toupee becomes a recurring motif of fragile masculinity, and his migraines underscore his inner torment. Their bond is a combustible mix of mutual acceptance - Coral sees in him a romantic ideal akin to Charles Boyer, while he finds in her unwavering devotion a balm for his ego - yet it's poisoned by codependency and rancor. Ripstein's film delves into profound themes of obsession, isolation, and the dark side of desire, portraying love as a claustrophobic trap that ensnares and destroys. The vast Sonoran deserts reflect emotional barrenness, while motifs like hairpieces and formaldehyde (from Coral's embalming work) evoke decay and facade. The film also touches on class and gender dynamics, with the couple preying on widows' vulnerabilities in a patriarchal society, echoing Ripstein's broader attacks on machismo and provincialism. Ultimately, it warns of love's potential for nihilism, where mutual fantasies excuse unspeakable acts. Influenced by Buñuel (whom Ripstein assisted on The Exterminating Angel,) he employs surreal absurdism and black humor - such as Coral reciting the Lord's Prayer during a seduction - to blend pathos with morbidity. This style echoes Pedro Almodóvar's dark comedies (Matador, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, Law of Desire) and anticipates Ari Aster's introductions in the Criterion supplements, positioning Ripstein as a master of "dangerous" cinema unafraid to offend. Contemporary parallels include Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley, released alongside in Criterion's 4K UHD lineup, sharing noirish explorations of deception. Deep Crimson is a riveting, unflinching exploration of love's abyss, where Ripstein's empathetic yet pessimistic gaze transforms a true-crime tale into a profound meditation on humanity's flaws. Its masterful fusion of genres, standout performances, and bold subversion make it essential viewing, especially in its restored form- a testament to Ripstein's enduring iconoclasm in world cinema. Criterion's 4K UHD edition of Deep Crimson stands as an exemplary release, showcasing a meticulously restored director's cut through a collaborative Mexican preservation project by Cineteca Nacional, IMCINE, and Churubusco Studios, delivering highly pleqasing video from the original 35mm negative, robust audio, and thoughtful extras that honor Arturo Ripstein's subversive masterpiece on obsessive love and depravity - making it indispensable for cinephiles seeking a fresh appreciation of this underseen gem. An easy recommendation. 

Gary Tooze