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

ADDITION: Criterion 4K UHD (April 2026): Criterion have transferred Charles Vidor’s Gilda to Blu-ray and 4K UHD. The Blu-ray in the package is the exact same Criterion-offered disc from 2015, as evidence by the M2TS files:

We compared it to the Columbia Tri-Star DVD from 2000, the German PAL DVD from 1999, the 2014 Sony - Blu-ray and the 2025 Criterion - Blu-ray, HERE.
The video presentation on Criterion’s 4K UHD edition of Gilda (1946) is a strong upgrade that honors Rudolph Maté’s (as cinematographer; Michael, La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, Dodsworth, Stella Dallas, Foreign Correspondent, That Hamilton Woman, The Flame of New Orleans, To Be or Not to Be, Sahara, Cover Girl, Address Unknown, The Lady from Shanghai - as director The Dark Past, D.O.A. (1950), Branded, Union Station, When Worlds Collide, The Green Glove, The Violent Men, The Black Shield of Falworth, Three Violent People, Miracle in the Rain) masterful black-and-white cinematography. Sourced from a new 4K digital restoration using the original nitrate camera negative and a duplicate negative, the 2160P Dolby Vision HDR transfer (presented in its theatrical 1.37:1 aspect ratio on the UHD disc) delivers deeper, inkier blacks, richer mid-tones, and enhanced highlight detail that make shadows feel truly enveloping and glamorous surfaces gleam with newfound texture. The lush, high-contrast photography bathes the opulent Buenos Aires casino and its underworld in deep shadows, dramatic silhouettes, and gleaming highlights. Low-key lighting hides faces and motivations in darkness, evoking mystery and moral ambiguity, while mirrors and reflective surfaces amplify the theme of fractured identities and surveillance. Rita Hayworth’s iconic hair shimmers with lifelike strands, the silky black satin of her “Put the Blame on Mame” gown reveals subtle fabric sheen and movement, and fine facial details - from Glenn Ford’s rugged features to George Macready’s scarred complexion - pop with clarity while retaining a natural, organic film grain structure. Compared to the, included, excellent 2015 Blu-ray, this version offers noticeably superior depth, contrast range, and resolution, making the casino’s opulent yet claustrophobic interiors and Hayworth’s legendary close-ups look more seductive and cinematic than ever.

It is likely that the monitor you are seeing this review is not an HDR-compatible display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider and notably granular range of color and light. Our capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more 4K UHD titles in the future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the 4K system at your home. But the framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by this simulation representation.

NOTE: We have added 72 more large resolution 4K UHD captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

The set includes the film’s original mono via an uncompressed linear PCM soundtrack, in the original English language, on both the Blu-ray and 4K UHD discs. Sonically, Gilda blends a moody orchestral score (by Morris Stoloff - Lawrence of Arabia, Strangers When We Meet, Gunman's Walk, Cowboy, Pal Joey, The Brothers Rico, 3:10 to Yuma, Jeanne Eagels, Nightfall, The Eddy Duchin Story, Jubal, Picnic, Queen Bee, My Sister Eileen, The Man from Laramie, 5 Against the House, Tight Spot - and Marlin Skiles (The Crawling Hand, Flight to Mars Framed, My Gun is Quick, Queen of Outer Space, Flat Top, The Maze, Dead Reckoning, Sudden Danger,) with contributions from Hugo Friedhofer - Captain Carey U.S.A., No Man of Her Own, Plunder of the Sun, One-Eyed Jacks Two Flags West, Man in the Attic, Ace in the Hole, Body and Soul, Gilda, The Bishop's Wife) that underscores the film’s volatile emotions with sweeping romantic and suspenseful themes. The sound design emphasizes crisp, overlapping dialogue laced with sharp, double-entendre sarcasm and simmering hostility - especially in Johnny and Gilda’s barbed exchanges - which crackles with sexual tension and psychological warfare. The standout auditory moments are the two musical numbers: the elegant, rhythmic “Amado Mio,” performed with sophisticated allure, and the raw, defiant “Put the Blame on Mame.” Hayworth lip-syncs both with perfect physical timing and erotic charisma (her singing voice dubbed by Anita Ellis for the nightclub version), turning the latter into a cathartic, guitar-strumming act of rebellion where her husky delivery and rhythmic hip movements make the lyrics about scapegoating women feel both playful and dangerously subversive. While the inherent limitations of mono optical sound from the era mean there is some noticeable unevenness and no true stereo separation, the track sounds robust, clean, and free of major flaws, making it more than satisfactory and a noticeable step up in overall clarity from older, especially SD, editions. Criterion offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray and Region FREE 4K UHD.

Criterion's 4K UHD package carries over the strong supplemental material from Criterion’s earlier Blu-ray without new additions, but the selection remains highly worthwhile for fans of film noir and Rita Hayworth. It includes an archival audio commentary by critic Richard Schickel - The Men Who Made the Movies - (recorded in 2010), which offers thoughtful production history and observations on the characters’ complex relationships; a lively 22-minute interview with film-noir historian Eddie Muller that dives into the film’s subversive qualities, including the homosexual or bisexual hints in the dialogue, the coded homoerotic cues between Johnny and Ballin, and the barrage of sexual double entendres (Muller famously calls Gilda “the Mulholland Dr. of its time,” noting that “the subtext is the plot”); a 1/4 hour program with Martin Scorsese and Baz Luhrmann sharing their personal appreciation for the film’s melodrama, style, and Hayworth’s star power; the 25-minute 1964 Hollywood and the Stars episode “The Odyssey of Rita Hayworth,” narrated by Joseph Cotten and exploring her career and personal life; and the original theatrical trailer. Rounding things out is a foldout insert featuring a new essay by critic Sheila O’Malley (Frankenstein: Written and Directed by Guillermo del Toro) on the film’s cultural impact and long shadow. The supplements provide solid historical, thematic, and contextual depth.

Charles Vidor’s Gilda stands as one of the most electrifying and psychologically layered entries in the film noir canon, blending melodrama, romance, and shadowy intrigue into a volatile cocktail of obsession, jealousy, and repressed desire. Set in the exotic, post-WWII underworld of Buenos Aires, the story centers on a tense love triangle: small-time gambler Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford - The Visitor, The Big Heat, 3:10 to Yuma, Human Desire, Plunder of the Sun, Rage, The Undercover Man, The Americano, Convicted, Cowboy, Terror on a Train, The Fastest Gun Alive, Cimarron, Heaven with a Gun, Jubal, Trial, Ransom!, Fate is the Hunter,) who claws his way into managing a lavish casino; his enigmatic, aristocratic boss Ballin Mundson (George Macready - Paths of Glory, My Name is Julia Ross, A Kiss Before Dying, A Lady Without Passport, The Walls Came Tumbling Down, The Big Clock, Alias Nick Beal, Johnny Allegro, Taras Bulba, The Human Duplicators, Seven Days in May, Detective Story, Assignment: Paris, The Crooked Web, Shadow on the Window, Escape in the Fog,) a cold, power-hungry figure entangled in a tungsten cartel with Nazi undertones; and Ballin’s dazzling new wife Gilda (Rita Hayworth - The Lady from Shanghai, Miss Sadie Thompson, Cover Girl, You'll Never Get Rich, Affair in Trinidad, Angels Over Broadway, The Cats,) who turns out to be Johnny’s fiery ex-lover from the past. At its core, Gilda subverts the classic noir femme fatale archetype. Hayworth’s Gilda is marketed and initially perceived as a dangerous seductress who brings chaos wherever she goes, yet the film gradually reveals her as a woman trapped by male projections of fear and desire. Thematically, Gilda explores the blurry line between love and hate, the destructive nature of jealousy, and the ways postwar anxieties (including shifting gender roles and hidden fascist sympathies) manifest in personal relationships. It flirts with psychoanalysis - Gilda even calls out Johnny’s “revealing thought associations” regarding his bond with Ballin - and invites queer readings that enrich its campy, surreal quality without fully committing. Some critics view it as anti-noir for humanizing its “fatal woman” and distributing blame across all parties, while others celebrate its chaotic fusion of genres: romantic melodrama, psychological thriller, and subtle political intrigue. Gilda remains a hypnotic, endlessly rewatchable oddity that rewards repeated viewings with new discoveries about desire, power, and the masks we wear. Criterion’s 4K UHD special edition of Gilda is a luxurious and highly recommended visual upgrade that polishes this sultry 1946 noir to its most alluring sheen yet. The breathtaking video presentation alone justifies the purchase for anyone who loves the film’s visual and erotic power, while the solid mono audio and engaging extras - particularly Muller’s insightful discussion of its queer-coded undercurrents - make it a complete package for cinephiles. Though it recycles the previous Blu-ray's supplements and the era’s technical constraints prevent revolutionary audio leaps, the overall result is the best this glittering, psychologically charged classic has ever looked or sounded on home video. If you’re a fan of Hayworth’s iconic performance, classic noir glamour, or films that flirt daringly with desire and subtext, this dual-format release belongs on your shelf.

Gary Tooze