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

ADDITION: CIP (Canadian International Pictures) Blu-ray (August 2025): CIP (Canadian International Pictures) have transferred David Secter's Winter Kept Us Warm to Blu-ray. It cited as "Newly scanned and restored in 4K from the original 16mm A/B camera negatives by Canadian International Pictures with sound transferred from the answer print". This restoration, handled by Canadian International Pictures, enhances the raw, guerrilla-filmed aesthetic with a film-like presentation, allowing spontaneous elements like wildlife and crowd scenes to shine through with wonderfully textured grain. This 60-year-old indie feature looks remarkably fresh and as luscious as a wet print just taken from the lab, while respecting the inherent limitations of the source material for an authentic viewing experience. Viewers will appreciate how the upgrade brings out subtle homoerotic tensions in lingering gazes and physical interactions, providing a significant improvement over previous degraded copies and ensuring the film's poetic realism endures for modern audiences. This restoration, funded by Telefilm Canada, enhances the black-and-white imagery's depth. The camera work is whimsical and observational, following characters with a tall, man-like mobility that stops on whims, resulting in a vivid snapshot of 1960s University of Toronto - downtown streets, libraries, dorms, and winter carnivals - all rendered with an authentic, unpolished charm that some critics deemed amateurish but others praised for its poetic realism. The 1080P exports this brilliantly.

NOTE: We have added 74 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE.

On their Blu-ray, CIP (Canadian International Pictures) use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit), transferred directly from the answer print, capturing the original mono sound with as much fidelity as possible given the low-budget production's constraints, including improvised dialogue and on-location recording challenges. While the restoration achieves the best possible sound quality for the era, some muddiness persists in places, reflecting the amateurish technical aspects like inconsistent syncing and ambient noise. Counterbalancing these limitations is Paul Hoffert's (Fanny Hill, Sunday in the Country, The Groundstar Conspiracy) standout soundtrack, a boisterous and delightful jazzy score composed by the University of Toronto science major and professional musician, who assembled a ensemble of prominent Canadian jazz artists including Rob McConnell on trombone, Moe Koffman on flute, Eugene Amaro on alto sax and flute, Ed Bickert on guitar, and Ed Thigpen on drums - all performing for a modest budget despite the film's overall financial constraints. The music elevates the narrative, blending folk and jazz elements to underscore themes of connection and isolation; for instance, Finnish folk music plays during intimate moments in Peter's room, while the jazz score syncs poetically with visuals, such as a slide trombone mirroring movements in a photo montage of campus life. Overall, the audio serves the film's subtle storytelling well. CIP offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The extras on this CIP Blu-ray are comprehensive starting with two new audio commentaries - one by director David Secter and another by filmmaker John Greyson (Zero Patience, Lilies) and author / professor Thomas Waugh (Writing in the Flesh: Essays on My Lives, My Bodies, My Families, My Places, My Movies) - offering deep insights into the film's production, queer themes, and cultural impact. A suite of 2025 interviews, including "Learning on the Job" with Secter - running 18 minutes, "The Actor as Author" (over 1/4 hour) with actress Joy Fielding, "Winging It" with executive producer Ronald B. Thomson, "First Score" (a dozen minutes) with composer Paul Hoffert, and "After Winter" where Hoffert reflects on his career, provide fresh perspectives on the making of the movie; additionally, archival materials like 5 minutes of 1965 behind-the-scenes footage, almost 20 minutes of outtakes and deleted scenes a theatrical re-release trailer, and a press gallery enrich the historical context. The Blu-ray package has a 20-page liner notes booklet with photos and essays by Chris Dupuis and Thomas Waugh plus notes of the restoration and credits.

David Secter's Winter Kept Us Warm stands as a pioneering work in Canadian cinema, directed and written by Secter while he was a 22-year-old English major at the University of Toronto. Produced on a shoestring budget of just CAD $8,000, the film is a romantic drama that subtly explores themes of friendship, desire, and identity amid the backdrop of 1960s campus life. Despite its initial acclaim and influence on filmmakers like David Cronenberg, who credited it as a key inspiration for entering the industry, the film faded into obscurity by the late 1960s, overshadowed by more explicit queer narratives in later decades. The CIP Blu-ray of Winter Kept Us Warm stands as a landmark release, resurrecting a pioneering queer Canadian film with a stellar 4K restoration that honors its indie roots while providing the best look and sound achievable, complemented by an exhaustive array of extras that offer invaluable context and behind-the-scenes depth. Despite minor audio imperfections inherent to the original production, the package's historical significance, thoughtful curation, and limited-edition appeal make it a highly desirable, ensuring this once-obscure gem resonates anew in 2025 and beyond, as evidenced by enthusiastic feedback from those involved in its revival. Recommended. 

Gary Tooze