On Blu-ray - David Hare is impressed by Criterion's new edition of MISHIMA: A LIFE IN FOUR CHAPTERS (Paul Schrader, USA

After the major disappointment with Criterion’s new Blu-ray of Midnight, it’s nice to get a really fine, blow-it-outta-the-water 4K UHD of Schrader’s terrific Mishima, complete with giant booklet and a folding box within the sinisterly faux-camp lurid cover.

The UHD is from a brand new 4K scan from Warner and encode from Criterion in-house which just goes to show how good they can be. The decision was made to stay with SDR 8 bit dynamic range rather than 10 bit which is both interesting and compelling. There’s so much visual artifice in the picture by way of extreme high contrast black based B&W and kaleidoscopic color which although wide ranging never pops beyond the intended pastel. 

All things considered this is a brilliant presentation. I rewatched the older Blu-ray before ordering this and I frankly wondered how much better a 4K could be. The answer is emphatically YES IT IS: for depth, texture, detail and sheer filmic consistency. Along with Arrow’s absolutely flawless 4K of American Gigolo these two titles are 4K catnip for fans.