In 'The Way We Were," Hubbell Gardiner and Katie Morosky (Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand) are captivating star-crossed lovers. Theirs is a classic love story sparked by the attraction of opposites, played out against the backdrop of American life during times of foreign war, domestic prosperity and McCarthy-era paranoia in Hollywood. (Gary Reber)
Special features include commentary by Director Sydney Pollack, “Looking Back” a making-of documentary (SD 01:01:34), theatrical trailer and a Movies Anywhere digital copy.
The 2.35:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 4K Ultra HD HDR10 picture, reviewed on a VIZIO Quantum X P85QX-JI UHD/HDR display, was photographed on 35 mm film stock in anamorphic Panavision® using Panavision Panaflex cameras an sourced from a 4K Digital Intermediate. The grain field is rather strong but non-obtrusive. The picture exhibits a wonderful cinematic warmth. Beautifully produced, he color palette is nicely saturated with rich hues that express beautiful color depth. Primaries appear bright and natural as do all the colors in the spectrum. Nuanced hue shading are evident throughout. Flesh tones are perfectly natural throughout, HDR contrast is excellent. Blacks are deep and solid. Shadow delineation is revealing. White levels are perfectly natural. Resolution is superb and exhibits fine detail, especially during closeups of facial features and hair, Clothing fabrics are crisp and revealing. This is the 50th anniversary of a classic love story that looks beautiful with a vivid color palette that lights up the screen. Fans will love this picture. (Gary Reber)
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel soundtrack delivers nice fidelity throughout and spaciousness. Nothing sounds exaggerated or artificially "produced". The "Way We Were" theme song is heard in lover level sequences throughout but never pronounced except when Streisand sings the lyrics, which sounds beautiful. Atmospherics sound realistic as well as sound effects. Marvin Hamlisch's score is terrific though the soundstage is rather narrow in dimension with nuanced surround envelopment. The film's soundtrack originally was produced in monaural. Dialogue is clear and intelligible with good spatial integration. This is a very enjoyable soundtrack that nicely complements the romantic storytelling. (Gary Reber)