BLU-RAY REVIEW

Breakfast At Tiffany's

Featured In Issue 165, March 2012

Picture4.5
Sound3.5
WSR Score4
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Paramount Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
14352
(MPAA Rating):
Not Rated
(Rating Reason):
(Retail Price):
$29.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
114
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
Not Indicated
(Theatrical Year):
1961
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
09/20/11
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Blake Edwards
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

Based on the novella by Truman Capote, Breakfast At Tiffany's stars the lovely Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly, a dazzling and stylish young woman whose life is both mysterious and charming, yet heartbreaking. Holly is determined to marry a Brazilian millionaire but develops a close relationship with her neighbor (Peppard) who has a "benefactress" in Patricia Neal. The hypnotic theme song "Moon River" won an Academy Award® and the memorable score garnered Henry Mancini a second statue in 1961. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary by Producer Richard Shepherd, the following featurettes: A Golightly Gathering (HD 20:26), Henry Mancini: More Than Music (HD 20:57), Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective (HD 17:30), The Making Of A Classic (SD 16:13), It's So Audrey! A Style Icon (SD 08:15), Behind The Gates: The Tour (SD 04:33), Brilliance In A Blue Box (SD 06:03), and Audrey's Letter To Tiffany (SD 02:29); photo galleries; and the original theatrical trailer.

First reviewed as a LaserDisc in Issue 12, then as two DVDs in Issues 35 and Issue 107, respectively, this is the first Blu-ray Disc™ release. This classic has been fully restored and remastered. Despite an anamorphic transfer on the first DVD release, the picture was marred with excessive digital compression that was even more distracting than the apparent noise on the LaserDisc. However, the picture exhibited improved depth and definition. Colors were more naturally balanced, while appearing oversaturated on the LaserDisc. Black levels were much deeper, but the picture was darker overall in comparison. With improved fine detail and definition, the 1.78:1 DVD was preferred. The anniversary edition DVD reviewed in Issue 107 exhibited a cleaned-up and brighter picture. Colors were well balanced, though, fleshtones occasionally appeared a bit ruddy. Sharpness and detail were quite satisfying overall. The restored and remastered Blu-ray® looks stunning! The vibrancy and richness of the color palette is wonderful. Audrey Hepburn never looked more beautiful or glamorous. The hues are fully saturated, with a richness that is eye-popping. Contrast is superb with deep, solid blacks and revealing shadow delineation. Resolution is excellent, with sharply focused imagery. Facial features, other than Audrey's soft focus, are nicely detailed as well as hair, clothing, and object textures. The picture is pristine throughout. This is a remarkable restoration that does full justice to this great American classic. Fans will be thrilled! (Gary Reber)

The DVDs' remastered 5.1-channel Dolby® Digital soundtracks were a substantial improvement over the dual-channel mono PCM on the LaserDisc. The new encoded DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is a substantial improvement in spaciousness and depth over the Dolby Digital 2.0-channel mono soundtrack, which is included on this disc. The remastered sound is impressive, with noise and distortion cleaned up well. Henry Mancini's multi-dimensional music and atmospherics provide for an engaging experience. Dialogue is impressively intelligible and spatially integrated. There is a hint of activity in the .1 LFE used for the lowest frequencies of the music. While the sound is greatly improved, the sonics remain compressed and enveloping-restricted. (Gary Reber)