1977 on 4K UHD

Shameless Films has a Collector's Edition 4K out March 30. Argento supervised the color timing, Dolby Vision, six hours of extras, serial numbered. Already sold out at Rare Waves. The problem is that Synapse had the cinematographer supervise their transfer and Argento has a different idea of what his film should look like. Worth waiting for comparison shots before buying it twice.

Synapse Films · 4K + Blu-ray

A Bridge Too Far(1977)

7.2/10

dir. Richard Attenborough

S-Tier from the Australian Imprint label, with a Kino Lorber US release also available. Richard Attenborough's massive WWII epic with an all-star cast, shot on location in the Netherlands.

Imprint · 4K + Blu-ray

Blue Sunshine(1977)

5.7/10

dir. Jeff Lieberman

S-Tier Synapse Films 4K. A 70s psychedelic horror film about a bad batch of acid. Synapse put this out and collectors who grabbed it during summer sales have been happy with it.

Synapse Films · 3-Disc Limited Edition

Cross of Iron(1977)

7.1/10

dir. Sam Peckinpah

S-Tier ViaVision 4K. Sam Peckinpah's WWII film. ViaVision's Imprint label from Australia has been picking up interesting catalog titles.

Umbrella Entertainment · 4K + Blu-ray (Australia)

Looking for Mr. Goodbar(1977)

6.4/10

dir. Richard Brooks

S-Tier Vinegar Syndrome 4K. The 1977 Diane Keaton film that was stuck in rights hell for years. VS getting this out on 4K was a major surprise. It felt more like a Cinematographe release, and some subscribers weren't thrilled about getting it in their package. The film itself has a serious reputation, and it barely had a decent home release before this.

Vinegar Syndrome · 4K + Blu-ray

Rolling Thunder(1977)

6.8/10

dir. John Flynn

Shout Factory announced the 4K and multiple people joked they had just bought the Blu-ray. That's the Shout Factory cycle at this point. Tarantino named his production company after this film, which gives it perennial collector relevance. The revenge thriller pairs well with other Vietnam vet films if you're building that section of your shelf.

Shout! Studios · 4K + Blu-ray

The Incredible Melting Man(1977)

4.5/10

dir. William Sachs

An astronaut exposed to cosmic rays outside of Saturn's rings returns to Earth and begins to melt away. Escaping from the hospital, he wanders around the backwoods looking for human flesh to eat.

Vinegar Syndrome · 4K + Blu-ray

The Man Who Loved Women(1977)

7.1/10

dir. François Truffaut

At Bertrand Morane's burial there are many of the women that the 40-year-old engineer loved. In flashback Bertrand's life and love affairs are told by himself while writing an autobiographical novel.

BFI · 4K + Blu-ray

To Kill with Intrigue(1977)

5.4/10

dir. Lo Wei

88 Films S-Tier 4K. Early Chan before he was Chan, and 88 Films gave it one of their best transfers. If you're working through the HK catalog, put this on the list.

88 Films · Remastered

Close Encounters of the Third Kind(1977)

7.4/10

dir. Steven Spielberg

A-Tier Sony 4K. Spielberg's UFO film. The collectors edition with the different cuts is the better option. Multiple packaging options exist but the discs are the same.

Sony Pictures · 40th Anniversary Edition

Ruby(1977)

4.5/10

dir. Curtis Harrington

Strange killings occur at Ruby's drive-in theatre, sixteen years after the murder of her gangster boyfriend.

Sorcerer(1977)

7.7/10

dir. William Friedkin

Four men from different parts of the globe, all hiding from their pasts in the same remote South American town, agree to risk their lives transporting several cases of dynamite (which is so old that it is dripping unstable nitroglycerin) across dangerous jungle terrain.

Criterion Collection · 4K + Blu-ray

Star Wars(1977)

8.6/10

dir. George Lucas

Disney's only Star Wars 4K is the 1997 Special Edition cut with CGI Jabba and Greedo shooting first. BFI just screened the original 1977 Technicolor print in London for the 50th, reopening the originals-only debate. Lucas's contract with Disney reportedly forbids an official Despecialized release, leaving the TN1 fan 4K Project of the OGT as the workaround.

Walt Disney Studios · Ultimate Collector's Edition

The Psychic(1977)

7.0/10

dir. Lucio Fulci

A woman with psychic powers has a vision of a murder that took place in a house owned by her husband.

Severin Films · Severin Films Exclusive - Limited Edition

Smokey and the Bandit(1977)

7.0/10

dir. Hal Needham

A race car driver tries to transport an illegal beer shipment from Texas to Atlanta in under 28 hours, picking up a reluctant bride-to-be on the way.

Airport '77(1977)

5.8/10

dir. Jerry Jameson

Flight 23 has crashed in the Bermuda Triangle after a hijacking gone wrong. Now the surviving passengers must brave panic, slow leaks, oxygen depletion, and more while attempting a daring plan, all while 200 feet underwater.

Eraserhead(1977)

7.2/10

dir. David Lynch

Eraserhead finally got a 4K and it came out of Germany from Arthaus, StudioCanal's classics label. The consensus from owners is that this is the closest thing to a reference Eraserhead you can get at home, with cleaner near-black handling than the Criterion Blu-ray. There's one quirk at the 31-minute mark, a dark spot on Henry's wall that turns out to be in the 4K DCP itself, not a disc error. Collectors still expect Criterion to follow with a domestic 4K, and the import-vs-wait debate is active, but the Arthaus disc is the one you actually play.

StudioCanal · 4K Ultra HD

Orca(1977)

5.8/10

dir. Michael Anderson

After witnessing the killing of his mate and offspring at the hands of a reckless Irish captain, a vengeful killer whale rampages through the fisherman's Newfoundland harbor. Under pressure from the villagers, the captain, a female marine biologist, and an Indigenous tribalist venture after the great beast, who will meet them on its own turf.

Saturday Night Fever(1977)

6.7/10

dir. John Badham

Modern audiences expecting Grease get blindsided by how dark this film actually is. It has more in common with Mean Streets than with a musical, and that disconnect drives a lot of the mixed Letterboxd reception. The B-Tier transfer is better than its reputation suggests and this remains the best way to watch it at home. A film that rewards watching in context rather than through a modern lens.

Paramount Pictures · 45 Year Anniversary

The Farmer(1977)

6.2/10

dir. David Berlatsky