A League of Their Own - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

I don't really have too much to add to E.'s previous 4K review from the Columbia Classics vol 1 box set. I'll just add my two or three cents worth that I adore this film. In my youth I was a baseball fanatic and fancied myself something of a decent player (my first pocket knife ended that career with one good slice). But I had a pretty impressive collection of cards and I dutifully watched as many movies I could. In between rounds of Eight Men Out and The Natural, A League of Their Own is a favorite. Endlessly entertaining the film works because it's a celebration of the sport and the talented players that kept it alive while men were off to war. The full history of the league is obviously much more nuanced and complicated than what this film explores, but the heart and soul of the sport thrive. Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, and Madonna may be the star-power headliners, but this film is filled with terrific performances from a very talented cast. Now back to E.'s original review:

Of the thousand stories from World War II about the many ways people contributed to the war effort, the story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was rarely ever mentioned and went almost forgotten. That is until journalist, politician, filmmaker, and professor Kelly Candaele wrote a story about the time his mother and aunt played for AAGPBL and was made into the now-classic sports dramedy A League of Their Own. Today, this fictionalized telling of the league and its eventual inclusion in the Baseball Hall of Fame is one of the greatest underdog stories ever told. Directed by Laverne & Shirley's Penny Marshall, the plot doesn't follow the traditional sports narrative where an unlikely team or athlete inevitably faces off against the current sure-bet favorite or the top-dog champion.  

Instead, these women went up against a much more pervasive and abstract Goliath. Their conflict was with the rigidly fixed patriarchal system that gave them a taste of their true potential, performing just as well at the men's professional team, yet they were still regarded as little more than sideshow attractions. Although some characters, like Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), were loosely based on real people, everyone is essentially an amalgamation of ideologies competing with one another, such as Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) battling herself, stuck between two worlds rather than seeing the two can coexist peacefully.

The women were expected to uphold traditional gender roles and normatives in spite of participating in a sport generally viewed as a masculine activity. Meanwhile, Jimmy stands in for early 20th-century society — at first, without any confidence in the women's abilities but slowly embracing the tides of change and accepting the women as legitimate ballplayers. And for that, Marshall's film remains an inspiring and satisfying watch. 

For a more in-depth take on the movie, you can read our review of the 25th Anniversary Blu-ray Edition HERE.

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment takes another pitch for A League of Their Own on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with a new two-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital set. The new 4K is pressed on a BD-100 with the same BD-50 disc returning for the 1080p edition and bonus features. The 4K disc clocks in about seven gigs heavier than the last disc. Both discs are housed in a standard black case with identical slipcover artwork. To make things complicated for fans with both sets, the disc art is identical to the 2020 set, right down to the copyright. The disc loads to a static main menu with standard navigation option and the bonus features panel along the right side of the screen. 

As Sony has dutifully revisited their previous 4K output with Dolby Vision upgrades, so too goes A League of Their Own. While some of those releases enjoyed nominal upgrades, I have to say I greatly appreciate the enhancements of this Dolby Vision pass. The film is so bright and colorful, that the extra nuances in color shading (especially primaries), shadows, black levels, and contrast is immediately appreciable. White uniforms are impressively crisp. Probably not a night and day upgrade, but enough of one to easily point to this new disc and say "yup, this one is better." Another benefit is the new encode gives the film a little extra disc space. At the better side of seven gigs heavier, bitrate sees some slight improvements throughout. Again, not looking at huge MBPS upgrades here, but some scenes that ran lower see a few more points for a little extra clarity with a little more attention for the film grain to look a little better resolved. To be true, that disc from 2020 is still a winner and still stacks highly against most catalog titles on the format, but I'd be lying if I didn't say Sony capped off a three-lady lead with a hell of a home run hit. 

Here's what E. had to say about the 2020 disc:

The sports dramedy hits a homerun on Ultra HD with a spectacularly beautiful HEVC H.265 encode, easily defeating it's 25th Anniversary Blu-ray opponent in every respect. Struck from a brand-new remaster of the original 35mm camera negatives, this native 4K transfer boasts razor-sharp definition, from the individual blades of grass in the outfield to the fine stitching in the costumes and baseball uniforms. Every strand of hair and facial whisker is distinct, and facial complexions reveal pores, wrinkles and negligible blemishes with lifelike textures. There are a couple moments where the sharpest edges along the stadium seats noticeably wobble and waver, bringing the score down a tad, but overall, the 2160p picture delivers excellent detailing throughout. 

With the improved contrast balance, we can better out the lettering of advertisements as well as the tiniest imperfections while the whites of uniforms and other clothing are crisper with a significantly punchier pop. Likewise, the specular highlights are most impressive, supplying every scene with a more intense and spirited energy, especially in the daylight sequences where we can appreciate a twinkle in the eyes, a vivid luminosity in the clouds and a beaming glow in the lights without washing over the finer details. On the other end of the spectrum, black levels are notably richer with luxurious-looking midnight shadows, giving the women's hair a realistic silky polish and providing the 2.39:1 image with a stunning cinematic quality. 

Miroslav Ondricek's cinematography also benefits and has never looked better, thanks to a considerably more vibrant and sumptuous color palette. The reds in the makeup and various articles of clothing come with an eye-catching and animated splendor, and the greens are lively and full-bodied while the blues are terrifically diverse, from the navy blues of baseball caps and cerulean shades of the sky to the sapphire teals of the stadium seats. A majority of the film's aesthetic comes with a yellowish-sepia tone, so the secondary hues expectedly enjoy the most dramatic improvement, especially the blush pink of the Peaches and the golden canary yellows of the Belles. All the while, flesh tones are also more lifelike and true with a better rosy-peach complexion in the entire cast. (Video Rating: 90/100)

Once again Sony returns with the excellent Atmos track, a DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix, and a lovely stereo surround DTS-HD MA 2.0 option. Truthfully, any one of these tracks is a winner. All three play well on virtually any setup, so it all comes down to preference. For catalog films I tend to lean as close to the original theatrical experience as best I can, so the 2.0 or the very good 5.1 - but I can't deny this Atmos track has some heft! The big crowds, the on-the-field action, the thunderous crack of the bat striking the ball, all enjoy a wonderful presence throughout the soundscape. Dialog never falters and Hans Zimmer's lovely score are well-prioritized. 

The beloved classic comedy continues its winning streak with a fantastic and surprisingly immersive Dolby Atmos soundtrack, which amazingly complements many conversations with the sounds of birds chirping in the distance or flying directly overhead. The cheering roars and applause of the stadium crowds also reverberate all around and encircle the listener while the announcer's voice echoes from above, generating an unexpectedly good and satisfying hemispheric soundfield. Meanwhile, imaging feels broad and spacious, continuously kept busy with a variety of background activity convincingly panning between the channels and into the off-screen space, such a people talking or cars driving in the distance. Hans Zimmer's score is highly engaging, effectively bleeding into the surrounds and top heights while exhibiting superb clarity and definition within the orchestration. Vocals are always precise and distinct with appreciable intonation in the performances and never drowned out by other activities in the background. Not surprisingly, the low-end is never really put to work here, but it is nonetheless adequate and sufficient to provide some weight and presence to the visuals and the music. (Dolby Atmos Audio Rating: 86/100)

Bonus features remain the same assortment as before. The new previews are again included on the 4K disc with the 1080p Blu-ray again bringing back the same set of extras. Considering it ran for only six episodes, I was hoping to see the complete 1993 TV series included but again, the same three episodes from before. The almost 40 minutes of deleted scenes and the audio commentary remain the biggest draws of the set. 

4K Disc

• Trailers

Blu-ray Disc

• Audio Commentary featuring Penny Marshall, Lori Petty, Tracy Reiner, and Megan Cavanagh 
• A League of Their Own TV Series (HD): Three episodes from the six-episode series that only aired for one season in 1993. 
• "Dottie's Back" (24 min) 
• "Shortstop" (24 min)
• "Marathon" (24 min)
• Nine Memorable Innings (SD, 52 min)
• The Enduring Legacy of A League of Their Own (HD, 12 min)
• Music Video (SD, 5 min)
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 37 min)

32 years and multiple home video iterations later, A League of Their Own remains a genuine modern classic. Highlighting a nearly-forgotten period where women played the greatest game, the film is a glorious piece of work. Penny Marshall crafted a delightful drama comedy that makes you laugh as often as you grip your seat for the big play. Sony returns to the mound for a second time on 4K UHD complete with a very nice Dolby Vision upgrade. The same excellent audio options and bonus features return. While certainly an improvement, fans who have the Columbia Classics set may not feel compelled to spring for an upgrade, but those who held out for a solo release will be rewarded for waiting. Highly Recommended