Kramer vs. Kramer - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (Columbia Classics Vol.4)

For anyone who has experienced divorce, Kramer vs. Kramer remains one of the most frank depictions of the aftermath and the harm caused when a marriage ends. For children, it is a turbulent time, an endless rollercoaster of emotions and confusion as shown in the moving performance by Justin Henry as the seven-year-old Billy Kramer struggling to make sense of his mother (a wonderful Meryl Streep) leaving. For the parent, it is the abrupt change to the family dynamics, placing all the responsibility on one person to unexpectedly restore a home they had built with a partner, which for Dustin Hoffman's successful advertising executive Ted Kramer becomes the biggest challenge of his life. Even something as simple as making French toast for breakfast on their first morning alone without Joanna (Streep) quickly spirals into a chaotic mess, becoming emblematic of the difficulties Ted will face and have to overcome as a single parent.

Based on Avery Corman's 1977 novel of the same name, the plot is set during the cusp end of a major cultural shift in the U.S. — second-wave feminism — taking issue with traditional roles and various ignored social inequalities. Robert Benton's heartbreaking legal drama brings those issues from the political arena to the personal and private life of an individual, translating those abstract conversations about substantive equality into a concrete, intimate portrayal of the harm patriarchal norms have on all of society. The story is the journey of a husband realizing the demanding hardships his wife had been experiencing throughout their marriage, which is not to say his career was any less taxing or stressful. However, he comes to appreciate the sacrifices made in raising a child and building a successful marriage. 

With time and patience, he learns how to be a more attentive father by making French toast again, not by himself trying to manage everything and assuming it's as easy as mom made it look. But he does it in unison with his child as a family because he experienced what it's like to parent alone. (Movie Rating: 5/5)

For another take on the film, check out David Krauss's review of the 2009 Blu-ray HERE.

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brings Robert Benton's Kramer vs. Kramer to Ultra HD Blu-ray as a two-disc combo pack with a flyer for a Digital Copy, which grants access to the 4K Dolby Vision HDR version with Dolby Atmos audio. The triple-layered UHD100 disc sits comfortably opposite a Region Free, BD50 disc inside a black, eco-elite vortex case with a glossy slipcover. At startup, the disc goes straight to a static main screen with the usual options along the bottom while music plays in the background.

Currently, the film is only available with Sony's Columbia Classics Volume 4 6-film collection which also includes:

His Girl Friday

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 

Starman

Sleepless In Seattle

Punch-drunk Love

The classic drama enters the Ultra HD courtroom well prepared with a lovely HEVC H.265 encode, which was struck from a fresh remaster of the original 35mm camera negatives. Compared to the 2009 Blu-ray, the native 4K transfer offers a notable upgrade with cleaner, sharper definition overall, making all the background information and small objects decorating the apartment clearer and more detailed. The Dolby Vision HDR presentation also shows an improved contrast and brightness with spotless, brighter whites and sharp, crisp specular highlights. Black levels are inky and accurately rendered with excellent visibility within the darkest shadows, providing the 1.85:1 image with appreciable depth and a beautiful cinematic appeal. Although the cinematography is a little more drab to complement to somber subject matter, the palette is nonetheless is fuller and more dynamic, displaying richly rendered primaries but mostly bathed in vibrant, animated browns, yellows and tans. Facial complexions appear natural with lifelike textures in the cast. The grain structure is more refined and stable, giving the video an attractive film-like quality. (Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 88/100)

The battle of the Kramers continues with an excellent Dolby Atmos soundtrack that remains true and faithful to the original audio design. Although still a front-heavy presentation, the added height channels nicely widen the soundstage with some of the background activity lightly and convincingly bleeding into the other two channels and the top front heights. However, the musical score does much of the work, exhibiting a sharply detailed and extensive midrange with impressive warmth and fidelity, generating a highly engaging half-dome soundstage. The surrounds are for the most part silent, but that is to be expected since the focus and attention is on the dialogue and character interactions, which are outstanding and crystal-clear from start to finish. Likewise, the low-end doesn't really offer much or anything memorable, but there is nonetheless enough bass to provide some weight and presence to the visuals, making for a satisfying object-based mix that suits the film perfectly. (Dolby Atmos Audio Rating: 82/100)

Unlike the previous Blu-ray release, this UHD edition comes with a few nice bonuses, a majority of which are only available on the 4K disc while the BD appears to be identical to its predecessor.

UHD Disc

• Audio Commentary with film professor and journalist Jennine Lanouette
• Featurettes (HD) is a collection of four interview pieces touching on various aspects of the production from a Q&A session that was originally shot after a special screening of the film.
• Robert Benton on Acting (3 min)
• Justin Henry on Acting (3 min)
• Mother and Daughter (3 min)
• Points of Pride (3 min)
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 6 min) houses five scenes that didn't make it into the final film
• Trailer (HD)

Blu-ray Disc

• Finding the Truth (SD, 49 min) is a short but exhaustive making-of documentary, which is only available on the accompanying Blu-ray.

Released at a time of a major cultural shift in the U.S., Robert Benton's Kramer vs. Kramer is a heartbreaking legal drama about the challenges and sacrifices made when a marriage dissolves. Featuring outstanding, award-winning performances by Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, this Best Picture winner remains a poignant and relevant tale about traditional roles and the difficulty of being a single parent. Part of Sony's Columbia Classics collection set, the classic film arrives on 4K Ultra HD with a beautiful Dolby Vision HDR presentation and an impressive Dolby Atmos soundtrack, along with a few new bonus surprises that are exclusive to this release. Overall, the UHD package is Highly Recommended.

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