Boogie Nights - 4K UHD

Everyone has something that makes them special, a certain skill or gift that they can use to make the world a better place. For Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) from Torrance, CA, he’s been endowed with… let’s say, a sizable gift. And anyone who lays eyes on it—man, woman, straight, gay—is awe-struck, as if the button and zipper on his jeans were the buckles on the briefcase from Pulp Fiction. And while Eddie may be naïve in his belief that his ability to satisfy women in the bedroom, which he performs on camera for pornographic films, will make the world a better place, he does have a sweet-natured earnestness to his belief. But so do all folks who go into the business with the best of intentions, who aren’t realistic about its ability to eat you alive.

Young Eddie runs away from home and flies under the wing of Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), who directs erotic films. In many ways, Jack is just as naïve as Eddie. Jack says he wants to make films, not pieces of erotic material, with stories so engrossing that even after they’ve finished their climactic response to the subject, they’ll stay to see how the plot shakes out. He genuinely believes this. He and Eddie have the same bright-eyed outlook on sex and exploitation, so they’re a natural fit together.

Eddie adopts the onscreen monicker of Dirk Diggler and then embodies Dirk in his off-camera life. Eddie is dead, and Dirk Diggler is born. Dirk begins his life with many of the same qualities as Eddie—he’s a sweet kid, eager to please—but eventually gives into his darker side. Drugs, ego, and fame corrupt him, and he loses his innocence in a fall from grace that begins at the turn of the decade, from the 70s to the 80s, along with the rest of the family. When porno goes from film to video, everyone finds themselves struggling for their place in the world and for some piece of meaning to their existence.

1997 was a great year for LA movies, and Boogie Nights is part of what I consider to be an unofficial trilogy, and what could make for one hell of a triple feature, alongside Jackie Brown and LA Confidential. All three films explore a different aspect of life in the sprawling, sun-soaked city in a way that feels authentic. Los Angeles is the setting for countless movies, many of which feel like Any City, USA, some generically large metropolis. Los Angeles has a specific identity that’s hard to convey, but Boogie Nights understands its time and place better than anyone, in its low-budget studios and its late-night discos.

Boogie Nights ends on a bittersweet note. It’s a happy ending, for now. There’s a bit of an ironic tinge to it, that while the moment is warm and after they’ve all gone through their own personal hells, that they’ve found peace, but it’s tenuous. It’s a moment of realism, not of hard-edged cynicism. Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson allows his characters to enjoy the moment while they have it. They’ve gone through enough, and so have we.

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Boogie Nights hits 4K UHD Blu-ray in a single-disc release, housed in a standard case, with a removable slipcover, both containing identical cover art, specific to this release. When I first saw the image cover, a rather simple photo of Heather Graham as Roller Girl, clad in heart-shaped sunglasses, clutching a Polaroid camera, my thought was, “That’s the cover? That’s what they decided on?” But I’ve come to love the cover, as it’s evocative of poster artwork for pornographic films of the era, like the hardcore Behind the Green Door and the Black Emmanuelle movies.

Boogie Nights in 4K/HDR10 is an odd one to review straightforwardly. For a movie shot on 35mm film in 1997, given the 4K treatment, it doesn’t look anywhere near as sharp or colorfully vibrant as its contemporaries from the same era. Its focus is softer, the color palette more muted and tending toward drab—both stylistic choices used to more accurately emulate the film’s era, and films from its era, of the 1970s.

For this transfer, Boogie Nights was sourced from an interpositive, rather than the original camera negatives. I would assume that this is because it gives director Paul Thomas Anderson the most faithful version of the look he intends to honor in its video presentation. So, in terms of visual clarity, it really doesn’t offer much more than its previous Blu-ray release; however, through HDR grading, it does allow some of the disco sequences, with multicolored lights in a sea of darkness, to look more filmic and more faithful to its original theatrical presentation. So, while Boogie Nights won’t exactly blow your mind on 4K, it looks the closest to Paul Thomas Anderson’s intended vision that’s ever been available on home video. For that purpose, I give the video positive marks even though some might argue "it could look better.”

Like the video presentation, the 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix often feels like a relic from another time. I’ve used the term front-heavy in reviews before, describing a surround sound mix whose activity sees infrequent use of the rear/satellite speakers, but Boogie Nights is one of the front-heaviest surround sound mixes I’ve ever heard, outside of David Lynch’s filmography. I don’t say this as an insult, but to prepare you if you’re expecting the constant 1970s needle drops to envelop the soundstage through your home theater setup. Music, dialogue, and special effects remain firmly on the front end, while atmospheric effects, like the chatter of a crowded party or the busy traffic noise from a city street, will occasionally ping the rears. So, while a decidedly front-heavy affair, which is akin to a widened, fuller stereo mix (or a three-channel LCR mix), it is balanced with utmost care and precision. Dialogue is clean and clear, and music blasts to life, occasionally bringing in the subwoofer for some of the more bass-heavy songs. And the occasional violent effect, like a firecracker or a gunshot, explodes with fury.

Boogie Nights packs the same special features we’ve seen since its days on DVD and Blu-ray, like the John C. Reilly Files, audio commentaries, deleted scenes, etc. For this release, we do get a new added feature, a two-part Q&A session with director Paul Thomas Anderson with the American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, CA.

• Audio Commentary – Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson
• Audio Commentary – Cast members Wark Wahlberg, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle, Julianna Moore, William H. Macy and Heather Graham
• American Cinematheque Panel #1 (HD 24:47)
• American Cinematheque Panel #2 (HD 25:40)
• The John C. Reilly Files (SD 14:45)
• Deleted Scenes (SD 29:32) – With optional audio commentary
• Music Video (SD 3:14) – “Try” by Michael Penn, with optional audio commentary

Boogie Nights is one of the finest films of the 1990s. It cemented Paul Thomas Anderson’s career as one of the all-time great filmmakers. It also boasts one of the best ensemble casts that’s ever been assembled for a movie like this. I can’t recommend the film itself enough, or sing its praises more loudly. Its new 4K release, however, is something you need to consider before purchasing, because it represents very little improvement over its Blu-ray release. The differences between the two versions are minute and subtle, but noticeable if you know what you’re looking for, and presents a faithful representation of Anderson’s intended theatrical vision. For this purpose, Boogie Nights is Recommended, but really only for 4K collectors who understand the reasons why it may seem to fall short in its A/V stats, in order to authentically capture the film as it would appear on a 35mm print.