Peeping Tom 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review
Score: 93
from 3 reviewers
Review Date:
Peeping Tom's 4K UHD Blu-Ray presents a stunning, essential restoration with stellar HDR and compelling special features, making it a must-own for horror aficionados.
Disc Release Date
True 4K
HDR10
Dolby Vision
Video: 96
Criterion's Peeping Tom 4K release showcases an immaculate 6K scan restoration, delivering vibrant visuals with Dolby Vision and HDR10. While the Blu-ray retains exceptional quality in 1080p, the native 4K truly enhances depth and color palette, making it the film's definitive home video presentation.
Audio: 94
The 4K UHD Blu Ray of 'Peeping Tom' features a remarkably clear English LPCM 1.0 audio track, offering strong dialogue, dynamic contrasts, and fidelity, despite minor hiss and occasional distortion. The remastering from original 35 mm sources ensures this is the best audio presentation of the film to date.
Extra: 87
The 4K UHD Blu-ray of 'Peeping Tom' provides a comprehensive collection of extras including in-depth audio commentaries by Ian Christie (2007) and Laura Mulvey (1994), a richly detailed restoration featurette, insightful interviews with Martin Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker, and documentaries examining both the film’s profound impact and screenwriter Leo Marks' life.
Movie: 95
Michael Powell's "Peeping Tom" is a visually striking and thematically complex film that delves into voyeurism, violence, and fear, featuring remarkable Eastmancolor cinematography. While it faced harsh initial criticism that nearly ended Powell’s career, its restoration and 4K UHD release highlight its status as a seminal work in cinema history.
Video: 96
Criterion's release of "Peeping Tom" on 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack showcases StudioCanal’s meticulous 4K restoration of the film, derived from a high-resolution 6K scan of the original 35mm Eastmancolor negative. Presented in its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio, the 4K disc boasts HDR10 and Dolby Vision, enhancing the dynamic range and creating a visual experience that is both vibrant and true to its cinematic origins. The transfer maintains excellent clarity and detail, with minimal instances of optical softness, achieving a consistent bitrate between 80 and 90 Mbps. The HDR grading enriches black levels and elevates the saturation nuances, whether depicting the lit cityscapes of Soho or the shadowy interiors of the protagonist’s flat.
The Blu-ray disc, while presenting the film in SDR, still manages to impress with its high-definition presentation of the 4K restoration. Although the expanded color palette of the native 4K is more vibrant, the 1080p version holds its own remarkably well in terms of clarity and detail. The restoration preserves the original film grain and fine details faithfully, making it a considerable upgrade over previous releases. Both presentations maintain surface cleanliness and image stability, ensuring an immaculate experience. Despite the inherent differences between SDR and HDR, the Blu-ray remains an excellent option with its effective use of light and shadow, closely matching the quality of its high-end counterpart.
Overall, Criterion’s "Peeping Tom" 4K UHD release offers a pristine visual experience, characterized by striking contrast, deepened black levels, and a lush expanded color palette that benefits significantly from Dolby Vision and HDR grades. The exceptional restoration work grants the film a renewed vibrancy and depth, presenting it in a manner that both honors its original cinematography and elevates it to contemporary standards.
Audio: 94
The audio presentation for the 4K UHD Blu Ray release of "Peeping Tom" features an English LPCM 1.0 mono track with optional English SDH subtitles. The choice of a lossless track is commendable, delivering exceptionally clear, sharp, and stable dialogue. The audio presentation benefits from robust dynamic contrasts. While some subtle age-related anomalies in the upper register are present, there are no significant encoding issues to detract from the overall experience.
Remastered from the 35 mm optical track negative and the 35 mm track positive print provided by the BFI National Archive, this PCM track might carry a mild hiss, yet remains notably clean. The dialogue exchanges stand out as clear and discernible, with minor aspects like occasional crackling, popping, and hissing. Despite these minor imperfections, Brian Easdale’s moody piano score and other sound effects are delivered with appropriate fidelity and strength. This release surpasses previous Criterion DVD offerings, making it the definitive audio experience for "Peeping Tom" on home video.
Overall, while maintaining the narrow scope inherent in a monaural track, this audio presentation exhibits a level of fidelity and dynamic range that enhances both dialogue clarity and the immersive quality of the film's soundscape. The balance between dialogue, sound mix, and musical score sets a new benchmark for the film’s home video sound presentation.
Extra: 87
The 4K UHD Blu-ray of "Peeping Tom" features a robust selection of extras that provide in-depth insights into the film's production, themes, and restoration process. Both audio commentaries—by Ian Christie (2007) and Laura Mulvey (1994)—are highly informative. Christie delves into the production's intricate history and Powell's career, while Mulvey focuses on the film’s visual and thematic elements. The disc also includes a 2007 introduction by Martin Scorsese and an interview with Thelma Schoonmaker, in which they discuss the controversial reaction to the film and its eventual reappraisal. Other standout extras include "The Eye of Beholder" featurette, the "A Very British Psycho" documentary, and a rich overview of the 4K restoration process.
Extras included in this disc:
- Commentary One: Ian Christie deconstructs the film's impact on Powell's career.
- Commentary Two: Laura Mulvey discusses the film’s visuals and themes.
- Introduction by Martin Scorsese: Archival introduction from 2007.
- Interview with Thelma Schoonmaker: Reflects on Powell’s legacy.
- The Eye of Beholder: Featurette on the film's history and impact.
- A Very British Psycho: Documentary about screenwriter Leo Marks.
- Restoring Peeping Tom: Insights into the 4K restoration.
- Trailer: Original theatrical trailer.
- Leaflet: Illustrated leaflet with an essay by Megan Abbott.
Movie: 95
Michael Powell's "Peeping Tom" (1960) emerges as a groundbreaking and profoundly unsettling work that garners new life with its 4K UHD Blu-ray release by Criterion. The film centers on Mark Lewis (Karlheinz Böhm), a focus puller at a British film studio and a part-time photographer for a Soho porno shop. Mark’s real obsession, however, lies in his exploration of fear; he captures the terror on his victims' faces as he murders them using a camera tripoded with a concealed blade. The plot thickens when Mark forms a relationship with Helen Stephens (Anna Massey), drawing her unwittingly into his macabre world. Themes of voyeurism, child abuse, and scopophilic fetishism lend this film an intricate psychological complexity, deftly handled by Powell's direction and Otto Heller's lurid Eastmancolor cinematography.
The initial reception of "Peeping Tom" was marred by intense controversy, leading to an overwhelmingly hostile critical response upon its 1960 release. Notably, Derek Hill of the Tribune suggested the film be "flush[ed] down the nearest sewer," a sentiment that effectively ended Powell's career in the UK. Despite this, modern reappraisals highlight the film's masterful narrative structure and its chilling depiction of violence and scopophilic thrills, aided by Brian Easdale's haunting piano score. Powell's portrayal of societal dualities—respectable exteriors hiding darker obsessions—resonated deeply, contributing to its complex reception.
The performances are exceptional, particularly Böhm’s portrayal of Mark, which balances menace with a degree of sympathy. Anna Massey delivers a notable debut as Helen, a character who humanizes and destabilizes Mark. Moira Shearer at once enchants and haunts as an ill-fated stand-in, while Maxine Audley's performance as Helen's blind mother subtly heightens the film’s tension. The vivid restoration accentuates the garish colors and disturbingly beautiful visuals that Powell employed to unsettle audiences. "Peeping Tom" has rightfully earned renewed esteem as a masterful psychological thriller pivotal to the evolution of the slasher genre.
Total: 93
Michael Powell's "Peeping Tom" receives a magnificent revival with this stunning new 4K UHD Blu-ray release. This notorious film, which historically led to Powell's career decline in the UK, has reemerged thanks to a meticulous restoration that has elevated its visual and audio quality to unprecedented heights. The 4K presentation brings a vibrancy and clarity that reveal intricate details and depth previously unseen, making it a thrilling watch for both new viewers and long-time admirers of this complex horror classic.
Despite its controversial reception upon initial release, with swift withdrawals from British cinemas and scant attention in the US, "Peeping Tom" stands as a seminal piece in British cinema and the horror genre. The HDR transfer significantly enhances the visual storytelling, while the accompanying special features provide a deeper exploration into the film's creation and legacy. Although not all features from the previous Criterion DVD could be included, this edition remains an essential upgrade for collectors and cinephiles.
In conclusion, the 4K UHD Blu-ray restoration of "Peeping Tom" is an impeccable home video edition. The quality of the transfer, coupled with rich bonus content, makes it highly recommended for anyone interested in film history or the horror genre. Whether you are revisiting Powell’s work or discovering it for the first time, this release ensures an unparalleled viewing experience. Stunning is a short but perfect description of this edition. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Blu-ray.com review by Dr. Svet AtanasovRead review here
Video: 100
Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content....
Audio: 100
...
Extras: 90
Interview with Thelma Schoonmaker (2007) - in this archival interview Thelma Schoonmaker, film editor and widow of Michael Powell, acknowledges director Martin Scorsese's efforts to rerelease Peeping Tom...
Movie: 100
Though today there is a guaranteed spot for Peeping Tom in the history annals of world cinema, the film wasn't always treated with the respect it rightfully deserves....
Total: 100
If you do not have a previous experience with this notorious film, which destroyed Powell's career in the United Kingdom, and have always wanted to see it, in a couple of weeks you are going to make a...
The Digital Bits review by Tim SalmonsRead review here
Video: 100
The HDR grades thoroughly deepen black levels and soak up the nuances within the saturation, whether it’s the bright streets of Soho, or the darkened interiors of Mark’s flat....
Audio: 95
Dialogue exchanges are clear and discernible, while the score and sound effects have an appropriate amount of push....
Extras: 90
A Very British Psycho is a 1997 documentary by Christopher Rodley about the life of screenwriter Leo Marks, featuring interviews with its subject, director Michael Powell, actors Karlheinz Böhm, Pamela...
Movie: 95
The film’s subject matter and its execution received an appallingly vitriolic reaction from British film critics, eventually forcing Powell to leave Britain in order to continue working, though never fully...
Total: 95
For a number of years, Peeping Tom was out of print in the United States due to Criterion and StudioCanal (who owns the rights to the film) parting ways for some time....
Home Theater Forum review by t1g3r5fanRead review here
Video: 100
The film is presented in its original 1:66:1 aspect ratio, taken from a brand new HD transfer created from a 6K scan of the original 35mm Eastmancolor negative and resulting 4K restoration done by The...
Audio: 100
The film’s original monaural soundtrack is presented on a PCM track for this release, remastered from the 35 mm optical track negative and a 35 mm track positive print provided by the BFI National Archive....
Extras: 90
The Eye of the Beholder (18:48) – Carried over from Studiocanal’s 2007 Special Edition DVD release, a brief look at the making of the movie and its reception and reappraisal; featuring interviews with...
Movie: 100
In her third and final collaboration with Powell, Moira Shearer casts a luminous impression as the stand-in who becomes one of Mark’s unfortunate victims (she also shows off her dancing skills in one scene...
Total: 100
Despite the disastrous reception upon first release – it was pulled from cinemas in Britain after just a week and barely registered with American audiences two years later in its initial run – Peeping...
Director: Michael Powell
Actors: Karlheinz Böhm, Anna Massey, Moira Shearer
PlotMark Lewis, a shy and reclusive photographer, works by day as a focus-puller at a film studio and, by night, captures provocative images of women for a seedy newsagent's pin-up business. Mark's true obsession, however, lies in his side project: he films the faces of women at the moment he murders them, using a hidden knife on his camera tripod to capture their final expressions of terror. His disturbing fascination with fear is rooted in a traumatic childhood, subjected to cruel experiments by his father, a renowned scientist studying fear response. Mark meticulously documents his murders, creating a twisted archive of terror.
Things begin to change when Mark befriends Helen Stephens, a kind-hearted tenant in his building, and her curious nature slowly draws her closer to his dark secret world. As he starts spending more time with Helen and her kindly blind mother, his carefully maintained facade begins to crack, and he struggles to keep his deranged compulsions hidden. Helen’s growing attachment to Mark puts her in grave danger as she inches closer to uncovering his horrifying truth. Mark's dual existence as both a killer and a disturbed yet sympathetic figure spirals toward an inevitable confrontation between his inner demons and the possibility of redemption.
Writers: Leo Marks
Release Date: 16 May 1960
Runtime: 101 min
Rating: Not Rated
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English