Gummo 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review

Criterion’s 4K UHD Blu-ray release of Gummo is a visually striking upgrade backed by Dolby Vision HDR, ensuring a vibrant and impressive presentation. This new restoration, approved by director Harmony Korine, is sourced from a 4K scan of the original 35mm camera negative. The film employs a mix of shooting formats, including 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, and early digital video, all expertly handled without any encoding artifacts detracting from the experience. The visual transition between these formats is seamless, showcasing textures with newfound clarity while retaining their unique aesthetic qualities.

The improved detail and texture are evident throughout the film, from the distinctive fuzziness of the 8mm and digital video sections to the crisp, natural look of the 35mm footage. The HEVC encoding skillfully manages the variable formats, with a consistent bitrate between 75-90 mbps that only adjusts when switching to non-native 4K sources—an optimal strategy that preserves the overall picture quality. Both outdoor and indoor scenes benefit immensely from the 4K resolution and HDR grading, with incredible stability and no evidence of digital tampering or noise reduction.

Coupled with this technical prowess is the fluidity of motion and color reproduction that leaves a lasting impression. In native 4K with Dolby Vision, darker indoor sequences maintain superb contrast without flattening shadows. Similarly, outdoor footage exhibits a rich yet natural vibrancy. While the accompanying Blu-ray format demonstrates slightly toned-down lushness, it still provides commendable sharpness and depth. Overall, this new presentation of Gummo recontextualizes its unique cinematography, offering longtime fans and new viewers alike a rewarding visual experience.

The audio presentation of the 4K UHD Blu-ray release of "Gummo" is encapsulated in a singular English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, complemented with optional English SDH subtitles for accessibility. The soundtrack is a mosaic of diverse musical elements intertwined with organic sounds, achieving a coherent audio experience. However, this coherence sometimes comes at the cost of dynamic diversity, as the soundtrack does not utilize music to establish striking contrasts, potentially limiting its dynamic intensity. Despite this, the narration and dialogue remain distinctly clear and easy to comprehend throughout the film.

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA surround track exhibits consistent high-quality sound output, despite becoming slightly thinner when utilizing audio from 8mm or digital video sources. This transparency allows the music's needle drops to emerge with clarity, thanks to a well-balanced mix between music and dialogue. Notably, the sound design effectively incorporates ambient noise into the surround channels, contributing to an enriched auditory environment. Additionally, no encoding anomalies were observed, indicating that the track maintains a pristine condition.

Overall, this release offers an engaging audio experience faithful to the film's eclectic soundscape, providing both clarity and balance in its presentation. The minor limitations of dynamic intensity do not overshadow the overall quality and clarity delivered by the DTS-HD Master Audio track.

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of "Gummo" lacks bonus features on the 4K disc itself but compensates on the Blu-ray disc with insightful content. It includes an exclusive 12-minute interview with director Harmony Korine, reflecting on his Tennessee upbringing and its influence on "Gummo". A must-watch archival interview between Korine and Werner Herzog from the 1997 Telluride Film Festival offers valuable context from the film’s release era. Additionally, an episode of Split Screen delves into Korine’s filmmaking perspectives. The disc is rounded off with a remastered vintage trailer, enhancing its historical allure. A supplemental illustrated leaflet includes essays by Carlos Aguilar and Hype Williams, providing comprehensive insights into the film's impact.

Extras included in this disc:

• Harmony Korine on Gummo: Korine discusses his directorial debut and influence.
• Werner Herzog and Harmony Korine: Archival conversation from the Telluride Film Festival in 1997.
• Split Screen: Projections: Harmony Korine: Interview series episode with John Pierson.
• Trailer: Remastered vintage trailer by Mark Romanek.
• Leaflet: Includes essays by Carlos Aguilar and Hype Williams.

Harmony Korine's "Gummo" confronts audiences with a raw, unfiltered depiction of life in the poverty-stricken town of Xenia, Ohio, following its devastating tornado in 1974. The film is unconventional in narrative structure, spotlighting non-linear vignettes that challenge traditional storytelling and viewer sensibilities. This experimental work offers a collage of eccentric, sometimes unsettling scenes—highlighted by the infamous cat-killing sequence—that chronicle the aimless existence and bizarre antics of characters like Solomon and Tummler.

Critically, "Gummo" has polarized audiences since its debut at the 1997 Telluride Film Festival. It cultivates a dichotomy between discomfort and enchantment, leveraging juxtaposition to elicit profound emotional responses. Korine's use of non-professional actors invites a truthfulness in performance that echoes the authenticity of the overlooked segments of rural America, despite arguments questioning its representational fidelity to Ohio's reality. The film’s score enhances this atmosphere, merging recognizable hits from artists such as Buddy Holly and Madonna with dark metal tracks from bands like Burzum and Bathory.

The Criterion Collection's 4K UHD release of "Gummo" presents this divisive film in enhanced detail. The main feature on the UHD100 showcases Korine’s vision with vivid clarity, supported by comprehensive supplemental material. This release encapsulates the essence of Korine’s creation—a discordant blend of despair and beauty that defies easy categorization—affirming its status as a quintessential work within avant-garde cinema. The collection's packaging, complete with its fold-out booklet and thoughtful bonus features, facilitates an immersive exploration into the peculiar world Korine has meticulously crafted.

The Criterion Collection’s release of "Gummo" on 4K UHD Blu-ray marks a noteworthy debut for Harmony Korine's enigmatic work in the high-definition format. The two-disc set is anchored by a superb 2160p presentation, emerging from a meticulous 4K restoration that revitalizes the film's unconventional visual style. The eccentric fusion of narratives and imagery resonates vibrantly, with the updated visuals serving to enhance Korine's bizarre comedic and unsettling moments. While some sequences retain a jarring quality, the overall visual restoration manages to bring out the intended intensity and peculiar charm of Korine’s vision.

This release also includes a robust collection of supplements, providing invaluable insights into the film's production and thematic contemplations. These contextual additions contribute depth to the viewer's experience, allowing an exploration into Korine’s provocative storytelling and his audacious cinematic experiments. The film's notorious scenes, such as Solomon's spaghetti bath, are presented with unprecedented clarity that amplifies both the humor and discomfort ingrained in the film’s enduringly peculiar narrative.

In conclusion, the Criterion Collection's 4K UHD presentation of "Gummo" is both a technical triumph and a comprehensive package for fans and new viewers alike. It successfully marries cutting-edge visual fidelity with critical supplementary content that both enrich and challenge perceptions of this cult classic. Whether revisiting its strangeness or exploring it for the first time, this release is highly recommended for those intrigued by Harmony Korine’s distinctive creative landscape.