The Coen Brothers classic comes to 4K UHD in all its snowy glory. With Season 5 of the TV show coming soon this month, it is also a good reminder of how sound the original film is. Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) is such a hapless f*** up. The violence feels inevitable due to these poorly thought out plans, but at least officer Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) gives us hope good people can save the day (but not without loss of innocent life unfortunately).
You can see all the film grain in the blanket of white snow. There are so many different landscapes of snow which each look distinct. The murder scene dirties the snow to give it layers. The airport parking lot cuts sharp tire tracks.
At night, the pitch black sky creates the ominous atmosphere against which the pivotal roadside murders occur. The money handoff atop the parking lot and the night sky surrounding the Paul Bunyan statue also show off the deep black of HDR. Another unexpectedly elegant lighting effect is the silhouette of Steve Buscemi’s escort on top of him.
The Blu-ray in this set includes the archival bonus features and Roger Deakins commentary. Deakins isn’t very talkative but he does explain how each scene was lit and the weather complications. Read his American Cinematographer article on screen too. It takes 16 min to play through.
The 2003 DVD extras are included on the Blu-ray in standard definition. A 27 minute interview compilation reflects on the film and a 20 minute Charlie Rose segment captures the Coens and McDormand on the press tour.