Groundhog Day Blu-ray

Groundhog Day

 (1993)

Comedy | Fantasy | Romance



Teamed with a relentlessly cheery producer and a smart-aleck cameraman, TV weatherman Phil Connors is sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities. But on his way out of town, Phil is caught in a giant blizzard, which he failed to predict, and finds himself in small town hell. Just when things couldn't get worse, Phil wakes up the next morning to find it's Groundhog Day all over again... and again... and again.

For more details about Groundhog Day on Blu-ray, see the Groundhog Day Blu-ray Review

Starring: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brian Doyle-Murray
Director: Harold Ramis

Groundhog Day Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


The 1.85:1 picture is far superior to NTSC versions of the film, but will not win any awards for best 1080p. The good news is that Sony did the right thing with its transfer, leaving colors neutral and allowing grain to appear without noise reduction. Skin tones occasionally look a bit unnatural or pale in outdoor shots compared to the best Blu-rays out there, but overall the dynamics of the video performance is impressive. The transfer shows good detail and depth. Watch the scene when Phil wakes up in the inn. Details in the bedding and room are rendered with good resolution. When he looks out the window, the pedestrians and streets appear detailed. Faces and clothing textures also bear this out. Murray actually seems far older than I remember him at that time--no doubt because the Blu-ray reveals lines and definition in his face that were simply not visible before.

Black level is perhaps the most impressive aspect of Groundhog Day's picture. While there is a hint of digital noise, it is no more obtrusive than the film grain. Watch the scene where Phil stands with a female escort outside a movie theater. The shadow detail and gradients in the darkness provide a surprising level of definition in darker scenes--and there are many of them. Watch as Phil and Rita dance on the bandstand. The subdued color balance and deep inky blacks deliver a lifelike presentation. Even in many lighter scenes, the accurate black level helps picture depth. Overall, the picture is solid but lacks that special spark common to many Blu-rays that make the definition magical.

Groundhog Day Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


Even better than the picture, the sound of Groundhog Day is vibrant and beautifully defined and balanced. The dialog is clear and crisp, and there isn't much content assigned to the surrounds or LFE channel. Nothing special in terms of HT system bombastics (one shouldn't expect otherwise from a traditional romantic comedy). But the music by George Fenton is mastered perfectly. The entire scope of the film's music is worth enjoying in Dolby TrueHD--from Frank Yankovic's Pennsylvania Polka to Ottmar Liebert's You Don't Know Me to the closing number, Nat King Cole's Almost Like Being in Love. To me, that final cut was worth sitting through the film. Sony is proving very adept at delivering the sonic goods, even in an otherwise lackluster production from the early days of digital audio.

Even the tinny Sonny and Cher hit emanating from the nightstand's clock radio sounded like a real radio. When Phil smashes it on the floor, that sounded pretty real too. Car engines and dialog occasionally sounded boxed in rather than open and dynamic. And there were other imperfections. During the ballroom scene featuring a medley of Phil's Piano Solo with the Eighteenth Variation From Rapsodie on a Theme of Paganini, the audio suddenly shifted heavily to the left surround. This coincided with a change of camera angle, so it could have been intentional. But it was an odd effect, out of character with the rest of the 5.1 mix. Above all, the overall lack of coloration or digital compression artifacts was a pleasant surprise.

Groundhog Day Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Today on Blu-ray - January 27 - January 27, 2009


• Groundhog Day Announced for Blu-ray - November 17, 2008

Groundhog Day Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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