Famed documentarian D.A. Pennebaker had his cameras there, capturing breakout performances by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Otis Redding with additional dynamic performances from the Who, Simon and Garfunkel, the Mamas and the Paps, the Byrds, and several others. The end result was three classic concert films – Monterey Pop, Jimi Plays Monterey, and Shake! Otis at Monterey – all included in this new Criterion Collection box set.

There’s something optimistically hopeful seeing idealistic Hippies gathering for this festival of music. Everyone seems happy and this leads right into the Mamas and the Papas performing their signature song, “California Dreamin’”, which sums up the good vibes that seem to be emanating from everyone. The easy-going vibes of Simon and Garfunkel playing while bathed in a hellish red filter seems like an odd juxtaposition and at odds with their style.

Pennebaker tends to favor close-ups so you can really see the emotions expressed by the various music acts. This is evident in Janis Joplin’s blistering performance of “Ball and Chain” that has the famous reaction shot of Mama Cass in awe of Janis who leaves it all out there on the stage in a riveting performance that is a sober reminder that she died way too young.

The Who tear it up with a searing rendition of “My Generation” with Pete Townshend unexpectedly smashing his guitar at the end, leaving Keith Moon to go gonzo on his drum to kit to finish things off. Otis Redding brings back the good vibes with “Shake,” a rousing R&B gem that segues into “I’ve Been Loving You,” one his trademark slow burners that sees him give it his all. Like Janis, but in his own unique way, Redding was a charismatic performer that knew how to work a crowd and Pennebaker does an excellent job of capturing it.

Then there is Jimi Hendrix who takes it to a whole other level with a feedback-drenched, psychedelic rendition of “Wild Thing” that was a startling revelation at the time as it was so different from what was being done. He even upstages the Who’s act of destruction by lighting his guitar on fire.

Jimi Plays Monterey is a documentary about Hendrix that briefly covers his origins with fantastic archival footage of him covering “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” at the Saville Theatre. Hendrix kicks off his Monterey Pop set with a cover of “Killing Floor” that sets the tone for the rest of the gig, which is shown in its entirety. It is amazing the sounds that he got out of his guitar and this concert is a valuable document of his breakout performance.

Shake! Otis at Monterey is his dynamic 20-minute set that showcases what a tremendous talent the man was. There is an energy and a vitality to his performance that is infectious and exciting to watch. This sums up The Complete Monterey Pop Festival box set, which is an invaluable document of a specific moment in time. It is a fascinating snapshot of the ‘60s and a new kind of music that galvanized people at a time when war and social and racial strife were rampant. It makes one nostalgic and wish that there was something that could do that now when we really need it the most.

Special Features:

This new 4K restoration features a significant upgrade in image quality and detail as well as visual information. The colors are richer and it sounds amazing!

There is an audio commentary by producer Lou Adler and director D.A. Pennebaker with the former talking about how the festival came together and the challenge of getting bands from San Francisco and Los Angeles to appear at the same venue, while the latter talks about how he put the film together and the choices me made. Both men offer their impressions of specific acts, like Janis Joplin, and talk about the predictable nature of the Who’s performance. This is anecdotally-rich track filled with loads of information and insight.

There is an interview with Adler who talks about the legacy of Monterey Pop on its 50^th anniversary. He talks about what made it so special and how its spirit endures. He also speaks highly of Pennebaker’s work.

There is also an interview with Pennebaker. He remarks at how lucky he was to have had the career he has and reminisces about the festival, offering his impressions of various acts, including Janis and Hendrix.

Adler and Pennebaker are interviewed in 2001 and talk about the origins of the festival and how Pennebaker got involved. He had never done a concert film before and so it was a learning experience. He had no long-range cameras – hence all the close-ups.

Also included are audio interviews with John Phillips, who reminisces about the festival and tells anecdotes about Janis and others. Cass Elliot also chimes in about how great Janis was and agrees with John that they gave a terrible performance. David Crosby talks about what a revelation Hendrix was at the time. Derek Taylor dispels the rumor that the Beatles were there. He talks about some of the acts that couldn’t make it or wouldn’t do it.

There is the theatrical and re-release trailers and radio spots.

“Festival Ephemera” features Elaine Mayes photographs with optional commentary. She talks about what drew her to photography and recalls how difficult it was because she was up against the stage, which was taller than she was. She also talks about her favorite photos. There is also a copy of the original festival program.

MIPFF examines the Foundation that was born out of the festival.

CHIEFS is a short film by Pennebaker’s partner Richard Leacock about a convention of police chiefs talking about various things like the Black Panthers and weapons.

In addition, there is a whole disc of outtakes exclusive to this box set, featuring performances that didn’t make the cut, including some bands like the Grateful Dead that were cut out entirely. We see Buffalo Springfield minus Neil Young and more of the dynamic blues band the Electric Flag. Alas, only portions of two songs by the Steve Miller Blues Band exist but it does offer us a glimpse of what their set was like.

Jimi Plays Monterey features an audio commentary by music critic and historian Charles Shaar Murray. He provides all kinds of biographical details about Hendrix and sets the stage for his performance at Monterey Pop. He provides all kinds of insights into Hendrix’s performance.

There is also an interview with Pete Townshend who talks about his impressions of the festival and of Hendrix, including the debate of who would go on first – the Who or Hendrix.

There is also a trailer.

The Shake! Otis at Monterey disc features a song-by-song commentary by music historian Peter Guralnick. He talks about the energy of Otis’ style and performance in fascinating detail.

There is an interview with Otis’ manager Phil Walden who talks about how he got into the music business and what it was like working with Otis.

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The movie’s premise is deceptively simple: five teenagers are forced to spend a Saturday in detention together. They each come from a distinctive clique in school: there’s Andy Clark (Estevez), the jock; John Bender (Nelson), the rebel; Claire Standish (Ringwald), the popular one; Brian Johnson (Hall), the brainy nerd, and Allison Reynolds (Sheedy), the weirdo oddball. They’re supervised by Assistant Principal Vernon (Gleason) who in advertently succeeds in bonding this misfit group over their shared loathing of him and, in the process, find ways to relate to one another.

At the time of its release, a big deal was made about how The Breakfast Club showed how teens really talked to each other and the R-rating allowed a character like Bender to really cut loose as the group’s snarky antagonist. Judd Nelson clearly relishes the role, talking back to Vernon, bullying Brian, hitting on Claire, and provoking Andy. He gets most of the movie’s memorable dialogue and delivers a ferocious performance.

Nelson also has fantastic chemistry with Molly Ringwald, who plays a materialistic preppie drawn to this obnoxious rebel. She clearly gets off on the attention as she doesn’t get any at home, confessing that she is used as a pawn between her warring parents. Their ability to get under each other’s collective skins is the movie’s strongest scenes.

As the day continues, these kids are left alone with each other, they get past their facades and begin to get to know each other, learning something about what it is like to be in their respective shoes. Over the course of The Breakfast Club, Hughes gradually delves beyond the stereotypes of the characters and, in the process, humanizes them. It helps greatly that his talented young cast do an excellent job of bringing these characters to life. The end result was a movie that connected profoundly with its intended audience and continues to do so with future generations to this day.

Special Features:

This new 4K transfer looks stunning. It really highlights the use of color and shows off the detail of the image. Hughes’ movie has never looked better.

A carryover from a previous edition is an audio commentary with actors Anthony Michael Hall and Judd Nelson. Naturally, they talk about their respective characters and what Hughes was like to work with – his approach and methods, etc. The track starts off strong but tends to peter out towards the end.

There are 51 minutes of deleted and extended scenes that give us more little moments between characters that, while interesting, were rightly cut to keep the movie focused and under two hours.

Also included is a 2008 retrospective documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew who talk about what it was like to work with Hughes. They talk about his ear for dialogue and his knack for picking the right song for the right moment. Some of the movie’s more famous fans – Diablo Cody – talk about the profound effect it had on them.

There are excerpts from a 1985 American Film Institute seminar with Hughes that goes back to his life before filmmaking and how it informed his work. He talks about various aspects of The Breakfast Club, like casting, in this very informative extra.

There is a collection of vintage interviews for an electronic press kit that was done for the movie with soundbite interviews with Hughes and the cast that include Sheedy (who is refreshing unguarded and unrehearsed), Nelson (who speaks quite eloquently), and also veteran character actor Gleason who talks about his acting process with behind the scenes footage.

There is a new interview with Ringwald and Ally Sheedy done exclusively for Criterion. They both talk about how they got their respective roles. They also offer their initial impressions of him and his working methods.

Also included is a 1999 radio interview with Hughes. He talks about how important music is to him and how that translated in his movies.

There is an audio interview with Ringwald from a 2014 episode of This American Life. She talks about watching the movie with her daughter for the first time.

“Describe the Ruckus” features Nelson reading from Hughes’ production notes with footage from his movie in this video essay. His notes shed invaluable light on the filmmaker’s creative process.

There is a segment from a 1985 episode of NBC’s Today show with Ringwald and Nelson talking about their characters and the movie.

Finally, there is a trailer.

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Maureen’s (Stewart) twin brother has died recently and she is understandably traumatized by it. She’s an unusual mix of spiritual medium and fashion assistant, trying to find signs of an afterlife. In doing so, she hopes it will help cope with the death of her sibling and make sense of the experience.

An acquaintance turns her on to the art of abstract painter Hilma af Klint and after doing some research finds a link to spiritualism. Maureen also fears that she might die from the safe heart malady that suddenly killed her brother but her future health is as uncertain as her career. She is waiting for a sign from her brother from the afterlife and is confident she’ll recognize it when she sees it. She hopes this will give her some closure.

Personal Shopper shifts from a drama about grief to a ghost story of sorts in a way that requires a leap of faith on the viewer’s part. It is the point where people either stay with it or dismiss it as pretentious twaddle. It helps that the film is anchored by a very strong performance by Kristen Stewart. Freed from the constraints of big budget franchise filmmaking, she has bravely carved out an intriguing filmography that has challenged her as an actress. This role requires her to convey a range of emotions as her character starts off being detached from her feelings – perhaps still in shock over the death of her brother, but when she establishes contact with…something, she becomes very upset and the floodgates open up. How the actress conveys this is excellent.

How we deal with the loss of someone close to us is unique to the individual and very personal. Personal Shopper is about how a particular character deals with it. She’s looking for answers and some kind of closure. Assayas has created a ghost story for social media-dominated culture but not in a gimmicky way like some cheesy B-horror movies out of America. His is more thoughtful.

Special Features:

The 2K-director supervised transfer looks excellent as it really shows off the moody, atmospheric cinematography of Personal Shopper effectively.

Included is the 2016 Cannes Film Festival press conference for the film, featuring Assayas, Stewart and other cast and crew members. They field questions from journalists, talking about various aspects of the film.

There is also an interview with Assayas who talks about the origins of the film. He first had an idea of a personal shopper who hates her job and finds solace in art. He also wanted to make a film that had elements of the supernatural.

Finally, there is a theatrical trailer.

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As the film opens, Jef kills a man and the police bring him in for questioning, convinced that he did it but unable to prove anything as witnesses refuse to identify him. He’s let go but the police put him under surveillance. Jef loses them with ease but the people who hired him aren’t too thrilled that he was brought in for questioning and try to kill him.

Alain Delon is the epitome of an expressionless killer. He is a melancholic loner who kills without remorse. It is an excellent, minimalist performance that has influenced countless films and actors alike. For example, Ryan O’Neal’s no-nonsense criminal in The Driver (1978) is a direct descendant of Delon’s Jef. His cool, efficient attitude and well-dressed attire would go on to inspire the protagonists in John Woo’s action films, A Better Tomorrow (1986), The Killer (1989) and Hard-Boiled (1992) with The Killer being the closest in spirit to Le Samourai. But nobody has been able to copy Delon’s icy, intense stare and the ability to keep his cool even during an intense police line-up and subsequent questioning for a homicide he committed.

The style of Le Samourai mirrors that of its protagonist in that it is very formal and self-contained. It’s a stylish film but not obvious about it. There is a stillness to the movie—an influence of Japanese cinema—with a formal color scheme consisting predominantly of gray, white and black – cold colors.

Ultimately, Jef is a doomed figure, someone who’s dead inside but just doesn’t know it yet and as the police tighten the net and apply more pressure it only reinforces that Le Samourai is not going to have a happy ending. As the end draws near it is almost as if Jef knows he will die as he says goodbye to those closest to him – the mechanic who always gets him an untraceable car and his girlfriend (Natalie Delon), like he’s tying up all the loose ends in his life. Melville’s film remains one of the finest examples of French New Wave cinema and Criterion’s edition is a fitting tribute to its enduring legacy.

Special Features:

This new Blu-Ray transfer is a significant improvement on the DVD from years ago. The detail of the image and colors are fantastic, making this worth the upgrade alone.

Not surprisingly, all the extras from the previous DVD are ported over.

“Authors on Melville” features Melville biographers Rui Nogueira and Ginette Vincendeau talking about Le Samourai. Nogueira discusses Melville’s attention to detail: the director had the final word on set design, color scheme and even the way his actors looked. He also talks about how Melville cast Delon in the movie. Vicendeau discusses the contrasting acting styles of the verbal Francois Perier versus the minimal Delon. No one knows the exact origins of the film but she believes it might be traced back to a U.S. noir called This Gun for Hire (1942).

“The Lineup” features a collection of clips from French television where Melville, Alain and Nathalie Delon, Cathy Rosier and Perier talk about the movie. Melville speaks about his love of cinema while Alain Delon talks admiringly of the director, describing him as a true auteur. Rosier briefly discusses the differences between modeling and acting.

New to this edition is “Melville-Delon: D’honneur et de nuit,” is a short documentary that examines the friendship between director and leading man and their collaboration on Le Samourai. This is a fascinating look at how these two men worked together.

Finally, there is a theatrical trailer.

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All set in Montana, the first story sees a lawyer (Dern) dealing with a difficult client (Harris). The meeting gets off to an awkward start when she shows up late. They’ve obviously met several times and she wants to get rid of him while he comes across as lonely guy fallen on hard times. She feels, and rightly so, that he doesn’t take her legal advice because she’s a woman. Conversely, he just wants someone to listen to him as he is burdened by so much pain, which culminates in a potentially explosive confrontation.

In the next story, a woman (Williams) plans to build her dream home but finds herself at odds with her husband (Le Gros). Their relationship feels a bit strained, as if they are just going through the motions. They meet with an old man (Auberjonois) about acquiring a pile of sandstone rocks from him. He comes across as a bit scattered, which makes for an awkward encounter.

In the final story, a night school teacher (Stewart) develops an unlikely connection with a lonely ranch hand (Gladstone). The former is quite chatty while the latter is more reserved, but they go out for a bite to eat afterwards and make a connection. The ranch hand is one of those people that quietly goes about her work, which Reichardt depicts matter-of-factly.

Certain Women is about how people communicate or are unable to do so in their daily lives. This happens for a variety of reasons, sometimes externally or internally, which is explored over these three stories. Some of the characters are barely invested in a relationship with another and some want so desperately to be in on. The cast is uniformly excellent, inhabiting their respective characters effortlessly. Certain Women continues Reichardt’s particular kind of low-key storytelling, finding poignant moments in every day life.

Special Features:

Reichardt approved this 2K transfer, which faithfully conveys its filmic look with a textured and richly detailed look that is superb.

There is an interview with Kelly Reichardt who talks about what drew to Maile Meloy’s stories and what drew her to the town they shot the film in. She talks about various aspects of her film, like sound design and the look, in an engaging way. She was interested in portraying complicated and flawed characters.

Filmmaker, and one of the film’s producers, Todd Haynes speaks glowingly of Reichardt’s first film and all of her subsequent work. He touches upon the challenges she faced working with male-dominated crews. Haynes also talks about what he likes about Certain Women.

Also included is an interview with Maile Meloy. She recounts how Reichardt approached her and impressions of the filmmaker. She talks about being raised by lawyers and how they provided many good stories that she integrated into her fiction. She praises how faithful the film is to her stories.

Finally, there is a trailer.

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Alex Cox’s Sid and Nancy (1986) chronicles Sid’s (Oldman) equally volatile relationship with Nancy Spungen (Webb), a groupie he met in London after having recently joined the Pistols as a goof. She’s a junkie from the United States that literally inserts herself between Sid and his best friend Johnny Rotten (Schofield), lead singer of the band, while also getting him hooked on drugs. Even if you don’t know the actual facts, it isn’t too hard to figure out how this is all going to end and it’s not going to be good.

Gary Oldman was rightly praised for his blistering performance as the dim-witted Sid. He manages the incredible feat of eliciting some empathy for a generally unlikeable fellow. The actor digs deep and gives insights into his Sid’s worldview – such as it is – in unflinching detail. He’s matched beat for beat by Chloe Webb with her own fearless performance as the perpetually annoying Nancy. She bravely adopts a grating voice that does nothing to endear Nancy to us. Webb is not afraid to portray Nancy as a complete and utter mess.

Cox remains true to the punk rock aesthetic by portraying these peoples’ lives without any sentimentality. That’s not to say he doesn’t romanticize them – that’s simply the nature of cinema, but he does everything he can not to glamorize them. Like any great biopic, Sid and Nancy depicts many of the important milestones (the ill-fated U.S. tour) while focusing on what happened between them, which was not as well known. The end result is a powerful drama with two riveting performances at its core.

Special Features:

Criterion’s new 4K transfer is a vast improvement over the MGM one with the colors much more realistic in look. The detail is also deeper and crisper, highlighting Roger Deakin’s fantastic cinematography. This is the best Sid and Nancy has ever looked.

There is an audio commentary recorded in 1994 with screenwriter Abbe Wool, actors Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb, critic Greil Marcus, filmmakers Julien Temple and Lech Kowalski, and musician Eliot Kidd. Kowalski and Kidd are adamant that Sid did not kill Nancy, unlike what is depicted in the film. Temple is also critical of how the British punk rock scene is depicted – pointing out how Schofield got all of Rotten’s mannerisms wrong – but does praise Oldman and Webb. Oldman felt that the script was “okay” but that he, Cox, and Webb improved it during filming. The actor also talks about the responsibility of playing real people and not doing a simple impersonation of Sid. The diverse personalities and opinions make for a fantastic listen.

Also included is a commentary track from 2001 featuring writer/director Alex Cox and actor Andrew Schofield. While the former tends to narrate what we’re watching, the latter offers more anecdotal stories, which encourages Cox to do the same. This is a decent enough track, but lacks the diversity and insight of the 1994 one.

“England’s Glory” is a 1987 making of documentary that was done in a very atypical and irreverent way. It thumbs its nose at these kinds of promos and serves as a fascinating snapshot of the cast and crew making the film.

There is an interview with Cox conducted in 2016. He talks about the origins of Sid and Nancy and how he got involved. He speaks of his love of punk rock music and the movement around it. Cox admits that they sentimentalized Sid and Nancy while also talking about meeting Johnny Rotten. He also covers getting Joe Strummer to score the film even though his record label forbade him to do it.

There are excerpts from the 2016 documentary Sad Vacation: The Last Days of Sid and Nancy, featuring several people that knew them in New York City. They talk about what they were like as this extra provides a more factual side of the couple.

Also includes are excerpts from the 1980 documentary D.O.A.: A Right of Passage, featuring Sid and Nancy during the Pistols U.S. tour. There is fascinating footage of the actual couple that has a whiff of the morbid as they are an unapologetic mess. It is interested to compare it with their fictionalized counterparts.

“Sid Vicious, 1978” is a phone interview conducted five days after the last Pistols concert and three days after he had a nonfatal overdose.

“The Filth and the Fury!” is the infamous Today show appearance where the Sex Pistols were interviewed and provoked into cursing several times on camera, which became an immediate media sensation, shocking England.

“The London Weekend Show” features the Sex Pistols and the British punk rock scene in 1976. The band and their fans are interviewed in this fascinating snapshot of the scene at that time.

Finally, there is a trailer.

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When David Howard (Brooks) fails to get the promotion he had hoped to get at the advertising agency he works at, he’s fired after flipping out on his boss in a hilariously uncomfortable scene. He convinces his wife Linda (Hagerty) to quit her job and they sell everything and buy a motor-home with the notion of hitting the open road and “find themselves” like in Easy Rider (1969). The rest of the film chronicles their misadventures as they try to recapture the idealism of their youth.

Brooks recreates the “Born to Be Wild” sequence from Easy Rider only with a large motor-home, which in and of itself is a funny image. David even passes a biker on a motorcycle who gives him the finger – the first indication that no one cares about their journey of self-discovery. The irony of all this is that David wants to be more spontaneous but he and Linda are the most predictable couple, which Brooks demonstrates repeatedly to hilarious effect, like when he tries to bribe a hotel clerk for the honeymoon suite (“If Liberace had children, this would be their room,” he says upon entering their room).

If anything Lost in America shows how indifferent the rest of the world is to David and Linda, like how they latter loses almost all their money gambling in Las Vegas. When the former asks the casino manager (Marshall) for their money back, not surprisingly, the uncaring man refuses, despite David’s desperate sales pitch. What worked in the world of advertising is ineffectual in the real world.

While the ‘80s were dominated by materialistic movies like St. Elmo’s Fire (1985) Back to the Future (1985), Lost in America flew in the face of them; daring to show how full of itself the Boomer generation had become and Brooks critiqued it with his trademark satirical wit. The end result is a wonderful snapshot of the times in which it was made.

Special Features:

Brooks’ supervised this new 2K digital transfer that features excellent detail and preserves the filmic look of how movies were shot back then. Lost in America has never looked better.

Albert Brooks and filmmaker Robert Weide have a conversation, starting things off by talking about how the protagonists in the films he wrote and directed are exaggerated extensions of himself. Brooks talks about how he got into directing, making short films for Saturday Night Live early on. He also talks about the genesis of Lost in America.

There is an interview with actress Julie Hagerty who talks about how she got the part, including her first meeting with Brooks. She talks about his working methods and recounts several filming anecdotes.

Also included is an interview with Brooks’ long-time manager Herb Nanas. He recounts first meeting the man and how funny he found him. Nanas speaks highly of Brooks and his career. He also talks about how he boosted the careers of Sylvester Stallone and Roseanne.

Filmmaker James L. Brooks talks about Albert Brooks’ unique comedic genius. He feels that Brooks’ directorial efforts are autobiographical and also talks about directing him and how good of an actor he is.

Also included is the theatrical trailer.

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Minoru (Shidara) and his younger brother Isamu (Shimazu) refuse to speak when their parents deny them a television set. It’s the 1950s and T.V. is all the rage with the two boys going over to a friend’s house to watch sumo wrestling in defiance of their mother and under the guise of studying English.

On one level, Good Morning is a silly comedy about boys that greet each other by farting, and on another level it is an observant commentary about suburban life, like how the wives gossip among each other, jealous of one that bought a washing machine, or how the boys’ mother frowns on the bohemian couple next door because their different… and let her children watch T.V. Ozu shows, via crosscutting editing, how some of the exchanges between housewives is trivial and some of it actually has merit.

The child actors are uniformly excellent with young Masahiko Shimazu particularly adorable as Isamu whose way of saying goodbye to his mother is “I love you,” in English. It comes across as an endearing repeating motif that is symbolic of the charm of Good Morning.

Good Morning was a remake of Ozu’s silent comedy I Was Born, But… (1932) and it is interesting to see where the latter differs from the former. Each one has its merits but I prefer Good Morning’s Technicolor splendor and its masterful juxtaposition of breezy comedy and sly social commentary, which reinforces the brilliance of Ozu’s filmmaking.

Special Features:

The Technicolor look really pops on this 4K transfer with plenty of detail visible. This is an impressive looking print that really compliments the look Ozu creates.

Film critic David Cairns examines how Ozu used humor in his films. Most know of the filmmaker’s more serious work but he actually started out writing jokes for films. Cairns argues that there has been a silly streak that’s run through his career and provides several examples.

There is an interview with film scholar David Bordwell who examines Ozu’s style as it evolved from I Was Born, But… to Good Morning. He argues that the latter is one of his best films if only because it shows a different side of the filmmaker. He points out that despite the often silly tone, Ozu still experimented visually in terms of framing, for example.

Also included is I Was Born, But… in its entirety. It focuses on two young boys who are troublemakers, which is also similar to the young protagonists in Good Morning.

Finally, there are only 14 minutes that exist of Ozu’s 1929 silent comedy A Straightforward Boy. It was the first time he used children as a way to comment on society.

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Tampopo takes Goro in and in return he teaches her how to make proper ramen noodles. He also teaches her how to size up a potential customer. Goro treats her with the tough love of a drill instructor, getting Tampopo in physical shape to make noodles and serve them in a timely fashion. “Ramen takes stamina!” he tells her.

Goro has Tampopo observe the competition – what shops do it right and which ones get it wrong. He even enlists the help of a broth sensei, an OB-GYN who had his practice stolen from him and is now a homeless vagrant. It doesn’t hurt that his fellow hobos are discerning connoisseurs of the palate.

The cast is uniformly excellent with Tsutomu Yamazaki and Nobuko Miyamoto having fantastic chemistry together. He is the gruff but lovable truck driver cum gunslinger that arrives in town to help out the widow. She is the plucky cook that wants to have a successful ramen shop and has to learn how to do it. The two characters play well off each other. Both actors display a deft touch for light comedy and the capacity for pathos.

One has to admire director Juzo Itami’s humanistic message that enjoyment of food is something that unifies us all. Of course, we need food to survive but it also can be savored. While ramen noodles have long been celebrated and are an important part of Japanese culture, it was marginalized in North America as a cheap source of food for college students, but in recent years it has finally been given the respect it deserves, demonstrating how ahead of its time Tampopo was.

Special Features:

This new 4K transfer for Tampopo is vastly superior to any of the faded DVD incarnations out there. The colors pop and look natural with excellent detail contained in every frame. This is a fantastic looking transfer.

“The Making of Tampopo” is a feature-length documentary made during the production and narrated by Itami. It’s a video diary and he takes us through his journey, from inception to completion.

Nobuko Miyamoto talks about working on the film and with her husband, director Itami. She enjoyed talking to him at length about acting, what worked and didn’t in the film. He was always pitching her ideas for films and she told him to make one he was passionate about. The end result was Tampopo.

Food stylist Seiko Ogawa talks about her work on the film. She studied food and cooking Itami brought her on to supervise the food aspect of the film – unheard of at the time. Itami had a very specific vision and she would prep the food accordingly.

“The Amateur and the Craftperson” is a video essay that examines the themes of self-improvement and mastery of craft. It argues that the film’s central theme is learning how to appreciate things.

“The Perfect Bowl” explores Tampopo’s influence on food culture in Japan and in the rest of the world. Various experts talk about when they first saw the film and how it influenced them.

“Rubber Band Pistol” is a 1962 short film that marked Itami’s directorial debut. A group of friends are making wood rubber band pistols and goofing around in this whimsical work.

Finally, there is re-release trailer for the film.

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Tess Harding (Hepburn) is a famous reporter that breaks all the big stories for the New York Chronicle. Sam Craig (Tracy) is the newspaper’s star sports writer. Both are brilliant in their respective areas of expertise. When she off-handedly says that baseball should be eliminated on a radio program, he gets angry enough to give her a dressing down in his sports column. Naturally, she retaliates in her column and in doing so sets up a classic opposites attract story.

Katharine Hepburn’s first appearance is also the first time Sam and Tess meet in person and the first glimpse we get of her is those long, beautiful legs. We see Sam fall instantly in love with her and we do too. The first meet-cute occurs when he takes her to a baseball game and attempts to teach her the fundamentals of the game. Initially, she is adorably clueless about the game but as it progresses, they bond over it. Sam is so smitten by her that he leaves the game before it is over just to spend more time with her.

Turnabout is fair play and she invites him to one of her swanky parties populated by socialites and dignitaries from all over the world. It’s his turn to be out of his element. Watching Tracy and Hepburn navigate their respective home turfs and then deal with the other’s world is a marvel of subtle comic timing and witty banter – something largely absent from contemporary romantic comedies.

Like any great rom-com, the joy of watching Woman of the Year is seeing two people fall in love. In the case of this film, it is two very different people from different worlds – a no-nonsense sports writer and a well-traveled reporter. The chemistry between Tracy and Hepburn is off the charts and the film comes to life every time they’re on-screen together – you can’t take your eyes off them. They are naturally dazzled by each other’s looks but more importantly drawn to each other’s intellects and personalities. Their coupling shouldn’t work but it does against the odds.

Special Features:

I daresay Woman of the Year has never looked better. The black and white cinematography looks crisp and textured – amazing for a film this old. The detail is superb and this is the best this film will probably ever look.

“George Stevens Jr., son of Woman of the Year director George Stevens, talks about his legendary father and his approach to making films. He provides a bit of backstory on his father and how he was something of a maverick within the studio system.

There is a 1967 audio excerpt of George Stevens talking about Woman of the Year. He speaks highly of Hepburn and how ahead of her time she was. He recounts some fascinating anecdotes making the film.

Marilyn Ann Moss, author Giant: George Stevens, a Life on Film, talks about the filmmaker and the making of Woman of the Year. Hepburn picked him to direct, having worked previously on Alice Adams (1935) and Quality Street (1937). His pre-war films all featured strong female protagonists.

“Katharine Hepburn: Woman of the Century” features author Claudia Roth Pierpont talking about the place Woman of the Year had in the actor’s career. She was an unconventional movie star that got her start in theater.

“George Stevens: A Filmmaker’s Journey” is a 1984 feature-length documentary about the man’s life and career with interviews with family and people he worked with as well as filmmakers that admired his work. It takes an excellent, in-depth look at his impressive career.

“The Spencer Tracy Legacy” is a 1986 feature-length documentary by Hepburn about her frequent co-star and close friend. She takes an affectionate look at his life and career.

Finally, there is a trailer.

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