White Christmas 4K review
Nov 04, 2024- Permalink
When I was a young boy, my sister simply adored Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and would make the family watch it every Christmas after dinner. Part way through the movie, my mother would make turkey sandwiches – turkey, a little stuffing, and some Branston pickle – and the four of us would finish watching the story. At a young age, I protested that we had to watch it every year, but Stockholm syndrome (Or is it Vermont syndrome?) had me slowly come to love it and now it’s an indispensable part of my Christmas day. Maybe the best things do happen while you’re dancing. 2024 is the 70th anniversary of White Christmas and Paramount Home Entertainment has given us a beautifully restored 4K to celebrate it. I had a chance to take a look. By the way, if you want some behind the scenes on the restoration, check out this video from Charlotte Barker, who was in charge of the project.
White Christmas introduces us to Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye), two Army buddies who form a hugely successful Broadway and nightclub act after World War II. One night, after performing in Florida, they go check out a fellow soldier’s sisters’ song-and-dance act. The Haines Sisters, Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy (Vera-Ellen), are talented and charming and the guys are smitten. When they help them out of a jam, they all end up on a train to Vermont. It turns out the inn they’re staying at is run by their former general and when they hear it’s struggling, their mental wheels begin to turn. Comedy, romance, and amazing song-and-dance numbers will have you humming and laughing along. Just keep your hands off my turkey sandwich.
The 2160p HEVC / H.265 encoded native 4K digital transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The 4K restoration is excellent with amazing detail in the faces, clothing and environments. Though there can be some occasional softness, that’s due to the source material. The colour palette ranges from the popping primaries of the song-and-dance numbers to the more muted tones of the WWII scenes. The HDR leads to sparkling whites and highlights and the black levels are deep with no loss of detail in the shadows. There’s a nice grain level. This is simply the best that White Christmas has ever looked in the home.
On the audio side of things, you have the choice of an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack as well as a restored version of the original track in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono. There are also French, German, Italian and Spanish Dolby Digital Mono tracks. Subtitles are available for English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. The soundtrack is front-heavy, with only slight use of the surrounds. The witty dialogue and top-notch singing are clear in the mix and the music is bright and dynamic.
The White Christmas 4K also comes with a Blu-ray copy and a digital code, though no digital code is included with the Canadian version. The Blu-ray version also houses all the extras and includes an audio commentary by Rosemary Clooney, a look at her home and museum, backstage stories from film historians and dancer George Chakiris, a look at Bing’s impact on the holiday season, a piece on Danny Kaye, looks at the song and the movie’s transition to the stage, a look at UNICEF and the work Kaye did with them, trailers, and so much more. Grab some egg nog and you can get lost in the extras.
The White Christmas 4K is a holiday treat. Combine the timeless songs of Irving Berlin, the direction of Michael Curtiz, a stellar cast and excellent audio and video and a little bit of holiday magic. You’re in for a treat. Highly recommended.