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Memoirs of a Geisha is a film I would put on for the costumes, the production design and the John Williams score rather than the story, which makes the new 4K disc an easier sell than the movie itself. Sony's release has the specs you would want: HEVC, native 4K, Dolby Vision and HDR10, 2.40:1.
From the Why So Blu review, the improvements land exactly where this film lives. Kimono stitching, hair ornaments, tatami and screens inside the okiya, all with much more resolved detail. Depth through the Hanamachi streets is called out, and so is the snow dance, which on the old Blu-ray always looked a bit flat and crushed in the dark surrounds. Reds and golds are described as the standout, and grain is restrained. Restrained grain on a 2005 film shot on 35mm can mean a light touch or it can mean scrubbing. The review does not read like they saw waxy faces, and they mention better gradation on skin, so I lean towards the first.
Audio is a new Dolby Atmos remix, alongside a TrueHD 7.1 at 48kHz/24-bit and a DTS-HD MA 5.1 at 48kHz/16-bit. The opening storm and the dance percussion are the scenes they single out. Personally I would A/B the 7.1 against the Atmos before deciding, because new remixes on older catalogue titles are hit and miss on dialogue level.
As for the film, the review is lukewarm and so am I. Two and a half hours of gorgeous surface with a thin romance at the middle. But this is exactly the kind of title where 4K and DV pay off even if the script does not.
Anyone who has the Atmos track running yet, does the rain in the opening actually use the heights or is it mostly the front wide stage?
From the Why So Blu review, the improvements land exactly where this film lives. Kimono stitching, hair ornaments, tatami and screens inside the okiya, all with much more resolved detail. Depth through the Hanamachi streets is called out, and so is the snow dance, which on the old Blu-ray always looked a bit flat and crushed in the dark surrounds. Reds and golds are described as the standout, and grain is restrained. Restrained grain on a 2005 film shot on 35mm can mean a light touch or it can mean scrubbing. The review does not read like they saw waxy faces, and they mention better gradation on skin, so I lean towards the first.
Audio is a new Dolby Atmos remix, alongside a TrueHD 7.1 at 48kHz/24-bit and a DTS-HD MA 5.1 at 48kHz/16-bit. The opening storm and the dance percussion are the scenes they single out. Personally I would A/B the 7.1 against the Atmos before deciding, because new remixes on older catalogue titles are hit and miss on dialogue level.
As for the film, the review is lukewarm and so am I. Two and a half hours of gorgeous surface with a thin romance at the middle. But this is exactly the kind of title where 4K and DV pay off even if the script does not.
Anyone who has the Atmos track running yet, does the rain in the opening actually use the heights or is it mostly the front wide stage?
