The Corner Penthouse

The Criterion Collection recently released the The Breakfast Club (1985) 4K UHD + Blu-ray. Let's take a look at it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

What happens when five strangers end up together in Saturday detention? Badass posturing, gleeful misbehavior, and a potent dose of angst. With this exuberant, disarmingly candid film, writer-director John Hughes established himself as the bard of American youth, vividly and empathetically capturing how teenagers hang out, act up, and goof off. The Breakfast Club brings together an assortment of adolescent archetypes - the uptight popular girl (Molly Ringwald), the stoic jock (Emilio Estevez), the foulmouthed rebel (Judd Nelson), the virginal bookworm (Anthony Michael Hall), and the kooky recluse (Ally Sheedy) - and watches them shed their personae and emerge into unlikely friendships. With its highly quotable dialogue and star-making performances, this exploration of the trials of adolescence became an era-defining pop-culture phenomenon, one whose influence now spans generations.

[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

The movie is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:37:09 (the first 13 seconds is the Criterion logo). The movie has been rated R. Audio languages include English. Subtitle languages English SDH.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

All of the content listed below can be found on the Blu-ray disc only. The 4K UHD disc only contains the movie and the commentary.

• Audio Commentary - with actors Anthony Michael Hall and Judd Nelson; recorded in 2008
• Deleted and Extended Scenes (51:39) - A total of 18 scenes that were cut from the 150-minute rough cut of The Breakfast Club. The content was sourced from analog masters displaying a "Property of MCA" watermark.
• Sincerely Yours (51:00) - An archival documentary focuses on the original cinematic style of director John Hughes, the making of the film, and its characters. Includes interviews with costume designer Marilyn Vance; writer Diablo Cody; director Amy Heckerling; actors John Kapelos, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall, and Judd Nelson; director Marco Siega; and others.
• Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy Interview (18:38) - These intercut interviews were conducted exclusively for Criterion in New York City in 2017.
• Judd Nelson Interview (12:36) - An archival interview with the actor that was conducted on the set of The Breakfast Club in 1984.
• Ally Sheedy Interview (15:23) - An archival interview with the actor that was conducted on the set of The Breakfast Club in 1984.
• Irene Brafstein Interview (8:58) - An archival interview with the studio teacher that was conducted on the set of The Breakfast Club in 1984.
• Paul Gleason Interview (11:09) - An archival interview with the actor that was conducted on the set of The Breakfast Club in 1984.
• John Hughes: American Film Institute, 1985 (47:21) - An archival audio interview with the film's director.
• John Hughes: Sound Opinions, 1999 (16:05) - An archival audio interview with the film's director.
• Electronic Press Kit (23:49) & (1:26) - Vintage promotional studio material featuring clips from various cast and crew interviews as well as raw footage from the shooting of the film. Includes the segments "Ensemble Profile", "John Hughes Profile", "Dede Allen Profile", "Youth Picture", "Roller-Coaster", "Featurette", and "Original Trailer". When using Play All, the Trailer is played separately.
• Today (9:42) - An excerpt from a 1985 episode of NBC's Today show featuring interviews conducted by Jane Pauley with actors Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estevez, and Ally Sheedy.
• Describe the Ruckus (12:13) - This video essay, produced exclusively for Criterion in 2017, features actor Judd Nelson reading from director John Hughes' production notes for The Breakfast Club.
• This American Life (15:13) - An episode of the Chicago Public Media radio program This American Life in which actress Molly Ringwald explains what it feels like to reexperience The Breakfast Club many years later as a parent.

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

Included inside the thick clear plastic case is a booklet containing the essay "Smells Like Teen Realness" by David Kamp, various production and John Hughes personal photos, along with credits and transfer information.

[ NOTES ]

The Breakfast Club (1985) is available on 4K UHD + Blu-ray, individual Blu-ray, and DVD. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

This item has been provided by the Criterion Collection for review on this site.