Lawrence of Arabia!! A League of Their Own! Dr. Strangelove! Mr. Smith Goes to Washington! Jerry Maguire! Gandhi!
This week sees the release of the highly anticipated 4K box set from Columbia Pictures, Columbia Classics Ultra HD Collection Volume 1.
The set includes 6 certifiable classics produced from 1939 to 1996, both thematically and physically splitting its entries into older and modern eras: the double gatefold design effectively splits the films chronologically.
Left side:
- Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
- Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
- Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Right side:
- Gandhi (1982)
- A League of Their Own (1992)
- Jerry Maguire (1996)
While David Lean’s 70mm masterpiece Lawrence of Arabia is likely the most anticipated 4K upgrade for most viewers, the entire set is a tremendous representation of Columbia’s output from over the decades with modern crowd pleasers and true classics — my own personal favorite being Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
It’s hard to fault any set with this many terrific films, but certain decades are noticeably absent (40s, 50s, 70s) while others (60s, 90s) get double representation — perhaps in part to establish the delineation of older and newer films, and no doubt an imbalance which will naturally be mitigated as future volumes open that range up to a wider representation of films.
I’ll be posting about this set again with reviews of the actual movies and their 4K presentations, but for now I want to share how epic this set is. Here’s our in-depth pictorial.
The Package:
The outer box box is built with thick, high quality cardstock. It’s a very beautiful design employing embossed, gold-foil accents and mixed glossy and soft textures.
The Book
Columbia Classics: Redefining Cinematic Heroism
A box-length 84-page hardcover book is tucked into a pocket in the box’s base. I was thrilled to learn that it’s not just a pictorial, but an actual book about these films, written by none other than Cinapse favorite (and Twilight Time luminary) Julie Kirgo.
The Movies
Each of the 6 films is individually packaged with its own slipcover; these slips feature custom-themed artwork which is likely to remain exclusive to this set even when standalone versions of these 4K Blu-rays eventually arrive.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Gandhi (1982)
A League of Their Own (1992)
Jerry Maguire (1996)
DVD Bonus Disc and Digital Copies (MA)
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon: Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection Volume 1
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