A few words about…™ Backdraft — in 4k UHD Blu-ray

4 Stars Ron Howard's 1991 epic of firefighters on the front lines, has received a 4k upgrade, and the results are beautiful.

Ron Howard’s 1991 epic of firefighters on the front lines, has received a 4k upgrade, and the results are beautiful. HDR works nicely, while the proscenium has been given a bit of height via DTS-X.

A quality thriller that nicely stands the test of time.

Not going for dark humor here, or the concept of life imitating art, but I believe that the studio had to reach out for a reference print, as theirs had been lost.

In the 2008 fire, that destroyed much of the print library.

Image – 5 (HDR10)

Audio – 5 (DTS-X)

Pass / Fail – Pass

Upgrade from Blu-ray – Yes

Recommended

RAH

Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.

His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.

Post Disclaimer

Some of our content may contain marketing links, which means we will receive a commission for purchases made via those links. In our editorial content, these affiliate links appear automatically, and our editorial teams are not influenced by our affiliate partnerships. We work with several providers (currently Skimlinks and Amazon) to manage our affiliate relationships. You can find out more about their services by visiting their sites.

Share this post:

View thread (30 replies)

Tino

Taken As Ballast
Premium
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 19, 1999
Messages
23,640
Location
Metro NYC
Real Name
Valentino
I think I’ll stick with the terrific, recently upgraded iTunes 4K/HDR version that I paid $4.99 for.
 

Jacksmyname

Second Unit
Joined
Jun 28, 2011
Messages
312
Real Name
Jack Walder
Thanks Robert. Another favorite of mine that I don't have, but soon will.
Just watched it a few days ago using the Starz app on my Fire TV stick.
 

TonyD

Who do we think I am?
Ambassador
Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 1, 1999
Messages
24,331
Location
Gulf Coast
Real Name
Tony D.
I like this movie so I bought it.
Almost bought the iTunes version but I had a coupon code at BB so I grabbed the 4K for about $10.
 

John Sparks

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2001
Messages
4,573
Location
Menifee, CA
Real Name
John Sparks
This movie did more damage to the fire service than any movie ever made. EMERGENCY on TV awakened the populace of what the fire service was about and did.

It took years to live down the BS that was portrayed in that movie...NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING, was accurate that was shown during that movie...what a disservice to firefighters everywhere...and I worked with the greatest fire department in the world during that time...the LAFD!!!
 

bujaki

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2012
Messages
7,140
Location
Richardson, TX
Real Name
Jose Ortiz-Marrero
This movie did more damage to the fire service than any movie ever made. EMERGENCY on TV awakened the populace of what the fire service was about and did.

It took years to live down the BS that was portrayed in that movie...NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING, was accurate that was shown during that movie...what a disservice to firefighters everywhere...and I worked with the greatest fire department in the world during that time...the LAFD!!!
I can't speak, like you, from experience, but I disliked this movie intensely. I saw it when new and I can't remember why I reacted so negatively toward it--maybe the story, the acting, the direction: everything...But I never had the desire to revisit the film again.
 

Scott Merryfield

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Dec 16, 1998
Messages
18,892
Location
Mich. & S. Carolina
Real Name
Scott Merryfield
This movie did more damage to the fire service than any movie ever made. EMERGENCY on TV awakened the populace of what the fire service was about and did.

It took years to live down the BS that was portrayed in that movie...NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING, was accurate that was shown during that movie...what a disservice to firefighters everywhere...and I worked with the greatest fire department in the world during that time...the LAFD!!!
A close friend of mine is a long time firefighter, and he feels similar to you regarding this film.
 

Michael Osadciw

Screenwriter
Joined
Jun 24, 2003
Messages
1,460
Real Name
Michael Osadciw
As a now-retired firefighter, this movie is full of laughs. I can understand the filmmaker's thought about showing faces throughout, but there's so many safety violations in this film. There's not a chance a firefighter would not wear a breathing apparatus in a smoke-filled building...unless of course they want to be part of the rescue in the wrong sort of way!
 

YANG

Screenwriter
Joined
Feb 10, 1999
Messages
1,466
Before this thread goes into tense comparison between BackDraft vs Ladder49 on the story of the genre and how it reflects in real life... We need to look at BackDraft(so as Ladder49) as "HollyWood BlockBuster" product. Where dramatization,exaggeration, creation are the 3 elements in movie making such that whatever product comes out and screen on cinemas worldwide, will determine the life and death of either a career or organization/studio.

The key focus of BackDraft plot to the audience, special effects, pyrotechnics, close to ear sound, sibling rivalry...with a certain level of suspense. And that's it. 3 sensual experience vs 2 others that more to thoughts.
Sensual Experience wins.
 

Malcolm R

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2002
Messages
25,225
Real Name
Malcolm
No offense to the real firefighters in this thread but I enjoy Backdraft as big budget entertainment and not a documentary on real Firefighting.

I’m that regard I think it succeeds.
Yeah, I don't think it was ever intended to be a documentary. My uncle was a firefighter and he enjoyed it at the time.
 
Most Popular