Nashville (1975) (Paramount Presents) [Blu-Ray]

Director: Robert Altman

Cast: Ned Beatty, Ronee Blakley, Keith Carradine

Release Date: August 10, 2021

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:

Following 24 unique characters through 5 days in the country music capital, Robert Altman’s Oscar winning epic presents a complexly textured portrayal (and critique) of America’s obsession with celebrity and power. Among the various stars, aspirants, hangers-on, observers, and media folk are politically ambitious country icon and his fragile star protégée, a self-absorbed rock star who woos a lonely married gospel singer, a talentless waitress painfully humiliated at her first singing gig, a runaway wife with dreams of stardom, and a campaign guru who is trying to organize a concert rally for an unseen presidential candidate. An essential of 70s cinema, this newly remastered Blu-ray, from a 4K film scan of the original elements, looks better than ever.

Please Note: Paramount Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

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You can also check out our reviews for the other releases in the ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray line by clicking on each title below!

Paramount Presents #1: Fatal Attraction (1987) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #2: King Creole (1958) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #3: To Catch A Thief (1955) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #4: Flashdance (1983) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #5: Days Of Thunder (1990) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #6: Pretty In Pink (1986) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #7: Airplane! (1980) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #8: Ghost (1990) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #9: Roman Holiday (1953) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #10: The Haunting (1999) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #11: The Golden Child (1986) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #12: Trading Places (1983) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #13: The Court Jester (1956) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #14: Elizabethtown (2005) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #15: Love Story (1970) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #16: The Greatest Show On Earth (1952) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #17: Mommie Dearest (1981) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #18: Last Train From Gun Hill (1959) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #19: 48 HRS (1982) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #20: Another 48 HRS (1990) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #21: Almost Famous (2000) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #22: A Place In The Sun (1951) (Blu-ray Review)

Paramount Presents #23: Bugsy Malone (1976) (Blu-ray Review)

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Robert Altman’s 1970’s gem ‘Nashville’ follows 24 unique characters through a period of 5 days in America’s country music capital. Delving into everything from the attitude and manner of the famous musicians to the talented singers struggling to maintain their stardom, down to the dreamers would do just about anything for a chance at a big break. Plus of course the overwhelming politics revolving around everything in the background while each of these various characters struggle to accomplish what they set out to, if not at least making the attempt. It may not end in stardom and money-fueled happiness for all of them, but each still has their own journey to navigate in one form or another here in the ever happening world of Nashville.

The 1975 cult classic ‘Nashville’ arrives on Blu-ray, fittingly released as the twenty-fourth title in Paramount Home Entertainment’s numbered line of Limited Edition ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray releases showcasing various noteworthy films from Paramount’s expansive, decades-spanning catalog with newly remastered (and almost always in 4K) high definition video presentations, paired with solid audio presentations, extras and collectible packaging. ‘Nashville’ most certainly makes a great new addition to the lineup and this unique 70’s filmmaking gem from director Robert Altman still serves up a moving, amusing and intriguing look at the world of Nashville’s music scene during that time. Featuring a stellar cast that includes Ned Beatty, Ronee Blakley, Keith Carradine, Karen Black, Geraldine Chaplin, Henry Gibson, Michael Murphy, Lily Tomlin, Shelley Duvall, Scott Glenn, Jeff Goldblum, Barbara Harris and more, ‘Nashville’ still holds up remarkably well even more than four decades after its initial release and this new ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray release brings it back home on Blu-ray with a quality presentation and packaging that’s worthy of this beloved film. Fans of the film and those collecting each title in the Paramount Presents line will want to consider picking up a copy, especially if you don’t already own one of the previous Blu-ray releases. If you’re already contemplating a purchase of this one, it’s recommended.

Overall, the ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray release of Robert Altman’s 1975 cult classic ‘Nashville’ brings the fan-favorite film back home on Blu-ray for dedicated fans to revisit and another opportunity for a whole new generation of potential fans to experience (and as someone who wasn’t overly familiar with the film prior to receiving this release for review, I can definitely say that it holds up as a solid film better than many might expect). The new Blu-ray release arrives home with a pretty great new high definition video presentation in tow, newly remastered from a 4K film scan of the original elements. Further complemented by a nice 5.1 channel DTS-HD soundtrack, a couple decent extras and the usual collectible packaging included with all of the Limited Edition ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray releases, this one is definitely recommended for anyone who is already considering a purchase, as well as fans who don’t already own the film on Blu-ray.

VIDEO:

The ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray release of ‘Nashville’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation of the film with its original 2.35:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio, newly remastered from a 4K film scan of the original elements. This newly remastered video presentation looks magnificent and is another great offering from the consistently impressive ‘Paramount Presents’ line. It delivers a beautifully textured, smooth and natural presentation from start to finish that’s rich with gorgeous grain and detail, and never suffering from any unexpected issues along the way. It holds up shockingly well (especially considering its age as well as the film’s length) even during the numerous massively populated and occasionally darkly lit sequences, never resulting in anything onscreen become negatively affected or problematic in any way. Overall, this is an outstanding high definition video presentation that should thrill fans of this 1970’s classic.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack does its job quite capably and offers a clean, smooth and well balanced audio presentation throughout. While not overly active in the surround department, some of the music and other audio elements do occasionally make their way at least somewhat into the surround areas, although much of the activity is unsurprisingly centered. For a film with a lot of dialogue and simultaneously occurring audio elements in play at times, it does a great job of keeping everything clean, clear and fully audible at all times, never resulting in any audio activity conflicting with another in a negative way. Overall, this is a solid 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that delivers in every way required of it and shouldn’t disappoint the film’s fans.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray release of ‘Nashville’ includes the usual collectible packaging featured on all of the ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray releases complete with a slipcase that opens to showcase a larger version of the film’s original poster art and photos from the film along with a quote decorating the interior of the disc case insert (you can view a beauty shot of the artwork from the studio at the bottom of the review for a look inside). The disc itself includes a couple of enjoyable extras including an ‘Audio Commentary with Director Robert Altman’, along with the retrospective Featurette ’24 Tracks: Robert Altman’s Nashville’ (running approximately 16 minutes in length). The film’s original Theatrical Trailer (running approximately 2 minutes) is also included, as are classic trailers for ‘Popeye’ and ‘Urban Cowboy’.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 7/10

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Robert Altman’s ‘Nashville’ is Now Available to Own on Blu-ray; Newly Remastered as part of the ‘Paramount Presents’ Blu-ray line from Paramount Home Entertainment

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