Overview: Set in a 1940s-era Midwestern town and told from the viewpoints of a seven-year-old boy, who only wants one thing for Christmas — a Red Ryder BB gun — the episodic tale chronicles not only his schemes to convince his mother and father to buy him one, but also offers a warmly nostalgic look into 1940s middle-class American life. From the stories of, and narrated by, Jean Shepherd.

4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Verdict: Warner Bros. is expanding their 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray catalog offerings this month with the release of the highly-anticipated A Christmas Story in the expansive 4K Ultra HD video format this September 13th, 2022.

For my money, this A Christmas Story [4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital] combo pack sharpness takes a fairly large step forward from others in their 4K Ultra HD catalog and even comes with HDR (High Dynamic Range) for the complete 4K Ultra HD experience, of course.

So, what we have is A Christmas Story presented to us as a two-disc combo pack with a sheet for a Digital HD Copy. Other stand out points you should know are: Codec: HEVC / H.265 (75.78 Mbps), Resolution: Native 4K (2160p) HDR: HDR10 and Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1.

Featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10 for brighter, deeper, and way more lifelike colors, as with most all 4K UHDs, everything that we watch features these qualities - but somehow, this film gloriously shines within them all.

Noticeably crisp with the overall clarity receiving an obvious boost here on this release, what is more is that it is enjoyably noticeable.

For as well as some new nuances to the somewhat drab palette courtesy of Dolby Vision we also get to witness sudden bright pops of color; such as the legendary Broken Lamp scene! That part where the mother breaks the lamp on purpose and the old man finds out is hilarious. It’s also kinda funny how the old man tries to glue the lamp back together, but watches as it collapses and is then buried outside! Their combined facial expressions are priceless, for such a small, yet highly memorable scene.

Indeed, the picture enjoys the fruits of the added resolution in terms of bringing out the aforementioned extremely fine facial and some of the yellow graded material; notably the scene where Flick sticks his tongue to the flag pole! Man, legendary! There were even police cars and fire trucks coming up to save him at one point and all because someone shouted, I triple dog dare you!

As for the audio, well we have a veritable smorgasbord of choice here: English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps), French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps) and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps).

Overall, this is a very strong 4K HDR Blu-ray presentation, and, for the most part, the audio track remains fairly similar to its DTS-HD counterpart; with much of the action occupying the surrounds with outstanding directionality and placement where effects flawlessly pan between the sides and rears.

As for the movie itself, A Christmas Story is a rare film about children yet for adults. While kids will definitely enjoy this Christmas-themed saga, adults will find a deeper level of depth than they may remember from seeing the film at a younger age.

The movie strikes a sharp contrast between the exaggerated, polysyllabic narration of Ralphie, filled with nostalgia and lucid memories, and the soft, high-pitched childlike wonder of Ralphie’s spoken word. The narrator is clearly not the same character as the one portrayed on film, but a character wholly outside the story, reliving his childhood emotions and anecdotes.

Yet he is the heart of the film, the true center of gravity. This is because the movie is not about a scary Santa Clause and a BB gun - it’s about childhood memories and the feelings they evoke. To that end, A Christmas Story is flawless.

A Christmas Story tells of the epically materialistic journey of Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) as he searches for the golden, upheld idol of all red-blooded American boys: A Red Rider Air Rifle. Ralphie spins an intricate web of cunning and deceit as he plots to get his hands on it - including an essay, a trip to Santa Claus and more.

The movie also shows us a glimpse of his family - his irritable, foul-mouthed father with a good heart, his whiny brother Randy, and his sweet, all-American mother. It is not so much a continuous story as a series of vignettes, but it ultimately serves the movie’s purpose.

This is a funny film. The narration by Jean Shepherd is filled with love for this story. He absolutely captures the emotions and logic of childhood. In a subtle but amusing moment, Shepherd intones the incomparably eloquent pouring forth of thought into writing - only to have Billingsley note in his awe-filled, high-pitched voice that, I think everyone should have a Red Rider BB gun. It’s very good for Christmas. (paraphrased).

Most of the humor is similar - the natural exaggeration of a child as expressed by Shepherd’s consistent string of hyperbole.

Also, there’s a reason why it’s played constantly on cable TV throughout the Christmas season - it’s a movie everyone can relate to. There are moments of such pure truth here that few can deny their power. I’m sure that there is a scientific law left unwritten that determines that every kid must at some point fantasize about his parents feeling absolutely terrible and forever regretting some unutterable punishment they inflicted on their child - in this case, the immortal washing of a mouth out with soap.

Obviously, A Christmas Story is not a film that can be compared to Casablanca or Citizen Kane, but that aside, it simply excels at its simple goals, and comes together as an extraordinarily entertaining piece of cinema.

DIGITAL, 4K & BLU-RAY ELEMENTS:
•Commentary by Bob Clark and Peter Billingsley
•A Christmas Story – Featurette
•A History
•Deleted Scene
•Get a leg up
•The leg lamp spot
•Jean Shepherd original radio reading
•Theatrical trailer

The film is directed by Bob Clark. The screenplay is by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown, and Bob Clark and is based on the novel “In God We Trust: All Other Pay Cash by Shepherd. The film is produced by Rene Dupont and Bob Clark and stars Melinda Dillon, Darren McGavin and Peter Billingsley.

Additionally, A Christmas Story Christmas, from Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO Max, will debut on HBO Max on November 17. The long-awaited follow-up to the annual holiday favorite A Christmas Story, this time Ralphie is all grown up and must deal with Christmas and all that comes with it…as a dad. Peter Billingsley returns to the role that has made kids of all ages anticipate Christmas morning like no other.

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