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Paper Moon



Continuing a run of Seventies smash-hits for director Peter Bogdanovich after the enormous success of his The Last Picture Show and What's Up, Doc?, Paper Moon saw the filmmaker sustaining his collaboration with actor Ryan O'Neal, and introduced the world to the precocious talent of the future Barry Lyndon star's daughter Tatum, then 10, who for her performance was the youngest-ever actress to be awarded an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

After meeting a newly orphaned girl named Addie Loggins (Tatum O'Neal), con man Moses Pray (Ryan O'Neal), who may or may not be Addie's father, is enlisted to deliver the newly orphaned Addie to her aunt in Missouri. Shortly after however, the two realise that together they make an efficient scam-artist duo. Adventure ensues as the pair blaze through the American Midwest, stealing, swindling, and selling the moon…

With its stunning black-and-white cinematography shot by the great László Kovács and its superb evocation of Depression-era locales, Paper Moon endures as one of the key American comedies of the 1970s. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the film in its UK home viewing premiere in a new Dual-Format edition.

SPECIAL DUAL FORMAT (BLU-RAY + DVD) EDITION:

• Glorious new 1080p transfer of the film
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Full-length audio commentary with director Peter Bogdanovich
• Optional isolated dialogue track and isolated music & effects track
• Three video pieces on the making of the film, featuring new interviews and outtake footage
• 36-PAGE BOOKLET featuring a new essay on the film by Mike Sutton, rare production stills, and more!

Great to see this classic coming to Blu, but where's the Bogdanovich commentary from the DVD?

Blu-ray.com has updated specs and the commentary IS included! (Still MIA from Eureka's website though)

Glorious new 1080p transfer of the film
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
Full-length audio commentary with director Peter Bogdanovich
A group of documentaries about the making of the film
36-PAGE BOOKLET featuring a new essay on the film by Mike Sutton, rare production stills, and more!

Unfortunately, due to family problems I won't be able to do the booklet essay after all - but it's in very safe hands.

Love this film, though good as Tatum O'Neal (the female lead) was, I always thought the best supporting nod should have gone to Madeline Kahn. And I won't beat around the bush here: Was there ever a more delightful, funnier human being than Madeline Kahn ? No, there absolutely was not !

Paper Moon is one of my favourite movies of all time. There's so much to love - the tone, the performances, the humour, the wit.

I have to say that I am disappointed with the picture quality (note that I use a projector). It's very grungy-looking, with quite a few marks, speckles and splotches. The grain is nice, but the image is very thick in places. Also, the contrast is very strong in some areas, giving it a frazzled look. I suspect this movie could look a lot better. I've been blown away by some recent Criterion B&W releases, so I know just how good B&W can look on Blu-Ray.