RICHARD PRYOR: LIVE ON THE SUNSET STRIP (1982)
4K Ultra HD + Digital
Label: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: R
Duration: 81 Minutes 13 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 2160p Ultra HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Joe Layton
Cast: Richard Pryor
Wow, I was pretty shocked when this was announced for 4K UHD release from Sony, Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip recorded live in West Hollywood in 1981. While there might be a couple of modern day comedy specials on 4K UHD that I am not aware, I know for certain that this is the first vintage stand-up comedy classic shot on film to get a the 4K treatment. This was not exactly Pryor at the top of his game, it was a bit of comeback after a career dip following him setting himself on fire while freebasing cocaine. He's not immediately the cocksure king of comedy from earlier comedy album and specials, he's older, more introspective, and vulnerable, and while he starts off slow by the end of the show he has the audience in the palm of his hand, a master storyteller able to to take moments from his own life and craft them into hilarious tales that are often poignant. This time out Pryor speaks about his life-changing trip to Africa and how that made him never want to use the n-word again, the importance of fucking, navigating married life, and a particularly fun story about an encounter with Italian mobsters when he was 19 years old, offering his spot-on Italian gangster impersonation in the process, even taking a request from the audience to resurrect his wino-philosopher character "Mudbone", and absolutely killing it. Pryor was and still is one of the titans of stand-up comedy, this concert film is testament to his mastery of comedic truths,
Audio/Video: Richard Pryor - Live on the Sunset Strip (1982) arrives on 4K Ultra HD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment in 2160 Ultra HD with Dolby Vision, scanned in HD from the original camera negative, framed in 1.85:1 widescreen. It looks terrific, grain looks natural throughout, it's blemish free, and colors look wonderful. The red of Pryor's matching slacks and jacket, his gold shoes, the plum color of the curtain behind him, it all looks quite wonderful and nicely suffused. The 4K resolution showing detail and textures never before noticeable on VHS or DVD, revealing the nooks and crannies of his skin pores and hair. The shots when the camera pans the audience to capture them responding to his comedy also look great, lots of attractive people in the crowd that night! Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono with optional English subtitles, not surprisingly no Atmos upgrade but the uncompressed DTS track is absolutely rock solid.
The only disc-extra is the 2-min Theatrical Trailer for the film. The single-disc release arrives in a black keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork, plus a Slipcover with the same artwork and a redemption code for a Digital Copy of the film
Special Features:
Special Features:
- Theatrical Trailer
- Slipcover
- Digital Copy
Live on the Sunset Strip is not my favorite of Pryor's stand-up performances, that would be Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), and I don't know if that was shot on film or video, but if it was shot on film I hope it's also gets a 4K upgrade at some point. Sop, while not my favorite Pryor, Live on the Sunset Strip is still a masterful stand-up performance from one of the true masters of the form, and to have it preserved on 4K UHD is not something I thought we would ever see. Now that we have it I would also love to see Eddie Murphy's Delirious (1983) and Raw (1987) get the 4K bump, make it happen somebody.
Buy it:
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