STUDIO: Warner Brothers
RELEASE DATE: September 9, 2008
STARRING: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon, Robert Drivas, Lou Antonio, Strother Martin, and Jo Van Fleet
WRITTEN BY: Donn Pierce and Frank R. Pierson
DIRECTED BY: Stuart Rosenberg
FEATURES: New Digital Transfer from Restored Picture and Audio Elements
Commentary by Historian/Newman Biographer Eric Lax
New Documentary "A Natural-Born World-Shaker: Making Cool Hand Luke"
Theatrical Trailer

I've written many things over the years that can be debated. That's what critics do. There's not a single critic out there who agrees with you on every movie and every actor. Part of what we hope to do is spark debate. But there are certain undeniable truths of cinema. Martin Scorsese is a genius. Alfred Hitchcock changed the form. And Paul Newman is one of the best actors that ever graced the screen. There's no argument. Sure, I feel a little more strongly about Paul than a lot of other actors simply because he was one of the first actors who really blew my mind when I saw his early films as a child, but it's pretty much universally agreed upon that he's a master of the form. Rumors that he might be near death have circulated in recent months and I know for a fact that I'm going to me an emotional mess when he goes. He's a personal icon. And when he does, I'll have the film festival ready to go for my own personal memorial. Like a lot of people, I'll watch Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Verdict, The Sting, The Hustler, and Slap Shot and probably include a few other recent master turns like Empire Falls and Nobody's Fool. But I'll probably kick it all off with Cool Hand Luke.

For a lot of people, this is the film that defined Newman. That cocky smile, the swagger, the good looks - this was Newman in his prime. He was actually already around 40 when he shot it, but he arguably never looked more vital and alive than he did in Cool Hand Luke. Newman starred in the title role, a prisoner and a loner who refuses to give into the authority of the system. The film is such a product of its time, as protest and "fighting against the man" was a major theme of film of the late '60s. Which is not to be interpreted that it hasn't held up well. It's themes are timeless. Luke keeps escaping the prison system and gets dragged back into jail. He becomes an icon for his fellow prisoners and a clear Christ figure in the story. Cool Hand Luke is not a perfect film (the Christ allegory is hit a little too hard on the head) but Newman's performance is one of his best and legendary cinematographer Conrad Hall's work is stunning, especially on Blu-Ray. George Kennedy won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and the film was nominated for three others, including Best Actor for Newman. In 2003, AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains ranked Luke as the 30th greatest hero in the history of American cinema.

The essence of Newman is beautifully on display in the Blu-Ray edition of Cool Hand Luke. Warner Home Video went back to original film elements to remaster and restore both the video and audio elements. I'd like to personally thank them. I've never seen Cool Hand Luke like this before. Hall's stunning 2.40:1-ratio Panavision photography is gorgeous. The colors are vivid without looking "too perfect" like some restorations of classic films. A lot was made recently about Patton and Dirty Harry looking a little plastic and too fake in high definition. Cool Hand Luke doesn't go too far. It looks great and sounds pretty good, although it is only available in its original mono 1.0 track. It's a good, well-mixed track. The only thing that could be argued as lacking with the Cool Hand Luke Blu-Ray release would be the special features. They're both great, especially the half-hour documentary about the making of and impact of the film, but fans might want more. Cool Hand Luke is often sold with the classic line, "What we've got here is...failure to communicate." There is no failure when it comes to the quality of this Blu-Ray release.