Paramount Presents releases Pretty in Pink, a John Hughes classic to its collection. With a fantastic treatment and finally on Blu-Ray, fans will definitely want to pick this one up!
“A newly remastered Blu-ray, from a 4k film transfer supervised by director Howard Deutch. Pretty in Pink looks prettier than ever. Teen sensations Molly Ringwald (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club) and Andrew McCarthy (St. Elmo’s Fire) drew rave reviews for their starring performances in this hit love story produced and written by John Hughes (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Planes, Trains and Automobiles). Andie is a high school girl from the other side of town. Blane’s the wealthy heartthrob who asks her to the prom. But as fast as their romance builds, it’s threatened by the painful reality of peer pressure. From its bittersweet story to its hit New Wave soundtrack, the film features great supporting performances from Harry Dean Stanton, Jon Cryer, James Spader and Annie Potts.”
Pretty in Pink opens with Andie (Molly Ringwald) dressing for school, preparing an outfit that highlights her unique look and personality: a practical, thrifty, yet creative and one of a kind, something she gets by with on very little living with her father who seems to have trouble holding down a job. At school, her look doesn’t mesh well with the rest of the students, but catches the eye of Blane (Andrew McCarthy), one of the wealthy kids in the school. Already infatuated with Andie is Duckie (Jon Cryer), her best friend, who desperately wants their relationship to be something more. When Blane asks Andie out, tensions rise between her and Duckie, while Blane is subjected to backlash from all his wealthy friends. Coming from two different worlds, true love may not be in the cards for these two.
John Hughes cornered the market in the 80s for the teen movie genre, creating some of the most iconic films of that decade, speaking to the hearts and minds of audiences of varying ages, producing a story that everyone can identify with on some level. Pretty in Pink continued his great storytelling and relatable, unique characters that made him a household name.
By the time this film came around, Molly Ringwald had a lot of pull when it came to decisions of the film. In fact, the entire film came about when she asked John Hughes to write a movie based on her favorite song at the time, Pretty in Pink by The Psychedelic Furs. With her input also carrying weight on casting, this film was tailor-made for her, proving yet again the relationship between her and Hughes was very successful. While the film does utilize a very formulaic approach, the success of the film and life it’s had since 1986 is a testament to the writing of John Hughes, who is able to capture that teenage feeling of heartache, angst, and of not belonging.
The film also boasts some very impressive performances. Molly Ringwald of course entirely embodies the teenage outsider. While she was the popular one in The Breakfast Club, she’s from the opposite side of the tracks in this film, and plays her uniqueness well. While the filmmakers all wanted Anthony Michael Hall for Duckie, his refusal paved the way for Jon Cryer, who definitely makes an impression. While I always thought of Duckie as one of the most annoying characters in any Hughes film, he has an enduring quality that appeals to people, and his unrequited love for Andie makes you feel sorry for him. The entire supporting cast is great as well, especially Annie Potts her Andie’s friend and co-worker whom she turns to for advice and support. Out of them all, however, I have to admit that James Spader as one of the antagonists was probably the most impressive. He plays the rich jerk so well I almost forgot I was supposed to despise him I was admiring his performance so much.
Video
Pretty in Pink is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1 featuring a brand new, remastered picture from a 4k transfer supervised by the director. The Paramount Presents line has impressed with its dedication to offering the best quality for a lot of these older films. This transfer looks incredible, featuring tons of detail with a crystal clear picture. Grain is kept at manageable levels, and color balance looks great. You can tell a lot of work has gone into cleaning up this print, making it look the best its ever looked on home video. This alone should be worth the purchase for fans of the film.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. This track also sounds fantastic, with the music of the film one of the special things about it. Balance sounds great, with nice full sound coming from the surrounds, and good levels on the center channel for dialogue. The soundtrack is what makes the film all that more memorable, and it doesn’t disappoint when we hear those 80s beats play in the background.
Special Features
Pretty in Pink, #6 in the Paramount Presents catalogue, comes with some new features as well as some older extras added from their DVD release. For fans of the film that may have the DVD: Pretty in Pink: Everything’s Duckie Edition, there is quite a lot of supplemental material that didn’t make it over to this release. While that may be upsetting for some, seeing this on Blu-Ray and in such good condition easily wins out over some extras from a DVD.
The disc comes with a nice slipcover that opens to reveal the poster art for the film.
The extras include:
NEW FEATURE
- Filmmaker Focus: Director Howard Deutch on Pretty in Pink
- Isolated Score
Original Special Features
- The Lost Dance: The Original Ending
- Original Theatrical Trailer
Pretty in Pink has meant a lot to people who can identify with the characters that John Hughes created during his career. While it is very formulaic, it still manages to capture the spirit of growing up and the hardships of teenage life. Whether you can identify with it now, or makes you nostalgic for simpler times, Pretty in Pink has endured all these decades for a reason, and thanks to a superb treatment from Paramount, it will continue to do so for a new generation.
