The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 4K UHD Screenshots (Patreon)

Video

Man Who Shot Liberty Valance makes a potent first impression, although in time, suspicions arise. What's evident is the resolution, sharpness spectacular and precise. Details in and on the costumes break through. Even the sets show exemplary definition.

Paramount's encode appears fine, handling the grain structure well. While grain maintains consistency, medium shots begin to show signs of filtering. Gradients begin to fall apart the further the camera moves back. Smudgy shadows bleed over, the murkiness unfortunate. In motion, smearing happens. This isn't a total loss, just an unfortunate - and unnecessary - one.

Beautifully graded Dolby Vision smartly enhances the dynamics, well varied in representing night and day. Under the sun, white shirts reflect intense brightness even with a slight warm push. At night, contrast subdues, yet makes gains thanks to richer black levels. It's convincing and pure, respectful to the source too.

Audio

The only uncompressed track (in TrueHD) is a 5.1 mix; mono is included, but presented in compressed Dolby Digital. That aside, the quality is absurd for a movie this vintage. What the music lacks in depth/bass, it makes up for with superlative precision and clarity. No distortion, no straining, and no fidelity loss are apparent.

Even better, the dialog, so pristine as to at times sound newly recorded. For vintage audio, there are few that offer the same perfection. Plus, Man Who Shot Liberty Valance stays centered, respecting the mono origin, while letting the score branch outward slightly.