From legendary director Robert Altman comes his final film, the deeply moving and comedic A Prairie Home Companion. Based on Garrison Keillor’s wildly popular radio program of the same name, Altman invites audiences to the fictional “closing night” of the fabled show. As the rain pours down on a blustery Minnesota evening, the cast tapes their final performance, while waiting for the Texas businessman who has bought the theater to arrive and shut them down. Backstage the colorful ensemble says their goodbyes and confront old conflicts, while onstage a sold-out audience enjoys the wit and musical whimsy for which the show is famous. But when a mysterious woman appears offstage introducing herself as the angel Asphodel, it becomes apparent that this will be no ordinary closing night.

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Video Quality

A Prairie Home Companion gets a hotly anticipated upgrade on Blu-Ray courtesy of Warner Archive with a new 1080p master that treats the source with great care. While not a complete anomaly, this was still the time when the transition to digital video was being figured out and displayed with more finesse. This production was captured in HD video, and the new master unlocks nearly everything we love about it. Certain facets of the production design backstage are rendered more crisply and textured along with the costumes. The transfer is free of any compression artifacts or other such digital hindrances. The film’s colors are precisely dialed in their intended shade. Black levels are deep in shadowy corners, and highlights never fall to blooming. Skin tones appear to be consistent, natural, and detailed across the ensemble. Warner Archive has made this one look as good as you could hope.

Audio Quality

Warner Archive brings this new Blu-Ray to fans with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that dazzles without reservation. With this being a movie about the production of a stage variety show, it is important to note that the songs radiate out impeccably. These tunes along with the score know how to fill a room. The clever layered dialogue comes through clearly in terms of accuracy to the source even with some overlapping voices. The bustling backstage environment is rich with environmental sonic flourishes. The environmental effects allow the narrative to feel more three-dimensional. The surround track is not too showy, but it expands things out quite effectively. This track is a wonderful audio experience from Warner Archive.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Robert Altman and actor Kevin Kline provide a very valuable archival commentary track in which they discuss the creation of this film in a relaxed manner. There are some great insights into Altman’s philosophy on adhering to the script and working with performers to get what they need.

Onstage at The Fitzgerald – A Musical Companion: A 35-minute collection of raw footage from the stage performance including musical interludes, faux commercials, and more.

Come Play With Us – A Feature Companion: A 49-minute making-of featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss the history of Prairie Home Companion, the translation to the screen for a feature film, the capturing of the performances, and more.

Soundtrack Preview: A 36-minute assemblage of the musical performances from the film.

Trailer: The nearly two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

A Prairie Home Companion is a respectable final film from legendary filmmaker Robert Altman. The scale is more on the cozy side of modest in terms of narrative ambition, but it captures the hallmarks that exemplify the heyday of the artist. The ensemble is filled with quirky personalities, but that does not take away from the authenticity found in the writing. It is a bit quiet, a bit melancholy, and more than a bit heartfelt. This is a film that the right audience will love sitting back and having this one wash over them. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a favorable A/V presentation and fetching special features. If you love Altman or the titular stage show, you cannot go wrong here. Recommended

A Prairie Home Companion can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.