4K Restoration by StudioCanal! Gorgeous Susan Anton (Cannonball Run II) stars as an untried female sprinter who enters the Olympics, claiming that she will win an unprecedented three gold medals. But when one man (legendary James Coburn, Firepower) falls in love with her, he unravels the bizarre history of her training and the tough money men who stand to make millions…if she survives! Directed by Joseph Sargent (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three), scored by Bill Conti (Rocky) and co-starring Leslie Caron (Gigi), Robert Culp (TV’s I Spy), Harry Guardino (Dirty Harry), Curt Jürgens (The Spy Who Loved Me), Michael Lerner (Barton Fink) and tennis great John Newcombe, Goldengirl is a winning sports story with a unique sci-fi twist.

For thoughts on Goldengirl, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/o54I9R54yQg?t=1784]

Video Quality

Goldengirl debuts on Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer derived from a new 4K restoration by StudioCanal. This is mostly a winning presentation with only the occasional mark remaining against it. Overall clarity and detail is pretty solid with natural skin tones and subtle facial features that are easily noticeable in closeup. The natural state of the transfer runs a bit soft and dreamy so that detail does not remain as crisp in medium or long shots.

Black levels are admirable in their depth with only some of the more shadowy scenes lacking some precise detail. This transfer maintains the natural film grain of the presentation yet it can sometimes have a bit of blockiness. The color grading skews a bit more yellow which we suppose goes with the title a bit more thematically, but we are not sure if that was the original aesthetic choice or a quirk of the restoration. Instances of print damage have been cleaned up immensely with barely any specks or marks visible. This new presentation from Scorpion Releasing is a fine effort for the long-unavailable film, which should please those who have been eagerly anticipating a proper release.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that captures the intended soundscape of the film well. Dialogue is clearly defined for the most part outside of a few instances of muffled words. Environmental sounds such as the chatter of crowds are rendered well alongside everything else. The score from Bill Conti provides the perfect triumphant and mysterious atmosphere for this story that maintains excellent fidelity. There is never a sense that this one is suffering from wear and tear. There are rarely moments where it threatens to overwhelm competing sounds, as elements work together in harmony. Scorpion Releasing has done a nice job with the audio presentation. There are English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Film Historians Howard S. Berger and Nathaniel Thompson provide a really lively and informative commentary track in which they discuss the background of this film, the potential of a longer television cut, the careers of the performers in the film, the sports craze around the time of its release, the unsettling themes at the core of the narrative and much more that makes for a rewarding listen.

Interview with Star Susan Anton: A new 12-minute interview with Anton in which she discusses how she came to the project, the original release plans for the film, the environment of the set, her relationship with the director and cast, the intense training for the role, singing on the soundtrack, the legacy of the film and more.

Interview with Actor Nicolas Coster: A new seven-minute interview with Coster in which he discusses his professional relationship with Joseph Sargent, memories of his co-stars, his interest in genetics, his career as a whole and more.

Composer Bill Conti Career Highlights: A 15-minute interview in which Conti discusses his career at large, conducting the Academy Awards, some of his frequent collaborators and more.

Trailers: The three-and-a-half-minute trailer for Goldengirl is provided here. There are also trailers provided for Island Of The Blue Dolphins, Number One, Counterpoint!, and Rollerball.

Final Thoughts

Goldengirl has some interesting ideas that never seem to really be explored in as much depth as necessary to make it a juicy piece of science fiction. The drama that we do get is perfectly capable within the sports drama arena, but it fails to live up to the promise of its premise. The performances in this one are quite good, especially the always-dependable James Coburn. Susan Anton makes for a very charming leading lady who does a fine job with what she is tasked to do. Scorpion Releasing and Kino Classics have released a new Blu-Ray with a pretty solid A/V presentation and some great special features. This movie has long been difficult to find, so fans who have been awaiting this one should be pleased with what has been delivered. Recommended

Goldengirl is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

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

Disclaimer: Scorpion Releasing and Kino Classics have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.