In 1890s New York City, evocatively recreated on a shoestring budget, Jewish immigrant Jake (Steven Keats) has assimilated seamlessly into the American community…until his wife from back home (Carol Kane) arrives on his doorstep. Sumptuously shot in black and white, director Joan Micklin Silver’s loving, funny debut feature became an unexpected hit, and the rare independent American film to garner an Oscar® nomination for Kane’s heartbreaking, but ultimately empowering turn. Cohen Film Collection is proud to present a gorgeous new 4K restoration of this American classic.

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

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Video Quality

Hester Street returns to Blu-Ray thanks to the Cohen Film Collection with a brand new 1080p master from a new 4K restoration. This film was first released on Blu-Ray seven years ago courtesy of Scorpion Releasing, and a quick comparison of the two releases shows that there are some very pleasant improvements this time around. While the old release was certainly acceptable at the time, this new restoration provides a much tighter command of the grain field, more detail and less damage.

Apart from a few minor instances of lesser quality, likely due to the source elements, it is heartening to see this transfer look so spectacular. The gorgeous black-and-white photography thrives in high definition with natural grain intact. There is a tremendous amount of detail present with nice textures on the clothing, both in the more working class outfits and the more sophisticated garments on display. The new transfer shows off a great amount of depth and enhanced detail within the production design. Black levels are very deep with no major instances of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined, and nicks and scratches have all but been eradicated. Cohen Film Collection has really delivered a quality presentation.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a mostly steady DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track that serves this movie well. The first thing you will notice is the warmth and vitality of the music and how it aids the narrative. Despite the strength of the music, nothing ever overpowers the dialogue or other important information. Dialogue and environmental noises are represented in perfect harmony with all competing elements. The only element where this track really falters is with some age-related wear including some low level hiss and noise. While the condition of the audio elements could possibly be stronger, overall this suits the movie well. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Joan Micklin Silver and producer Raphael Silver provide a really informative commentary track in which they discuss the development of this film, the shooting locations, the thematic drive behind the film, working with the performers, the attempts to maintain authenticity and more.

Alternate Opening: An eight-minute alternate opening is provided with audio commentary from Daniel Kremer, author of an upcoming book about Joan Micklin Silver, who provides some great context to what a discovery this reel of footage is that was cut after urging from producers.

Conversations From The Quad

- Joan Micklin Silver on Hester Street: A 32-minute conversation with the director in which she discusses coming to this story, the journey to directing the feature, the impact of her family’s history on her telling of the narrative, getting the film seen by the Academy, the music in the film and more.

- Joan Micklin Silver Career Overview: A 21-minute continuation in which the director expands beyond her feature debut as she gives a very engaging overview of her career as a primarily independent filmmaker.

Interviews

- Carol Kane: A nine-minute archival interview with Kane in which she discusses getting the part, the elements of her character and more.

- Doris Roberts: A nearly nine-minute archival interview with Roberts in which she discusses her involvement with the film, her family history, the acting process on set, her memories of the film and more.

- Joan Micklin Silver: A 14-minute archival interview with the director in which she discusses the difficulty of breaking into directing, the source material, realizing her power as a director, shooting in black and white, and much more.

- Raphael D. Silver: A 14-minute archival interview with the producer in which he discusses his belief in Joan, raising money for the film, shooting in the most inexpensive manner possible, the film’s release and reception, and much more.

Trailer: A new minute-long trailer crafted by the Cohen Media Group is provided here touting the new restoration.

Final Thoughts

Hester Street is a very impactful narrative which shows the push-and-pull between cultures and how class consciousness can impact behavior. This manifests in particular by showing how this comes down on the shoulders of women and their struggles to have any kind of power over their own lives. The considerate direction from Joan Micklin Silver is a true gift to cinema that audiences would have been lucky to get more of at this point in time. Cohen Media Group has delivered a Blu-Ray with a strong A/V presentation and a nice array of special features. If you are looking for a really terrific character drama, look no further. Recommended

Hester Street 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: Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber 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.