Physical Media Releases (Dressed to Kill) Dressed to Kill
Dressed to Kill earned $31.9 million in theaters in 1980. Its afterlife on physical media has been unusually active -- four decades of releases across VHS, laserdisc, DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD, with three different labels (MGM, Criterion, Kino Lorber) each bringing their own restoration and supplementary apparatus.
Warner Home Video released the film on VHS in 1984
Warner Home Video issued Dressed to Kill on VHS in 1984, roughly four years after its theatrical run. The tape came in the R-rated theatrical cut with no extras -- standard for the format. Like most early VHS releases, it was a pan-and-scan transfer that cropped the 2.35:1 widescreen image to fit standard televisions, losing the split-diopter compositions and gallery-wide museum shots that depend on the full frame.
MGM issued a special edition DVD in 2001
MGM Home Entertainment released a special edition DVD in 2001 that included The Making of Dressed to Kill, a documentary featurette with cast and crew interviews. This was the first time the film received any supplementary material on home video. The DVD presented the film in anamorphic widescreen.
MGM released an R-rated and unrated Blu-ray in September 2011
MGM issued both the R-rated and unrated versions on DVD and Blu-ray in September 2011. The unrated cut runs approximately thirty seconds longer than the theatrical version, with more explicit shower imagery, closer angles on the elevator violence, and additional dialogue. (wikipedia)
Criterion released spine number 770 in September 2015 with a new 4K restoration
The Criterion Collection released Dressed to Kill as spine #770 on September 8, 2015. The Blu-ray presented a new 4K digital transfer of De Palma's preferred unrated version, supervised by the director, scanned from the original camera negative (with a 35mm interpositive used for a few sequences). The disc included uncompressed monaural audio.
The special features assembled the most comprehensive collection of supplementary material the film had received:
- New conversation between De Palma and Noah Baumbach -- years before their feature-length documentary De Palma (2015)
- New interview with Nancy Allen -- on working with De Palma and shooting on location in New York
- New interview with producer George Litto
- New interview with composer Pino Donaggio
- New interview with body double Victoria Lynn Johnson -- on how she came to the role and the shower scene
- New interview with poster art director Stephen Sayadian
- New profile of cinematographer Ralf D. Bode, featuring filmmaker Michael Apted
- Keith Gordon interview (2001) -- on learning filmmaking from De Palma
- The Making of Dressed to Kill (2001) -- the MGM documentary
- Pieces on the different versions and the cuts made to avoid an X rating
- Gallery of storyboards by De Palma
- Essay by critic Michael Koresky
Kino Lorber released the reference 4K UHD in October 2022
Kino Lorber released Dressed to Kill on 4K UHD Blu-ray in October 2022, presenting the unrated version from a brand-new 4K scan of the original camera negative finished as a 4K Digital Intermediate with Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range grading. The transfer is widely regarded as the best the film has ever looked on home video.
High Def Digest called the transfer "a stunning presentation and the best rendering yet of this classic movie in the home video realm." The reviewer noted that fine details -- fabric textures, jewelry, museum paintings -- were substantially enhanced over prior releases. (highdefdigest-uhd)
Audio options include DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (original) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround remix that lends depth to Pino Donaggio's score.
The second disc (Blu-ray) assembled the most extras-rich edition yet:
New interviews:
- Nancy Allen: "Strictly Business" (17 min)
- Producer Fred C. Caruso: "Killer Frames" (8 min)
- Keith Gordon: "An Imitation of Life" (14 min)
New audio commentary by film critic and author Maitland McDonagh.
Archival content:
- 2012 interviews with George Litto, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, and Keith Gordon
- 2001 documentary and featurettes (editing, rating comparisons, filmmaking appreciation)
- 1980 archival audio interviews with Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, and Nancy Allen (23 min total)
- Theatrical trailer, teaser trailer, TV spots, and radio spots