Paths of Glory 4K UHD Screenshots (Patreon)

Video

Paths of Glory looks generally spectacular on UHD. A varying grain structure shows heartiness then clarity depending on the scene. Either way, the encode can handle it, keeping things intact and true to the film stock. The print itself is nearly spotless, free from most scratches or dirt. Restoration work preserves Paths of Glory brilliantly.

Kino chooses Dolby Vision for this release. This gives the gray scale room to breathe, the occasional muddiness a rare fault. Otherwise, gains in both brightness and shadows betters the previous Criterion Blu-ray. It's not a knock out presentation, but satisfying in keeping the material intact.

Real gains come by way of the resolution. Fidelity streams from the screen. Facial definition is common aside from cinematography choices that diminish sharpness at the source. That's fine as Paths of Glory isn't processed in any way, and marvelous as a result.

Audio

While on the scratchier side from age, the DTS-HD track maintains integrity. Dialog sounds clear even with the roughness inherent to the older sound mix. Music wobbles in the upper registers, although the bass is surprisingly clean, given as much as the mono can produce.