Walter Hill’s classic 1981 backwoods thrillerSouthern Comfortis coming to 4K. Boutique physical media distributorVinegar Syndromewill release the Louisiana-set survival film with a passel of special features.
Vinegar Syndrome has announced they will releaseSouthern Comforton4K Blu-rayfor the first time later this year; the disc is available for pre-order now. It will feature an all-new 4K transfer scanned and restored from the film’s 35mm interpositive. The set will also include a number of special features, including a new commentary track fromWalter HillexpertWalter Chaw, and new interviews with Hill himself (who directed and co-wrote the film), the film’s editors and costume designers, and film historianWayne Byrne. The set will also include an archival featurette featuring interviews from the film’s cast and crew, and will be packaged with a booklet featuring an essay by authorBrian Brems.Southern Comfortcan be pre-orderedonVinegarSyndrome.com, and willretail for $44.99 USD.
What is ‘Southern Comfort’?
Set in 1973, during the Vietnam War,Southern Comfortfollows a group of Louisiana National Guardsmen who accidentally ignite a war with a group of Cajun trappers while conducting maneuvers in the bayou. Armed only with their wits and guns loaded with blanks, the guardsmen are pushed to the limits of humanity and sanity as they struggle to survive against an enemy born and bred in the swamps. The film boasts an impressive cast, featuring a number of actors who would go on to become well-known, includingKeith Carradine(Nashville),Powers Boothe(Tombstone),Fred Ward(Tremors),T.K. Carter(The Thing), andPeter Coyote(E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial); the film also features early roles for character actorsBrion James(Blade Runner) andSonny Landham(Predator). It also features an atmospheric, moody score by legendary guitaristRy Cooder.
Southern Comfortwas not a great success upon its initial release in 1981, making under $3 million USD on a $7.9 million budget. However, it was well-received by critics, and has undergone a critical re-appraisal in recent years, along with much of Hill’s other oeuvre. In a2020 ranking of Hill’s films, Collider’sDrew TaylornamedSouthern ComfortHill’s third-best movie, afterThe WarriorsandStreets of Fire; he called it “one of Hill’s most thematically complicated and technically accomplished thrillers and one of his very best movies, period.”
Vinegar Syndrome’s 4KSouthern Comfortrelease is available for pre-order now. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch Vinegar Syndrome’s promo trailer for the 4K release below.
