Saraband for Dead Lovers [Limited Edition] 4K Ultra HD Review

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Historical Spectacles and Prohibited Love

Viewers are taken to the opulent but dangerous halls of 17th and early 18th century Hanover in Basil Dearden’s 1948 movie, Saraband for Dead Lovers (also known simply as Saraband). Made by the legendary Ealing Studios, the movie portrays the sad, true-life love story between Sophia Dorothea (Joan Greenwood), the wife of the prospective King George I of England, and the handsome Swedish military commander Count Philip Königsmark (Stewart Granger). The story unfolds as a rich historical tapestry, blending ideas of political conspiracy, dynastic aspiration, and a fervent but ultimately doomed love affair that resisted the strict limitations of its era. The movie sees itself as a high-end costume drama, centering on the personal expense of power and the conflict between personal want and governmental obligation.

A Magnificent Three-Strip Technicolor Display

The use of three-strip Technicolor is among the most important and enduring aspects of the movie. Published when color movies were still rather uncommon and costly, Saraband shows Ealing Studios’ bold foray into this vivid technology. The results are impressive. Grand palaces, extravagant wigs, and luxurious clothes provide for a great production design, shown in rich, bright colors. Deep velvets, glittering gold braid, and the sharp contrast of formal court clothes against dark halls are all shown with great clarity and depth. The Technicolor method enhances the visual spectacle, therefore immersing the viewer in the opulent society of European nobility and so boosting the dramatic intensity of the main romance and its heartbreaking undertones. For the studio, it represents an impressive visual accomplishment.

Performances Grounding the Show

Stewart Granger infuses his trademark swashbuckling charisma and intensity to his role of Königsmarck, personifying the dashing, romantic hero trapped in a deadly game. As Sophia Dorothea, Joan Greenwood gives a sophisticated performance that captures her character’s development from innocent youth and hope to deep disillusionment and confined hopelessness within her gilded cage. Flora Robson provides commanding presence as the Countess Platen, a master manipulator of court politics. Although certain supporting roles tend towards the dramatic approach typical in historical epics of the period, the main trio offers the much-needed emotional center among the spectacle.

Critical Reception versus Box Office Blues

Saraband for Dead Lovers was mostly well-received by critics after its publication. Reviewers praised its visual beauty, excellent production values, and powerful acting—especially Granger’s and Greenwood’s performance. The movie was praised as a serious, skillfully made effort toward historical drama. Though the movie turned out to be a big box office flop, despite critical acclaim and Ealing’s considerable investment as seen in the Technicolor and sets. Audiences in the postwar period looked to find less tolerance for its gloomy, heartbreaking tone and complicated historical politics. Its failure to attract a large mainstream audience probably stems from its intentional speed and concentration on court intrigue rather than on blatant action or adventure. For Ealing’s ambitions in major costume drama, this commercial failure was a rather depressing blow.

Enduring Qualities and Inheritance

Saraband for Dead Lovers has its own merits even if it is not among Ealing’s most well-known comedy. Its strongest point is its visual presentation; the three-strip Technicolor cinematography by Douglas Slocombe offers a vibrant window into a painstakingly reconstructed historical era, making it still a fascinating reason to see the movie. While familiar in its arc, the tragic love tale is handled with a degree of gravitas; the main performances are captivating. The film aptly portrays the suffocating mood of a court wherein political advantage demands personal happiness to be effortlessly sacrificed. Though eclipsed by its commercial flop and Ealing’s subsequent comic successes, Saraband survives as a visually sumptuous and dramatically sincere, albeit ultimately melancholic, work of British film history. Worth seeking out for fans of historical melodrama and classic Technicolor, it signals an ambitious, aesthetically rich departure for the studio.

The Video

From Indicator: “Saraband for Dead Lovers was supplied in 4K HDR by StudioCanal. The restoration of this three-strip Technicolor film was completed by Filmfinity under the supervision of Jahanzeb Hayat. Thirty reels of 35mm YCM (yellow, cyan, and magenta) color separation masters were scanned at 4K. The resultant files were then combined and aligned to create a full-color master, and over 250 hours of dirt and scratch removal and damage repair were undertaken.”

The result is a beautiful transfer to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray from Indicator. The 1.37:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) Dolby Vision encodement looks stunning, with a fine, natural layer of film grain, palpable textures and detail, and stunning reproduction of the Technicolor master. There are no issues with color misalignment around the edges of objects. There is some slight pop in highlights and excellent shadow detail nuance. This is reference quality.

The Audio

Saraband for Dead Lovers original mono audio track was remastered at the same time as the film. It is presented on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in LPCM 1.0. The audio has clean dialogue and sound effects with a dynamic sound to the score from Alan Rawsthorne. The mastering level is low, but after turning the sound up about 5db over my normal listening level it sounded fine.

The Supplements

This world premiere 4K release from Indicator gets a hefty bit of bonus features including an 80-page book with a new essay and archival writings. On disc there are two new features, one with James Dearden, the director’s son, introducing the film, and another with unit stills photographer Georgina Slocombe remembering her father, director of photography Douglas Slocombe.

Limited Edition Contents:

• World premiere on 4K UHD
• Limited edition exclusive 80-page book: With a new essay by Robert Murphy, archival pieces by director Basil Dearden, producer Michael Balcon, art director Michael Relph, director of photography Douglas Slocombe, costume designer Anthony Mendleson, and conductor Ernest Irving, archival profile pieces on the principal cast members, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits
• Limited edition of 5,000 individually numbered units (3,000 4K UHDs and 2,000 Blu-rays) for the US

Bonus Features:

• James Dearden: A Sense of Loyalty (2025; 1080p; 00:10:48): Director and screenwriter James Dearden introduces his father’s work
• Georgina Slocombe: A Life on the Set (2025; 1080p; 00:13:12): Unit stills photographer Georgina Slocombe remembers her father, the acclaimed director of photography Douglas Slocombe
• The BEHP Interview with Michael Relph (1990): Archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the producer, director, set designer, and long-term Dearden collaborator in conversation with Sidney Cole and Alan Lawson. Runs in conjunction with the film.
• Josephine Botting: A Technicolor Dance (2023; 1080p; 00:23:06): Film historian Josephine Botting explores the film’s production and the challenges its creators faced
• Phuong Le and Matthew Sweet: A Strange Adventure (2023; 1080p; 00:24:16): Broadcaster Matthew Sweet and journalist and film critic Phuong Le discuss the film’s themes and reception
• Restoring ‘Saraband for Dead Lovers’ (2023; 1080p; 00:10:07): A look behind the scenes of the restoration process
• Prague location footage (1948; 1080p; 00:01:24): British Pathé newsreel extract
• Original storyboards by screenwriter Alexander Mackendrick:
  • Storyboard-to-Film Comparison: The Fair (1080p; 00:04:46)
  • Storyboard-to-Film Comparison: The End of Königsmark (1080p; 00:05:29)
  • Original Storyboards Gallery (1080p)
• Image Galleries (1080p):
  • Original Promotional Material
  • Original Programme
  • Dialogue Continuity Script
• Image galleries: promotional and publicity material; dialogue continuity script

The Final Assessment

An oft-forgotten masterpiece of Technicolor visuals that never became the box office success it was meant to be by Ealing, Saraband for Dead Lovers is a classic spectacle that deserves reevaluation. This gorgeous 4K restoration has brought the vivid colors back to life and the film can now be see the way it was meant to be seen again. Highly recommended.

Saraband for Dead Lovers [Limited Edition] is out on 4K Ultra HD (and Blu-ray) August 19, 2025, from Indicator

• Rating Certificate: Approved
• Studios & Distributors: Ealing Studios | Indicator
• Director: Basil Dearden
• Written By: John Dighton | Alexander Mackendrick | Helen Simpson
• Run Time: 96 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
• Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
• HDR Format: Dolby Vision (HDR10 Compatible)
• Primary Audio: English LPCM 1.0
• Subtitles: English SDH
• Street Date: 19 August 2025