Criterion has prepared a 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray edition of Howard Hawks‘ 1940 screwball comedy His Girl Friday for release in December 2025, following its Blu-Ray edition of the film in 2017. This is not the first time the film has been made available on the 4K format — it was previously included in the fourth volume of Sony’s “Columbia Classics Collection” — but it’s certainly a worthwhile upgrade from both that disc as well as Criterion’s previous disc (which is now almost a decade old). It also comes on the heels of a number of Hawks‘ films having recently received the 4K treatment (Scarface, from Criterion; Rio Bravo, from Warner Bros.; and Hatari!, from Kino Lorber), so here’s hoping Bringing Up Baby and Only Angels Have Wings are in the pipeline too.
His Girl Friday follows the pair of Walter Burns (Cary Grant) and Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell), the former editor for the newspaper The Morning Post, the latter a star reporter for the paper, and each the ex-spouse of the other. Hildy, who is now engaged to another man and plans to leave her position to settle down as a housewife, is tasked with one last assignment — the impending execution of a convict who Walter believes to be innocent — by Walter, who intends to sabotage her plans. While adapted from the 1928 Broadway production The Front Page, the original play focused on two subjects of the same gender, which Hawks had the idea to alter. The result was one of the finest comedies of its era, its notably fast-paced dialogue crackling with razor-sharp wit delivered with aplomb by its committed ensemble.
Criterion’s new edition of the film arrives in a clear plastic three-disc case featuring the same artwork by Randy Glass that adorned the 2017 release. The 4K disc’s retention hub is on the left side of the case, while the Blu-ray discs of His Girl Friday as well as the first adaptation of The Front Page, released in 1931, are housed on the right side. Instead of a traditional booklet or leaflet, this release’s accompanying print is in the style of an edition of The Morning Star, featuring an essay by film critic Farran Smith Nehme titled “The Perfect Remarriage.” Also included is a pink “special section” for The Front Page, containing an essay by film critic Michael Sragow titled “Stop the Presses!”.
Video and Audio
As noted in the “About the Master” section of the print, His Girl Friday is presented here in the aspect ratio of 1:37:1 on the 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray disc and 1:33:1 on the standard Blu-Ray. The new 4K restoration was undertaken by Sony Pictures Entertainment and, as mentioned previously, was originally given a physical release in the fourth volume of the studio’s “Columbia Classics Collection” line of box sets in early 2024.
The Columbia Classics Collection release was for the time very good overall, but the encoding wasn’t flawless, and that’s something Criterion has really stepped up to improve upon here. Compared to Sony’s 2024 disc, the authoring on Criterion’s wins out by a solid margin — the latter’s grain management is noticeably finer and less filtered than the Sony release. Everything looks absolutely superb, and I have no reservations about proclaiming this as the definitive presentation of the film.
On the audio side, the “About the Master” section of the print notes that the monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm original negative. The 2.0 track is terrific and captures every line of the rapid-fire dialogue with as much clarity as one could hope for from a release of an 85-year-old film.
Special Features
No supplements are included on the 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray disc, but there is quite the assortment spread across the standard Blu-Ray as well as the Blu-Ray of The Front Page. All descriptions below are taken directly from the discs themselves:
His Girl Friday:
- Hawks on Hawks: This new short program — composed of excerpts from both an audio conversation between director Howard Hawks and Peter Bogdanovich from 1972, illustrated with clips and stills, and a 1973 Richard Schickel interview with Hawks — presents the filmmaker’s reflections on casting His Girl Friday, his changes to its source material, and his stylistic approach to directing it.
- Lighting Up with Hildy Johnson: For film scholar David Bordwell, coauthor of Film Art: An Introduction (now in its 11th edition), His Girl Friday represents the apotheosis of classical Hollywood storytelling. The sheer gusto of the film’s pacing, the economy of its structure, and its command of technique result in a whirlwind viewing experience that matches the chaos of the world of its characters. In this new visual analysis, Bordwell illuminates the many elements of Howard Hawks‘ movie that demonstrate his mastery of his craft.
- Featurettes
- On Assignment: His Girl Friday
- Howard Hawks: Reporter’s Notebook
- Funny Pages
- Rosalind Russell: The Inside Scoop
- Lux Radio Theatre: This Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of His Girl Friday, which aired on September 30, 1940, features Claudette Colbert as Hildy Johnson and Fred MacMurray as Walter Burns.
- Teaser
- Trailer
The Front Page:
- Restoring The Front Page: This 2016 piece details the work of the Academy Film Archive and The Film Foundation in bringing this unique version of The Front Page to life. It highlights the differences between this restoration, in which certain scenes reflect director Lewis Milestone‘s preferred presentation for domestic distribution, and the previously available versions of the film, which relied on some camera takes that had been made solely for foreign release.
- Ben Hecht: Writer Ben Hecht‘s art made extensive use of his life, and nowhere is that more evident than in the work he did in Hollywood. For films like Underworld, The Front Page, Scarface, and Notorious, Hecht drew on his experiences growing up in Al Capone-era Chicago and working in newsrooms to capture the worlds of gangsters, reporters, and spies. With their witty repartee and gritty realities, his scripts transformed Hollywood by influencing a subsequent generation of screenwriters. In this new program, curated by the Criterion Collection, Hecht expert David Brendel explores the life and impact of one of cinema’s most important voices.
- Radio Theater: These radio adaptations of The Front Page aired in 1937 and 1946. The first features Walter Winchell as Hildy Johnson and James Gleason as Walter Burns; the second reunites Pat O’Briend and Adolphe Menjou in the roles they played in Lewis Milestone‘s 1931 film.
- 1937
- 1946
Conclusion
Howard Hawks‘ His Girl Friday is an outstanding motion picture that continues to stand the test of time due to the outstanding balance of its screwball comedy structure alongside spirited social commentary. Russell and Grant play off of one another brilliantly as well as giving fantastic performances individually, with Hawks‘ sharp, vigorous direction serving as the magnetic force that pulls all the moving parts of this wonderful film together.
Criterion’s new edition of the film easily bests its previous standard Blu-Ray release as well as the version included in the fourth volume of Sony’s “Columbia Classics Collection” (not to mention that it’s more affordable for anyone interested in just this film alone).
His Girl Friday is now available in 4K, courtesy of Criterion.
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