Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip

Summary

“Before I go to bed I have milk and cookies.”

Sony has recently given Richard Pryor’s seminal comedy special Live On the Sunset Strip a 4K UHD release. I was pretty surprised by this release from Sony. Given that this comedy special was filmed with just a few cameras and a live audience in 1982, it didn’t exactly scream out for a full 4K release, but I was also sort of delighted by its announcement. When I was growing up Richard Pryor was a comedic idol for most of us, even if I was a little too young to view most of his work when he was at his most popular. His movies with Gene Wilder played often on television when I was a child, so I actually grew up watching an edited version of his performances which is a little hilarious to consider. My wife and I watched the special the other evening.

In the special, Richard Pryor (in front of a crowd that features Reverend Jesse Jackson) talks about numerous topics including racism, his love life and relationship issues, an impactful trip he took to Africa, his memories of working on a film set in an actual prison (Stir Crazy), and most famously he discusses his struggle with addiction and how he lit himself on fire while freebasing.

Stand-up comedy tends to belong so squarely to the time in which the jokes were first told, that very few stand up specials actually age well. Cultural mores change constantly and what was funny or appropriate to say in one decade is different from the next. I would be lying if I said that this special completely connected with me, for that reason. That said, it is undeniable that Richard Pryor was an extremely talented and funny comedian. He easily kept the crowd in the palm of his hand for the duration of the special. While the first thirty minutes or so of the set felt pretty dated to me and only drew a few chuckles and a few shrugs from me, the set finds a good rhythm once he talks about his experience filming with Gene Wilder in an actual prison. The special builds to a poignant story about his visit to Africa. In that portion he talks about this feelings of otherness and how those feelings faded away when he was in Africa and everyone looked like him. It’s a well thought out and heartfelt portion of the special that I felt was poignant. The final twenty minutes of the special are what makes this set so memorable. When Pryor delves into the pain of his addiction to freebasing cocaine and then describes the actual physical pain he was put through by the unintentional fire caused from his addiction, the audience will sympathize with him while laughing heartily. The last twenty minutes of the set cemented this as one of the great stand-up specials. I rewatched the last twenty minutes again a few days later because it was just so good. Richard had worked with fellow comedian Paul Mooney on his material, and the set gets tighter as it moves along.

Video

Sony has chosen to skip the Blu-ray format and go straight to 4K UHD for Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip. This is reference quality, but it is not like this stand up set is a visual stunner. I was thinking about the difference between watching this 4K of a live comedic performance versus watching the recent A24 4K UHD release of Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense. The truth of the matter is that comedy specials don’t benefit a tremendous amount from the uptick in picture quality as much as concert films that also take place on a stage. Fans of the picture will still be happy to see how good it looks, but the format can only be as visually exciting as its source material.

Audio

The mono audio track is also reference quality. Clarity is very good. There is not much here aside from the voice of Richard Pryor and the crowd noise, but there is nothing to nitpick either.

Supplements:

Theatrical Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video: 4/5

Audio: 4/5

Supplements: .5/5

Overall: 3.75/5

Fans of Richard Pryor will definitely rejoice to see that Sony has given his classic Live at the Sunset Strip stand-up special a 4K release. This is one of Richard Pryor’s best known sets from his career and famously features the truly amazing story of how Richard Pryor survived after accidentally lighting himself on fire freebasing. Pryor worked with fellow comedian Paul Mooney to refine the material for the set, and despite an only decent beginning, the last two thirds of the set are rock solid. For fans who have clamored to own this in HD (it has only been available on DVD for decades,) they should be thrilled that Sony has implemented their high standards of quality control to bring the best out of the elements. The 4K UHD is essentially reference quality. The lack of special features (aside from a trailer) is a bit disappointing, but it is nice to be able to revisit a classic comic performance from one of the greatest to ever do it in 4K.