From the Collection: The Underground Railroad

Barry Jenkins’ epic mini-series The Underground Railroad has been added to the Criterion Collection.

A monumental reimagining of American history, Barry Jenkins’s adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2016 novel is a harrowing and rhapsodic journey through a still-echoing past. Weaving together historical fiction with moments of magical realism, The Underground Railroad is a full sensory immersion into the world of Cora (Thuso Mbedu), who, fleeing slavery, embarks on a treacherous quest for freedom—and is menaced by violence, supported by a clandestine community fighting for liberation, and haunted by the people she loses along the way. With images of searing power and stirring poetry, Jenkins delivers an epic saga of survival and resilience that pushes the limited-series format to new heights of cinematic transcendence.

Here’s what the disc includes:

• 4K digital master, approved by cowriter-director Barry Jenkins, with Dolby Atmos soundtrack
• Alternate stereo soundtrack
• New audio commentary featuring Jenkins and, on select chapters, cinematographer James Laxton and lead editor Joi McMillon, with an introduction by the director
• New graphic-novel adaptation of “Genesis,” an unfilmed chapter of The Underground Railroad written by Jenkins and Nathan C. Parker, drawn by Valentine De Landro, with an introduction by Jenkins
• The Gaze, a companion film by Jenkins, with a new introduction by the director
• Deleted scenes, with a statement by Jenkins
• Seven teasers made by Jenkins, with a new introduction by the director
• Building “The Underground Railroad,” a short program featuring Jenkins and production designer Mark Friedberg discussing the creation of the train-station sets
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing and English descriptive audio
• PLUS: An essay by critic Angelica Jade Bastién
• New cover by Tony Stella

We, as a society, owe Barry Jenkins an apology for how we treated The Underground Railroad. The mini-series was released on Amazon Prime in the middle of the pandemic and came at a time when it felt like we were seeing Black people abused or killed on the news almost every week. Because of what was going on in the world, many didn’t want to tune into a harrowing, ten-part miniseries about slavery and Black trauma. While the show received rave reviews and received seven Emmy nominations (losing all of them), the show didn’t make much of a splash anywhere else and felt like it tragically got washed away in the streaming algorithms and abundance of content, which was a real tragedy.

The Underground Railroad is a towering achievement from Jenkins, the director behind Oscar-winning films like Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk. A stunning adaptation of Colson Whithead’s novel of the same name follows a young woman named Cora (a remarkable Thuso Mbedu) and she makes a discovery during her attempt to escape slavery. Jenkins directs the film with grace and power and features an onslaught of great performances and superb technical work, particularly the authentic costumes and sets, the gorgeous cinematography, and a sublime score by long-time Jenkins collaborator Nicholas Britell.

This Criterion release is sensational. Along with a gorgeous 4k master and insightful, passionate commentary from Jenkins, the disc also comes with a cool graphic novel of an unfilmed episode and features Jenkins’ short film The Gaze, a perfect accompaniment to the mini-series inspired by the paintings of Kerry James Marshall.

Criterion doesn’t release TV shows or mini-series too often, so when they do, you know it’s a big deal. The Underground Railroad should be seen by all, whether through this perfect Criterion release or on Amazon Prime. It is one of the most important pieces of television in the last decade.

You can buy the Criterion Collection edition of The Underground Railroad at the Criterion website or anywhere Criterion Collection movies are sold.

More From the Collection

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Three Colors Trilogy

Last Hurrah for Chivilary

The Fisher King

Targets

One False Move

Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams

Drylongso

The Runner

Werckmeister Harmonies

Girlfight

From the Collection is an analysis piece of non-new-release movies, whether seen on DVD, streaming, or in a theater, and includes a brief history of the film, a review of the film, and content about the experience of seeing the film and/or the contents of the film’s

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