Chantal Akerman Masterpieces, 1968-1978 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Chantal Akerman Masterpieces, 1968-1978 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 15, 2024

Chantal Akerman is frequently perceived as having been such a formative figure in contemporary cinema that it's maybe a little surprising that more of her work hasn't made it to Blu-ray. Criterion, after having released a standalone version of Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles back in 2017, is now remedying that situation with an interesting three disc collection which aggregates nine films (including some shorter entries) Akerman made between 1968 and 1978, though one of those nine films is the aforementioned and previously released Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. Now, some curmudgeons may want to quibble with Criterion's assertion that all of these films are "masterpieces", but they're each certainly provocative and thoughtful, though Akerman's presentational peculiarities may frankly be a bit off putting to some not attuned to her considerably distinctive style and rhythms.

Note: See screenshots 18 through 20 for the Main Menus of all three discs in this set, which list the films available on each disc.

My Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles Blu-ray review offered some thoughts on the apparently static but repetitive world the titular female in that film experienced, and Akerman repeatedly explores the trope of women in "everyday" circumstances in many of the offerings in this set. Over and over again women are seen performing some almost quasi-ritualistic activity in kitchens in particular, much as in Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, though at times, as in Saute ma ville, there is a decidedly anarchic subtext afoot. But actually in virtually all of the offerings here, including Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, there's an undeniably subversive undertone at work that suffuses apparently "mundane" occurrences.

The almost soul crushing abrasiveness of "traditional" roles and even tasks typically "assigned" to women shows up again and again in Akerman's work, offered almost dispassionately at times though with a probably jaundiced eye. Several of the films offered here, both some shorts and certainly the feature length offerings, depict women chafing against perceived norms, at times overtly and explicitly, but at other times kind of on the "down low", so to speak. "Speak" may not however be an operative term for some of the entries included, as they are silent, something that perhaps only emphasizes Akerman's proclivity for long shots where nothing (or at least nothing much) happens.

Akerman's provocative choices will probably be off putting to some who want more forceful narratives, though quasi-documentary offerings like Hotel Monterey almost insist on showing an absence of anything really going on. Even Akerman's putative narrative efforts can feature very deliberate doses of stasis and repetition, in a stylistic presentation that echoes the stifling emotional confines Akerman's focal women often find themselves experiencing.

Chantal Akerman Masterpieces, 1968-1978 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Chantal Akerman Masterpieces 1968 - 1978 is (are?) presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in a variety of aspect ratios. Criterion's insert booklet contains the following information on the masters utilized for this collection:

Restorations of all films were undertaken by Cinematek (Royal Film Archive of Belgium) except for that of Le 15/8, which was undertaken by L'Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy.

For Saute ma ville, the 35 mm original camera negative was scanned in 2K resolution, with the original monaural soundtrack remastered from an optical soundtrack positive. For L'enfant aimé, ou Je joue à être une femme mariée, a 16 mm duplicate positive was scanned in 2K resolution, with the original monaural soundtrack remastered from the 16 mm magnetic final mix. For La chambre and Hotel Monterey, the 16 mm original reversal positives were scanned in 2K resolution. For Le 15/8, a 16 mm duplicate negative and positive print were scanned in 2K resolution, with the original monaural soundtrack remastered from a 16 mm optical soundtrack positive. For Je tu il elle, the 35 mm original camera negative was scanned in 2K resolution, with the original monaural soundtrack remastered from a 35 mm optical soundtrack positive. For Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, the 35 mm original camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution and restored in 2K resolution, with the original monaural soundtrack remastered from a 35 mm sound negative and a 35 mm positive print. For New from Home, a 16 mm duplicate positive was scanned in 2K resolution, with the original monaural soundtrack remastered from the 16 mm magnetic final mix. For Les rendez-vous d'Anna, the 35 mm original camera negative was scanned in 4K resolution with the original monaural soundtrack remastered from the 25 mm optical soundtrack positive.

As will probably be intuitively obvious, the widely variant source elements can mean at least a somewhat variant level of detail and age related wear and tear throughout the nine films offered in this set. The scans off original camera negatives fare excellently for the most part, but even here some of the older properties can show occasional slight anomalies, including minor nicks and abrasions and even a warped frame or two. Some of the 16 mm material, especially the films sourced from things like reversal positives (notably a lot of Hotel Monterey), suffers from low light filming situations where detail levels can be compromised by that issue as well as rather heavy, gritty grain. Some of the black and white material can have occasionally wonky contrast, which may have been a stylistic choice, where foreground whites can bloom and blend into lighter backgrounds, though kind of interestingly where crush is really not much of an issue. Certain films, like L'enfant aimé, ou Je joue à être une femme mariée, have an overall soft quality where midrange and wide framings don't offer much in the way of general detail, let alone fine detail.

Chantal Akerman Masterpieces, 1968-1978 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

As mentioned above, several of the pieces in this set are actually silent, but when there are soundtracks, they are presented in LPCM Mono. With the exception of News from Home, which offers an alternate English language version, all spoken material is in French. Akerman doesn't really indulge in overly baroque sound design, though there are occasional sound effects presented. When there is dialogue, it can often be offered directly to the camera or in other somewhat unusual presentational settings, but all spoken material is delivered cleanly and clearly. Optional English subtitles are available.

Chantal Akerman Masterpieces, 1968-1978 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As can be seen in screenshots 18 through 20, Criterion has packaged this release with several films on Discs One and Three. I've therefore indicated below where supplements are tied to individual films (typically accessible after the film is chosen from the Main Menu), and where the supplements are listed separately on Discs One and Three.

Disc One

• Saute ma ville

  Introduction by Chantal Akerman (HD; 1:20) is subtitled in English.

• Je Tu Il Elle

  Under the Influence: Ira Sachs (HD; 9:12) is culled from a 2019 episode of the Criterion Channel series, focusing on Akerman beginning to explore feature film length after making shorts.

• Supplements

  B. Ruby Rich (HD; 19:52) is an interesting overview of Akerman's first decade of filmmaking.

  
  

  Hanging Out Yonkers (HD; 27:19) is a reconstructed version of a 1973 Akerman documentary shot in a juvenile rehabilitation center in Yonkers, New York.

  
  

  The Film School Tests (HD; ) are a quartet Akerman shot in 1967 when applying to Belgium's INSAS Film School. These are all silent.

  Brussels, Film 1 (HD; 3:18)

  
  

  Brussels, Film 2 (HD; 3:25)

  
  

  Knokke, Film 1 (HD; 3:02)

  
  

  Knokke, Film 2 (HD; 3:04)

Disc Two (Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles)

Note: While two of the supplements on Criterion's standalone release of this film show up elsewhere in this set, there's a bit more information about some of the below supplements in my original Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles Blu-ray review (which will also help you to spot the two supplements now moved elsewhere).

• Autour de Jeanne Dielman (HD; 1:08:47) is a documentary by Sami Frey, and co-edited by Akerman, which explores the on set relationships between Akerman, Delphine Seyrig and the crew. Subtitled in English.


• Chantal Akerman: On Jeanne Dielman (HD; 20:20) is a 2009 interview with Akerman. Subtitled in English.


• Chantal Akerman and Delphine Seyrig (HD; 6:51) is culled from a 1976 television show Les rendez-vous du dimanche with host Michel Drucker. Subtitled in English.


• Babette Mangolte (HD; 22:41) is a 2009 interview with cinematographer Mangolte.

Disc Three

• News From Home

  Audio Options offers the choice of either French or English tracks.

• Les Rendez-vous D'Anna

  Aurore Clément (HD; 18:10) is a 2007 interview of the film's star conducted by Akerman. Subtitled in English.

• Supplements

  In Her Own Words (HD; 22:42) is an appealing visual essay produced for the Criterion Collection in 2023 which aggregates rare radio interview Akerman gave in 1975 and 1977. This begins with some really interesting comments by Agnes Varda. Subtitled in English.

  
  

  Chantal Akerman: On Filmmaking (HD; 17:04) is part of a 1997 episode of the French television program Cinema, de notre temps. Subtitled in English.

  
  

  Natalia Akerman (HD; 28:14) is a really fascinating 2007 conversation between Akerman and her mother. Subtitled in English.

Additionally, Criterion provides a nicely appointed insert booklet with a really interesting essay by Beatrice Loayza, who also provides a really helpful and informative set of notes on each of the films included. Packaging features a slipbox.

Chantal Akerman Masterpieces, 1968-1978 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Chantal Akerman was an enfant terrible who didn't shy away from offering intentionally ponderous, at times almost insanely slow moving, pieces, though her desire to depict the depressive and oppressive worlds many women experience found a near perfect outlet in those stylistic choices. My hunch is even diehard Akerman fans may find entries like Hotel Monterey to be a bit of a slog, but the overall effect of this collection reinforces the incredibly distinctive point of view Akerman brought to her work. Technical merits are generally secure and as usual Criterion has assembled some very appealing supplements. Recommended.