Manon 70 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Manon 70 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 19, 2026

Jean Aurel's "Manon 70" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only bonus feature on the release is an exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critics Howard S. Berger and Travis Wood. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Compromised lovers

The French use multiple words and expressions to describe a gold digger. Usually, the most appropriate one is chosen after they decide how respectful they wish to be. Le femme venale is arguably the most harmless of them all. Michetonneuse is the most contemporary, most closely related to gold digger of them all. However, the French also frequently replace them with other words and expressions that can veer quite far from gold digger. The context in which each is used is very important.

In Jean Aurel’s film, Catherine Deneuve plays a gorgeous young woman who can be described perfectly with every single one of these words and expressions. But not at the same time, which is what makes it intriguing. (Or at least this was the case some years ago.) It is because Aurel’s film is structured as a character study and a romantic melodrama that, at different times, provides the proper context for each of these words and expressions. As a result, it is fair to declare that it is somewhat subversive as well.

Its narrative is broken into three uneven parts. In the first part, Manon (Deneuve), while abroad and courted by a very wealthy playboy, meets Des Grieux (Sami Frey) and later, in a moment of inspiration, decides to trade the former for the latter. At the Paris airport, Manon then jumps into Grieux’s cab and the two become lovers. Shortly after, to support Manon’s lifestyle, Grieux, an investigative reporter on a fixed salary, requests a substantial advance from his boss that dents his previously impeccable reputation. In the next part, Manon’s brother, Jean-Paul (Jean-Claude Brialy), appears and, after befriending Grieux, instantly begins promoting her to various high rollers. The first to take the bait is the aging American businessman Ravaggi (Robert Webber), who begins dreaming of making her his wife. While Manon manipulates Ravaggi and takes advantage of his generosity, Grieux tests the strength of their romantic relationship by cheating with a stranger in Stockholm. In the final part, Manon reveals her true colors to Ravaggi and runs away with Grieux, now unemployed, broke, and deeply confused by her many transformations and deceiving actions.

Aurel’s film is loosely based on Abbe Prevost’s popular novel Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut (also known as Manon Lescaut), published in 1731. Several decades earlier, in 1949, the novel also inspired Henri-Georges Clouzot to direct Manon, which is widely considered to be a vastly superior film. However, comparing Aurel and Clouzot’s films is essentially pointless because they both intentionally produce very different interpretations of the original material from the novel.

Deneuve’s character is a classic contemporary gold digger engaged in an all-too-familiar game. However, in 1968, the frank depiction of this game was a surprising development because Deneuve’s character is supposed to be incompatible with it. Aurel’s film casually destroys her integrity but then, instead of also destroying her philosophy of life, allows her to easily recover under the pretext that her beauty supersedes her morality. This ‘optimistic’ cynicism is the most consequential upgrade in Aurel’s film. (In Clouzot’s film, the story of Manon and the young man she falls in love with is wrapped up in a dramatically different manner).

Plenty of the visuals look effortlessly beautiful and chic, effectively neutralizing the ugly in the game. Aurel was paired with Edmond Richard, whose credits include such big films as The Trial, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, and That Obscure Object of Desire.

Manon 70 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Manon 70 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an older remaster, practically identical to the one that was used to bring Le Choc to Blu-ray. In America, it was first introduced via the Catherine Deneuve Collection, produced by Lionsgate. I like this remaster a lot. It produces healthy and attractive organic visuals. Delineation, clarity, and depth range from very good to occasionally excellent. In a few areas with brighter daylight footage, select highlights can be managed slightly better, but there are no troubling anomalies. On the contrary, the daylight and darker indoor and nighttime footage looks equally convincing. The entire film can look slightly fresher, but its current appearance is impossible to describe as dated. Color reproduction and balance are very good. There is some room for small improvements that can affect the dynamic range of the visuals, but balance is very good. Image stability is excellent. I noticed a few nicks, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, marks, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Manon 70 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless audio is healthy. I had the volume of system turned up quite a bit -- the soundtrack utilizes music by Serge Gainsbourg -- and did not notice any anomalies to report. The dialogue is always very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. All dynamic contrasts are very modest, but this is a limitation of the original soundtrack. The English translation is excellent. However, I would have preferred bigger English subtitles.

Manon 70 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Howard S. Berger and Travis Wood.

Manon 70 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jean Aurel's Manon 70 and Henri-Georges Clouzot's Manon produce very different cinematic interpretations of the original material from Abbe Prevost's popular novel. Both interpretations are very, very loose and effective in unique ways. Aurel's film channels 'optimistic' cynicism making it more relevant today. However, both films have similarly flawed characters whose stories are wrapped up with similarly thought-provoking messages. Kino Lorber's release brings a wonderful organic presentation of Manon 70. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.