A Foreign Affair Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

A Foreign Affair Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 15, 2020

Billy Wilder's "A Foreign Affair" (1948) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental featurs on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film; audio commentary by critic Joseph McBride; two archival radio adaptations; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

In the United States, A Foreign Affair was released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber. For an in-depth review of the film, see Neil Lumbard's review of this release here.

A Foreign Affair Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, A Foreign Affair arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the same master Kino Lorber accessed to produce this release of the film for the U.S. market in 2019. It is mostly good, but there are a lot of different areas where plenty of meaningful improvements can be made.

The good news is that there are no traces of problematic digital adjustments and this ensures that the visuals retain a wide range of organic qualities. The best looking material usually comes from close-ups, but there are some group/mass scenes that are quite pleasing as well (see screencaptures #5 and 9). I also like the grading, though ideally the film should have an overall better balanced appearance. Now, the entire master has very slightly elevated contrast levels, which is the reason why the surface of the visuals can appear slightly harsher. I am fairly certain that it was struck from a secondary source, with all existing limitations retained as they are. Predictably, there are some notable density fluctuations that impact definition, depth, and even clarity (see examples in screencaptures #17 and 20). These fluctuations are not part of the original cinematography, so on a new master struck from a healthier element they would be either greatly minimized or completely eliminated -- and yes, whether such a master is feasible is an entirely different matter. Image stability is good. There are no distracting large debris, cuts, or other serious damage, but tiny white flecks, dirt spots, and even scratches pop up here and there. So, the technical presentation is a tad rougher than it should be, but it is free of distracting digital anomalies and this is always great news. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

A Foreign Affair Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

The lossless track does not have any major weaknesses. However, the are different areas of it that can benefit from minor and perhaps slightly more elaborate cosmetic work. For example, there are some small dynamic fluctuations that can be rabalanced; sporadic 'thinner' than usual sound can be heard as well. What is important to underscore here is that there are no distracting age-related imperfections or transfer-specific anomalies.

A Foreign Affair Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for A Foreign Affair. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• From Berlin to Hollywood - critic Kat Ellinger discusses Marlene Dietrich's background and career. In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Radio Adaptation One - Screen Director's Playhouse episode 9. Original air date March 6, 1949. In English, not subtitled. (60 min).

• Radio Adaptation Two - Screen Director's Playhouse episode 92. Original air date March 1, 1951. In English, not subtitled. (60 min).

• Billy Wilder on "A Foreign Affair" - presented here is a segment from the three-part documentary "Billy, How Did You Do It?" directed by Volker Schlondorff. The director discusses post-war Berlin and the conception of A Foreign Affair. The full documentary is included on Eureka Entertainment's release of The Lost Weekend. In English and German, with imposed English subtitles where necessary. (11 min).

• Commentary - critic Joseph McBride explains why A Foreign Affair was overlooked for a number of years and why it meant a lot to Billy Wilder, and discusses the blending of comedy and drama in it, some of the historic locations where portions of the film were shot, its documentary appearance, the film's critical reception, etc.

• Booklet - a collector's booklet featuring new writing by critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; a new essay by critic Richard Combs; and archival material.

A Foreign Affair Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is a good reason why A Foreign Affair was 'overlooked' for a very, very long time -- it is a pretty average film. Billy Wilder infuses it with cynicism that ought to make it fresh and illuminating but the comedy that emerges from it is completely mismanaged. Also, Jean Arthur's performance is so over the top that it often looks like her Congresswoman was borrowed from a straightforward parody. Only Marlene Dietrich looks right for her part but there is only so much that she can do to make the film interesting. A missed opportunity, indeed. Eureka Entertainment's release is sourced from the same master that Kino Lorber worked with to produce the North American release of A Foreign Affair, but there are some additional bonus features on it.