A Gorgeous Girl Like Me Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

A Gorgeous Girl Like Me Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 19, 2014

François Truffaut's "Une belle fille comme moi" a.k.a. "A Gorgeous Girl Like Me" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer; the French director's short film Les Mistons a.k.a. The Mischief Makers; audio commentary by assistant director Claude de Givray; and video introduction by Serge Toubiana, president of Cinémathèque française. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The gorgeous girl

Young and handsome sociologist Stanislas Prévine (Andre Dussollier, Un Coeur en Hiver, La Chambre des officiers) is allowed to see and interview the gorgeous criminal Camille Bliss (Bernadette Lafont, Le beau Serge, The Mother and the Whore). The material he gathers during the interviews will be used in his dissertation.

During their meetings in the prison, Camille tells Stanislas about her numerous affairs with different men -- the naive pest exterminator Arthur (Charles Denner, Z), the night club singer Roger (Guy Marchand, Coup de Torchon), the shady lawyer Murene (Claude Brasseur, Band of Outsiders), and the silly country boy she tricked to marry her, Clovis (Philippe Leotard, La Balance). Then she explains to him how she was wrongly accused of murder and how she can be set free if Stanislas finds the young boy that accidentally shot with his camera the ‘murder’ and presents his film to the authorities.

Overwhelmed by Camille’s charm and beauty and convinced that she is innocent, Stanislas agrees to find the young ‘director’ and help her get of prison.

Released a year after Anne and Muriel, A Gorgeous Girl Like Me is a pitch-black comedy about the silly games the two sexes love to play. It is loosely based on the crime novel by Henry Farrell, who is probably best known for Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, which was also made into a film by Robert Aldrich a decade earlier.

The film is structured as a collage of flashbacks in which the gorgeous girl constantly gets in trouble with men who are far more impressed by her body than her intelligence. She tells them stories that melt their hearts and open their wallets and gets what she needs. While the men trust her everything seems fine, but eventually her lies are exposed and she is forced to run for her life.

The final third offers an interesting twist. Some of the humor becomes quite cynical, but it does not feel out of sync with the rest of the film.

What makes the cynicism and humor gel together is the terrific acting. Lafont and all of the male actors are very enthusiastic in front of the camera but never look ridiculous. This enthusiasm is chiefly responsible for that very unique atmosphere of spontaneity that is present in so many of the French director’s best film.

A Gorgeous Girl Lime Me was Truffaut’s first collaboration with cinematographer Pierre-William Glenn. A year after its premiere, the two teamed up again on the Oscar nominated Day for Night a.k.a. Day for Night.

***

Also included on this Blu-ray release is Truffaut’s second short film Les Mistons a.k.a. The Mischief Makers (1957). Based on Maurice Pons' novel Virginales, it follows five young boys obsessed with a beautiful young woman who has fallen in love with the 'wrong guy'. The young woman is played by Lafont, while the lover is played by Gerard Blain. Truffaut’s terrific experience with the young boys inspired him to shoot his first feature film, The 400 Blows.

A Gorgeous Girl Like Me Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Francois Truffaut's A Gorgeous Girl Like Me arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye.

Please note that the screencaptures included with our review appear in the following order:

1. Screencaptures #1-19: A Gorgeous Girl Like Me.
2. Screencaptures #20-26: The Mischief Makers.

A Gorgeous Girl Like Me:: Like the rest of the recent releases of Truffaut films, the high-definition transfer for A Gorgeous Girl Like Me appears to have been struck from a master provided by MK2 in France. Generally speaking, the technical presentation is very good. Close-ups boast good depth and clarity, while the larger panoramic shots convey pleasing fluidity (see screencaotures #2 and 18). Contrast levels remain stable throughout the entire film. Color reproduction is good. There is a fine range of stable and very natural colors that are well balanced. Color saturation is very good, but there is some room for improvement. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Also, edge-enhancement is not an issue of concern. Naturally, the film has a wonderful and consistent organic appearance. Finally, overall image stability is excellent, and there are no large debris, cuts, stains, or damage marks. All in all, the Blu-ray release represents a strong upgrade in quality over previous DVD releases of Francois Truffaut's film.

The Mischief Makers: The high-definition transfer used for Francois Truffaut's second short film is very beautiful. Image depth, clarity and fluidity are wonderful. A few of the panoramic shots, in particular, look magnificent (see screencapture #23). Color saturation and stability are excellent. There are no traces of compromising degraining or sharpening adjustments. In French, with optional English subtitles. (19 min/LPCM 2.0/1080p).

(Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

A Gorgeous Girl Like Me Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 2.0. For the record, Artificial Eye have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The lossless track is very good. Depth and clarity are excellent and Georges Delerue's beautiful soundtrack easily breathes throughout the entire film. Dynamic intensity is also very good, though you should not expect to be impressed as the film's original sound design most certainly has limitations. There is no background hiss, crackle, pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review. The English translation is excellent.

A Gorgeous Girl Like Me Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for A Gorgeous Girl Like Me. In French, with optional English subtitles. (2 min).

• Presentation with Serge Toubiana - Serge Toubiana, president of Cinémathèque française, introduces Mischief Makers. In French, with optional English subtitles. (2 min).

• Short Film: The Mischief Makers (1957) - presented here is Francois Truffaut's second short film, Les Mistons a.k.a. The Mischief Makers, which inspired the French director's first feature film The 400 Blows. In this short film, five boys follow around two lovers in the city of Nimes, played by a very young Bernadette Lafont (Bernadette) and Gérard Blain (Gérard). In French, with optional English subtitles. (19 min/LPCM 2.0/1080p).

• Audio Commentary - Francois Truffaut's assistant director on The Mischief Makers, Claude de Givray, recalls how the short film came to exist, as well as his initial encounter with the French director. In French, with optional English subtitles. (19 min).

A Gorgeous Girl Like Me Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This energetic black comedy from Francois Truffaut isn't universally liked, but I find the enthusiasm of its cast incredibly attractive. Bernadette Lafont and newcomer Andre Dussollier are wonderful together. In addition to A Gorgeous Girl Like Me, Artificial Eye have included as a bonus the French director's second short film, The Mischief Makers, which has been restored. Both look wonderful in high-definition. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.