Atlantic City Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Atlantic City Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 20, 2020

Louis Malle's "Atlantic City" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Paramount Home Media Distribution. There are no bonus features on the release. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The old-timer

There are three major characters in this film, but for a long period of time it seems like there are only two. The two obvious characters are both failed dreamers who are stuck living lives that make them feel miserable. The third character is Atlantic City, a place built by and for dreamers, which is struggling to shake off an awful image.

Even though they have been residing in the same building for a long time, Sally Matthews (Susan Sarandon) and Lou Pascal (Burt Lancaster) become close by accident, after the former’s husband, Dave (Robert Joy), and her pregnant sister, Chrissie (Hollis McLaren), unexpectedly arrive in town, crash at her place, and Dave secretly tries to convert a big bag of stolen cocaine into cash. In a local bar, Dave bumps into Lou, who has been making ends meet as a numbers runner for years, and convinces him to help him sell the cocaine for a tiny fee, but when the old-timer goes to work some shady characters from Philadelphia murder his ‘partner’ and Sally is summoned to identify his body. After she does Lou offers to take care of the funeral expenses, without mentioning to her the business arrangement he had with her brother. Then with the money from the stolen cocaine Lou begins courting Sally, and when eventually the two learn enough about each other invites her to start a new life with him in Florida.

Louis Malle’s film manages to be moving and refreshingly cynical at the same time for the exact same reason – it treats its audience as grown-ups who are willing to accept that people are simple creatures with trivial needs and desires that are often responsible for the defining failures in their lives.

The connection between Sally and Lou, which is at the heart of the film, proves to be one such crucial failure. Indeed, despite their age difference the two are entirely compatible, but because their attraction is fueled only by a desire to better manage their misery, the connection is doomed from the get-go. It is why the money from the drug deal eventually become so important to them as well – it provides them with the opportunity to move forward and pursue happiness as each of them imagines it, completely invalidating the significance of their feelings. This type of cynical sincerity, however, is quite moving because it is also directly linked to the environment in which Sally and Lou have surrendered to their misery. Atlantic City looks every bit as jaded and misplaced, stuck serving the wrong people, and as the drama unfolds it leaves the impression that perhaps Sally and Lou’s sad existence is just part of the natural order of things.

Malle ends the film with a prolonged sequence showing a big crane meticulously destroying an abandoned hotel. It is not a miserabilist epilogue suggesting that Atlantic City and the people living there are doomed and dying. It implies that the ‘old’ -- the old ambitions of the people that built the area, the old economic dynamics, the old appearance of the area -- is being replaced with something different. It is a moment of change, nothing more. Malle parts ways with Sally and Lou in precisely the same way -- they are just seen moving to the next phase of their lives.

The soundtrack was created by award-winning composer Michel Legrand, whose credits include such timeless classics as The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Thomas Crown Affair, Band of Outsiders, and Never Say Never Again.

*Viewers that enjoy Atlantic City should also track down a copy of Laurent Bouhnik's film 24 Hours in the Life of a Woman which deals with similar themes while oozing even stronger melancholy.

Atlantic City Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Atlantic City arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Paramount Home Media Distribution.

A few years ago French label Gaumont attempted to restore Atlantic City, but the technical presentation of the film on this release is one of the strangest misfires that I have seen since the high-definition format was launched. The 'restoration' is horrendous. It is graded with such wild LUT values that the entire film -- literally from start to finish -- looks greenish. Needless to say, this recent release is quite he revelation. It is sourced from an older but very solid organic master that ensures an entirely different viewing experience. I also do not see anything wrong with it. In the very beginning of the film, before and after the opening credits, there are some minor density fluctuations, plus occasionally some white specks can spotted here and there, but the rest looks lovely. For example, during close-ups and wider panoramic shots delineation is very pleasing. Clarity, sharpness, and depth are equally convincing as well. Yes, a new 4K master will strengthen grain exposure and some darker areas will reveal better shadow detail, but the current master actually replicates really well a wide range of native qualities. The best news here is that this master also has a very nice color scheme, so all of the wild and ugly greenish hues and nuances from the French 'restoration' are nowhere to be seen. There are no stability issues to report. In summary, this is exactly the type of healthy organic master I wanted to see for this film and the folks at Paramount did not disappoint. Needless to say, even though there is some room for improvement, I could not be happier with the technical presentation. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location. Also, this is a standard, pressed for retail disc, not a BD-R).

Atlantic City 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 English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not detect any age-related anomalies to report in our review. The audio is very clean, sharp, and stable. There are good dynamic nuances for an early '80s film as well, though it has to be said that Michel Legrand's soundtrack has primarily a supporting role.

Atlantic City Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray release.

Atlantic City Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Paramount's release of Louis Malle's Atlantic City is very, very solid. It is sourced from an older master, but outside of some cosmetic adjustments I think that there is very little room for improvement. If you have wanted to add this film to your collection, buy this release now because it is the one to own. A few years ago, French label Gaumont produced another release which was sourced from a truly bizarre 'restoration' that destroyed the native characteristics of the film, and I was afraid that we will get stuck with it. Thanks to the folks at Paramount, we are not. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.