7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A compulsive gambler falls in love with a bank clerk while on holiday in Nice. At first the two lovers simply use each other as good luck charms, but what happens to love when luck runs out?
Starring: Jeanne Moreau, Claude Mann, Paul Guers, Henri Nassiet, André CertesForeign | 100% |
Drama | 95% |
Romance | 35% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: LPCM Mono
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Jacques Demy's "La baie des anges" a.k.a. "Bay of Angels" (1963) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include a new trailer for the recent restoration of the film; restoration demonstration; new and exclusive video interview with journalist Marie Colman; and archival video interview with actress Jeanne Moreau. In French, with optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".
"I've always been passionate. I can't help it."
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jacques Demy's Bay of Angels arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:
"Approved by Mathieu Demy, this new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative at Digimage-Classics in Paris, where the film was then restored in 2K resolution. This 2012 restoration was undertaken by Cine-Tamaris and the Cinematheque francaise, with the support of the Franco-American Cultural Fund, the Monaco National Film Archives, and SODEGA Monaco, and with the participation of Kodak. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the optical sound negative and composer Michel Legrand's original magnetic recordings."
The new restoration of Jacques Demy's Bay of Angels is beautiful. Indeed, there are dramatic improvements in every single area we address in our reviews, from depth and clarity to image stability and color saturation. Indoor and outdoor close-ups boast outstanding clarity and sharpness (see screencaptures #4 and 5), while the panoramic shots immediately impress with terrific depth and fluidity. The nighttime footage, in particular, is vastly superior -- on the OOP R1 DVD release the same footage lacks depth and looks blocky; on the Blu-ray release even tiny details are very easy to see despite the fact that light is restricted. Furthermore, there are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Edge-enhancement is also not an issue of concern. Rather predictably, grain is evenly distributed and beautifully resolved. Numerous stabilization improvements have been performed. On the OOP R1 DVD release there are different transition issues which have been completely eliminated here; there is no edge flicker. Finally, there are no large debris, scratches, cuts, damage marks, or stains. All in all, this is a wonderful presentation of Bay of Angels, which I am convinced will remain the film's definitive presentation on the home video market. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The audio is crisp and stable. Depth is very good, though it must be said that the film has a distinctive organic sound design and therefore occasionally random sounds and noises can become quite prominent (see the casino footage). Michel Legrand's score is well rounded and shines in all the right places. Lastly, there are no pops, crackle, hiss, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.
From all of the films in Criterion's upcoming The Essential Jacques Demy box set Bay of Angels is the one I was most excited about seeing on Blu-ray. It is the darkest but also the most elegant of the French director's films, and there was never a good home video release of it. I am happy to report now that it looks absolutely magnificent on Blu-ray, unquestionably the best it ever has. (If you see Bay of Angels and like its style, I encourage you to track down a copy of Barbet Schroeder's Cheaters, another magnificent film about gamblers who fall madly in love on the Portuguese island of Madeira). VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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