Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Belle Epoque Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 6, 2018

Winner of Oscar Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Fernando Trueba's "Belle Epoque" (1994) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. There are no supplemental features on the disc. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Flirty

The events that are chronicled in the film take place shortly before the Spanish Civil War. The ongoing turmoil in Madrid that would eventfully ignite it is occasionally mentioned, but the underlying socio-political issues are largely ignored.

Somewhere in the countryside army deserter Fernando (Jorge Sanz) is arrested by two aging guards. The young man assumes that it is only a matter of time before he is punished for his crime, but after a silly argument his captors drop dead. Terrified by the prospect of being blamed for their death he decides to spend just about all of his savings to secure an alibi by booking the services of a popular whore for the entire night, but instead gets offered a bed by the retired painter Manolo (Fernando Gomez). All he has to do to pay for it is cook the old man a proper meal.

Fernando and Manolo then quickly discover that they have a lot in common and under slightly different circumstances could have been good friends. A day later they head to the nearby train station where Fernando would get on a train that will take him further away from the army, while Manolo would greet his daughters and drive them back to the family house. Manolo’s train is the first to arrive and when Fernando sees his four stunningly beautiful daughters he immediately changes his mind and decides to stay. A few hours later, he returns to Manolo’s house and tells everyone that he accidentally missed his train.

In the days ahead Fernando captivates the imagination of the girls and they begin competing for his attention – but with different goals in mind. Violeta (Ariadna Gill) discovers that Fernando has an irresistible sex appeal but only after he dresses as a maid before attending a local festivity. Rocio (Maribel Verdu) decides that flirting with Fernando can only improve her standing before a local bachelor (a brilliant Gabino Diego) and her sisters. Clara (Miriam Diaz-Aroca) then concludes that Fernando can fill the massive void in her life after the tragic death of her husband. And Luz (Pednelope Cruz) eventually declares that it is her turn to experience that special thing called love which her older sisters have discussed at great length over the years.

The beauty, warmth and charm of Fernando Trueba’s Belle Epoque cannot possibly be overstated. This is just one of those very rare films that have the ability to temporarily transport their audience to a place where everything that complicates people’s lives becomes completely irrelevant. It is really that good.

The wonderful period setting is a key element of the narrative, but the magic comes from the tremendous chemistry between the leads -- and at the time when the film was produced these were literally some of the best up-and-coming and veteran Spanish actors -- and the causal yet absolutely brilliant fashion in which Trueba directs and brings the best out of them. It is an incredible spectacle.

It is a very witty film, too. Amidst the flirty jokes and casual conversations there are actualy plenty of carefully inserted truths about the different ways in which people justify hypocrisy, group-think, or simply their very own prejudices.

Belle Epoque Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Fernando Trueba's Belle Epoque arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.

The release isn't sourced from a brand new remaster, but the entire film looks lovely in high-definition. Sharpness is just a tiny bit elevated, but there are no distracting visual abnormalities to report. Obviously, a proper brand new 2K or 4K master will offer meaningful improvements in terms of delineation (shadow definition in particular), density, and even color saturation and balance, but even on a large screen the current presentation has plenty to like. For example, the only release that I have in my library that I could use for a direct comparison comes from Second Sight and I can confirm that the discrepancy between the density levels of the Blu-ray and DVD releases is pretty substantial. Also, the darker footage now looks solid, while on the DVD release it is quite blocky. Overall image stability is very good. There is room for some minor encoding optimizations, but you won't have to worry about serious issues. Lastly, there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, or other notable age-related imperfections. 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).

Belle Epoque Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

There are no technical issues to report. The audio is very clear, nicely rounded, and properly balanced. Dynamic intensity is good, but do not expect a lot of potency. The dialog is clean, stable, and always easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report.

Belle Epoque Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

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

Belle Epoque Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Fernando Trueba's Belle Epoque is an incredibly uplifting film that I am convinced cannot be disliked. There is just too much warmth and beauty in it and they could melt even the coldest hearts. In the past I have recommended it to folks that have enjoyed Giuseppe Tornatore's Malèna and Michael Radford's Il Postino because they all channel the same passion for life, but I think that it is a film that anyone can see. Olive Films' new Blu-ray release of Belle Epoque is sourced from a nice master and represents a solid upgrade in quality over previous DVD releases. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.