8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A frigid young housewife decides to spend her midweek afternoons as a prostitute.
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, Michel Piccoli, Geneviève Page, Pierre ClémentiDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 93% |
Surreal | 17% |
Erotic | 13% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Spanish director Luis Buñuel's "Belle de jour" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; exclusive new video interview with screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere; new documentary feature; new audio commentary by Princeton professor Michael Wood; and a segment from the French television program Cinema. The disc also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Melissa Anderson and a 1970s interview with director Luis Buñuel. In French, with optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".
One very curious beauty - Belle de jour
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Luis Buñuel's Belle de jour arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit 2K Datacine from a 35mm interpositive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS, while Image Systems' DVNR was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.
Telecine supervisor: Lee Kline.
Telecine colorist: Eddy Nakkaa/Eclair Laboratories, Paris."
Compression is notably stronger and grain better resolved on the Criterion release. The daylight sequences, in particular, look far more pleasing. Close-ups also convey better depth and fluidity (compare screencapture #7 with screencapture #1 from our review of the Studio Canal release). Contrast
levels have also been pushed up a bit while brightness levels have been toned down. However, the biggest discrepancies between the Criterion and
Studio Canal releases are in the area of color reproduction. On the Criterion release the variety of browns and reds are far better saturated - but not
necessarily more convincing, as there are selected scenes, such as the dream sequence in the beginning, where they feel too rich (the strong reds in
particular). The blacks have also been corrected. Criterion have also removed a number of tiny specks and scratches that were often easy to see on the
Studio Canal release. Some careful noise corrections have been performed as well, though as mentioned earlier grain is present and well resolved. Lastly,
there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. All in all, with the exception of the enhanced reds the rest of the adjustments are indeed
very convincing, and Criterion's presentation of the film more appealing than Studio Canal's presentation. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-
ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main
feature.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm print. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using Audio Cube's integrated workstation."
The loseless track is excellent. It boasts a good range of nuanced dynamics and more importantly enhances the unique sounds heard throughout the
film very well (the sound of Severine's heels, the mud, the whip, gunshots, etc). The dialog is exceptionally clean, stable, and easy to follow. Also, there
are no sync issues or distortions to report in this review.
Stylish, sensual and thought-provoking, Luis Buñuel's erotic masterpiece Belle de jour has finally arrived on Blu-ray in North America. It is vastly superior to any previous DVD releases of the film and undoubtedly one of the easiest discs to recommend in a very long time. The supplemental features Criterion have included, however, are not identical to the ones found on the Studio Canal release, which is why fans of the film will probably want to have both in their libraries. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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1973
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1968
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1977
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