Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Blue Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 3, 2019

Wim Verstappen's "Blue Movie" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributor Cult Epics. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; exclusive introduction and interview with producer Pim de la Parra; archival interview with director Wim Verstappen; new featurette about Eye Film Institute in Amsterdam; and more. In Dutch, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Lover for hire

Remember what I will mention below when you sit down to view Wim Verstappen’s Blue Move and you will quickly be able to place everything that occurs in it in the proper context. It is not complicated, but if you ignore it you are likely going to conclude that Blue Movie is some sort of an obscure European sexploitation film. Sex is an integral part of its plot, but when Verstappen conceived the film with producer Pim de la Parra the goal wasn’t to impress with a variety of sex thrills.

The most important detail to remember is this: Verstappen shot Blue Movie in the early ‘70s, during a period when Holland’s main censorship body was capable of determining the fate of any film, regardless of whether it was locally produced or foreign. Basically, the folks that ran it could cripple or flat-out reject a film they did not like just as easily as their counterparts at the BBFC could. So, after Blue Movie was completed Verstappen and his partner Parra used the prestige of their company, Scorpio Films, the biggest Dutch film production company that would eventually introduce to the world the likes of Paul Verhoeven and Sylvia Kristel, to push the film through the censorship body -- which was very much a checkmate move because if they were successful and their film performed as well as they hoped it would, the censorship body would instantly become irrelevant. How? Because a successful explicit film would have effectively demonstrated that the standards that the censorship body promoted through their work and the standards that the country was comfortable with were completely different. So, Verstappen and Parra went to work, Blue Movie was approved for theatrical distribution and quickly became a massive box-office hit in Holland, and the censorship body collapsed. In the process, Verstappen and Parra also pocketed millions that allowed them to dream really, really big. (Parra was apparently a huge admirer of the Nouvelle Vague directors, Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard in particular, and he viewed himself as a Dutch maverick whose ultimate goal was to make his country competitive with traditional cinematic powerhouses like France and Italy. Blue Movie and quite a few other genre films that emerged via Scorpio Films initiated the process and secured funding for much bigger projects).

Here is another important detail: The events in Blue Movie take place not too long after the introduction of ‘the pill’, but also before the arrival of AIDS. This was a period when in Holland apparently many saw ‘the pill’ as a liberating invention that essentially gave women the protection they needed to have the same exciting sexual experiences that men enjoyed. But not everyone was in favor of the ‘progress’ that was made, which is why it had to be defended. Whether Verstappen truly cared is a bit unclear now, but it is absolutely not a coincidence that there is a special emphasis on ‘the pill’ and its benefits in his film. He and Parra knew perfectly well that it would help with its marketing.

The plot is rather simple. Dutch pro Hugo Metsers plays a young man named Michael who is conditionally released from prison after serving a few years for making love to an underage girl. A parole agent then gives him the keys to a tiny apartment in a brand new building somewhere on the outskirts of Amsterdam and warns him that he needs to get a job and find himself a decent girl his age to start a family with as soon as possible. The ‘social engagement’ is the final phase of Michael’s transformation.

But the transformation comes to a screeching halt when Michael watches his neighbors have a bit of naughty fun from his tiny balcony and then much to his surprise discovers that there are all kinds of bored housewives in the building that love being entertained while their husbands are away. One of them, who is originally from Germany, even introduces him to her much older husband because he does not mind if she spends time with a lover while he finishes his research work. Naturally, Michael befriends many of his female neighbors and in a short period of time earns quite a reputation.

Eventually, after an illuminating trip to a popular adult bookstore Michael decides to capitalize on his success and begins hosting large parties with one of his neighbors where after paying a fee and getting examined by a medical specialist upscale couples and select singles engage in a variety of adult activities, from watching explicit amateur films to participating in special games. However, just as the business begins to expand, he falls for a single mother who lives in the same building and decides that she is the right girl to help him complete his transformation.

The twists that occur while Michael entertains his neighbors are quite predictable, so it is really the blending of the funny and the serious that makes them effective. Also, the film ends with a very bold segment questioning the relationship between sex and love that was almost certainly debated ad nauseam.

*Blue Movie was one of award-winning cinematographer/director/producer Jan de Bont’s earliest projects. Years later, he directed such international blockbusters as Speed and Twister. Also, Turkish Delight, which he lensed for Verhoeven, remains the biggest Dutch film of all time.

Blue Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.38:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wim Verstappen's Blue Movie arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics.

The release is sourced from a recent remaster that was prepared by Eye Film Institute in Amsterdam, and I have to say that it is rather difficult to evaluate. Here's why:

Though I have never attended a theatrical screening of Blue Movie, I am fairly certain that it must have been projected in 1.66:1. However, I did not find the current framing problematic. On the contrary, I think that Jan de Bont's lensing is incredibly flexible and the current presentation actually looks very nice. (For what it's worth, I can't see how 1.85:1 could work for this film). As far as the appearance of the film is concerned, I think that it has a very pleasing organic quality. In one of the new interviews that is included on this release, it is said that the original intent was to make the film look 'dirty', but I don't know if some of the gamma fluctuations reflect this intent. My guess is that the grading is responsible for some of the flatness, but I also see some lighting choices that create very fluid contrast and highlights. The bottom line is that the film looks slightly worn-out but very healthy, and when projected it actually conveys some very good filmic qualities. It is all that I could say about the remaster because an older copy of the film in my library to perform some direct comparisons. I think that it could certainly look better, but I like what I saw. My score if 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Blue Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

The original soundtrack has a distinct organic quality, so expect fluid dynamic balance and of course a modest range of dynamic nuances. The dialog is clean, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. As far as I am concerned, the lossless track reproduces very well the native qualities of the original soundtrack.

Blue Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Wim Verstappen - in this archival video interview, director Wim Verstappen discusses his upcoming film, Blue Movie, the initial rejection of the film by the censorship body, some of its themes, and the business reality that film producers and distributors faced in Holland. The interview was conducted in 1971. In Dutch, with optional English subtitles. (11 min, 1080p).

• Introduction and Interview with Producer Pim de la Parra - this introduction by producer Pim de la Parra was filmed before a screening of the newly remastered Blue Movie at Cinematheque Francais' Dutch Sex Wave in the City of Light special event. The footage was shot in June, 2018. In French and Dutch, with imposed English subtitles. (18 min, 1080p).

• Interview with Hugo Metsers, Jr. - in this new video interview, Hugo Metsers Jr., the son of the veteran Dutch actor who plays Michael, discusses his father's illustrious career and recalls his first encounter with Blue Movie. There are additional comments about the sexual revolution that took place in Holland during the '70s as well. The interview was conducted exclusively for Cult Epics in Paris in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• Eye Film Institute - this new featurette highlights the important work that Eye Film Institute in Amsterdam has done to restore and preserve classic and important Dutch and world films. It features an interview with senior curator Rommy Albers. The featurette was produced exclusively for Cult Epics in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080i).

• Promotional Materials - a collection of vintage promotional materials for Blue Movie. With music. (4 min, 1080p).

• Scorpio Films Theatrical Trailers - presented here are trailers for the following films from Scorpio Films' catalog:
  
  1. Blue Movie
  2. Frank & Eva
  3. Obsessions
  4. My Nights with Susan, Sandra, Olga & Julie

Blue Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

You have to place Wim Verstappen's Blue Movie in the proper context to understand why it became such a huge box-office hit in Holland. (As of 2019, it remains the fifth biggest Dutch film of all time). Basically, it was meant to be a wrecking ball that would crush the country's powerful censorship body and legitimize Dutch cinema, and after it was released theatrically in the early '70s it is exactly what it accomplished. Some of the situations in the film can easily be linked to other then-current socio-cultural developments as well, so I think that it is a rather unique time capsule. The film was of course produced by the legendary Scorpio Films, which introduced to the world the likes of Paul Verhoeven and Sylvia Kristel, and whose catalog of erotic films was recently highlighted in Cinematheque Francaise's Dutch Sex Wave in the City of Light special event. It was also one of award-winning director/cinematographer/producer Jan de Bont's (Speed) earliest projects. I am really glad to see that Cult Epics were able to license the new remaster of Blue Movie that Eye Film Institute produced, and I encourage the label to also consider bringing to Blu-ray the rest of the films from Cinematheque Francais' event. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.