6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Bob and Carl are a sophisticated California couple who, after attending a free-thinking group retreat, decide to push the boundaries of their marriage by experimenting with outside affairs.
Starring: Natalie Wood, Robert Culp, Elliott Gould, Dyan Cannon, Lee BergereDrama | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B, A (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There is probably no film which better captures the spirit of the so-called “swinging sixties” (for better or worse, I’m sure some may be thinking) than Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, Paul Mazursky’s then revolutionary 1969 take on what was at the time becoming known as “open marriage” and which has morphed in modern parlance into “polyamory”. While another unavoidably related vestige of the sixties, the “sexual revolution”, is an underpinning of the film, and the entire outing is decidedly anarchistic (especially when placed in the context of a supposedly “mainstream” major studio film of that time period), what’s kind of now ironically funny about parts of Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is how quaint it all seems. As the film begins, the opening strains of the “Hallelujah Chorus” play under scenes of a bunch of nudists communing with nature at a retreat that could probably be compared at least in passing to Esalen (in the old commentary ported over to this release, Dyan Cannon “confesses” to Paul Mazursky that her experience on this film led to her attending Esalen retreats regularly). The sight of a bunch of “full frontal” women cavorting and/or meditating (as the case may be) probably shocked “polite” audiences even in the freewheeling year of 1969, but it almost seems positively old fashioned to jaded modern sensibilities. As David Cairns kind of humorously mentions in his appreciation of the film included on this disc as a supplement, the very fact that Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is so securely tethered to the time of its original release has probably meant that the film has drifted in and out (and in again) of favor through the years, and so contemporary reactions may depend as much on some kind of knowledge of the zeitgeist of the late sixties as it may on any personal preferences.
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Academy with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet provides only the following fairly generic verbiage about the transfer:
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with 1.0 mono audio. The master was preapred in High Definition by Sony Pictures and delivered to Arrow Films.Sony/Columbia has been one of the more reliable curators of its catalog as it transitions into the digital realm and high definition, and this transfer is largely very nice looking, with a couple of variances. The palette, while surprisingly bright and vivid at times (especially with regard to blues — keep your eyes peeled for a bathrobe Bob wears), does look slightly faded at various points, including the opening scenes in The Institute and some later material in various home environments. Detail levels are often quite inviting, especially in midrange and close-ups, where fabrics on outfits look precise and some of the late sixties quasi-psychedelic patterns resolve without any problems. Grain is just a bit variable, spiking kind of unusually at times (watch during the birthday party for Bob and Carol's son Sean for one such instance), but generally resolving without any issues whatsoever. There are a few very minor signs of age related wear and tear, but nothing significant.
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice features a serviceable LPCM Mono track that capably supports the film's dialogue and the fun, quasi-classical score by Quincy Jones that borrows liberally from Handel's Messiah (Burt Bacharach and Hal David also make sonic "appearances" courtesy of "What the World Needs Now is Love"). Fidelity is fine throughout, offering no problems of any kind with regard to distortion, dropouts or other damage.
They say that if you remember the sixties, you weren't really there. Luckily, there are films like Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice to help remind folks (or introduce folks to) what it was like back then, at least in some respects. I was kind of surprised at how dated some aspects of the film seemed to me in viewing it this time (it's probably been at least twenty years since I've seen it), but as a time capsule, it's rather bracing within the context of its era. Technical merits are generally solid, the supplementary package very enjoyable, and with caveats noted, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice comes Recommended.
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