Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Bolero Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 22, 2016

John Derek's "Bolero" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Shout Factory. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original theatrical trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The Heiress

The truth is that John Derek’s Bolero turned out to be exactly what the original promotional materials from the Cannon Group promised it would be -- a light and charming erotic film. The many people that have dismissed it as a ‘bad’ film during the years either must have seen it with the wrong set of expectations, which is pretty hard to believe considering the rating controversy that preceded its theatrical release, or simply must have had a terribly skewed understanding of what an erotic film should look like to begin with. It is the only way I can rationalize their disappointment. There is a distant third possibility that I am willing to consider as well, but I am going to wait a little longer until I decide if it is a valid one. It has to do with whether or not there might have been a long and deliberate trend to redefine the meaning of the word ‘erotic’, because after the unprecedented box office success of Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Fifty Shades of Grey it almost feels like something like that was quietly done and people have accordingly readjusted their standards.

The plot of Bolero is hardly original, but it is just fine for an erotic film. The young, very beautiful and free-spirited heiress Lida MacGillivery (Bo Derek, Ghosts Can't Do It) decides to go on a tour around the world to find the perfect lover so that she can lose her virginity in style. The task turns out to be a complicated one and after a young sheik (Greg Bensen) unexpectedly disappoints her she ends up in rural Spain. Here Lida encounters the handsome bullfighter Angel (Andrea Occhipinti, A Blade in the Dark) whose lovemaking skills are already in high demand. They are instantly attracted to each other, but Angel is so committed to his training and his family’s winery that he can’t seem to find the time for a relationship with Lida. His young gypsy lover also warns him to stay away from the foreign woman. Eventually, Lida arranges to spend a night with Angel and he does what he was chosen to do. Lida then discovers that she has fallen madly in love with Angel, but before she can ask him to marry her he is seriously injured by an angry bull. A doctor warns that he may lose his ability to make love again, but with Lida’s assistance he recovers and they vow to grow older together.

The entire film is like a big promo piece whose one and only goal is to make it painfully obvious that Derek is a stunningly beautiful woman. The camera simply loves her face and body, and knowing that it was her husband behind it this should not be surprising.

The dialog could be a bit silly at times, but all of the principal actors are well aware of the type of film they are a part of and actually have a lot of fun with their characters. It makes a huge difference because it infuses the film with lightness and charm that ultimately give its identity.

The lovemaking sequences are a little longer and perhaps more explicit than what you will typically see in a mainstream film, but there is absolutely nothing scandalous or degrading. On the contrary, they are beautifully shot and also very well edited. (The final sequence, in particular, has some very effective framing choices and excellent transitions).

The film received some remarkably bad reviews and consequently collapsed the Cannon Group’s distribution deal with MGM. While it is certainly not a masterpiece, I find it to be a lot more attractive and enjoyable than modern success stories like the earlier mentioned Fifty Shades of Grey.

Bolero Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Derek's Bolero arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory.

The master that was used to produce the release is likely the same one that MGM used a while ago for the DVD release of the Bolero. Obviously, there are various limitations on display. However, I have to say that even though density and depth could be better -- some of the indoor footage during the second half makes this painfully obvious -- I actually think that the bulk of the film looks quite decent, at times even surprisingly good. The main reason for this is the lack of problematic digital corrections. (Exactly the opposite is true for the overwhelming majority of Universal's older masters, which typically convey traces of all sorts of different digital corrections). Plenty of the well-lit close-ups, for instance, look quite nice (see screencapture #1). Even the color scheme is fairly well balanced, though as it is the case with these older masters some nuances are clearly missing. Grain exposure isn't as even as it should be and in some of the darker footage it actually appears quite loose, but again, the film does have some rather decent organic qualities. There are no serious stability issues. A few flecks and scratches can be seen, but there are no large cuts, debris, or torn/warped frames to report. (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).

Bolero Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

The audio has not been recently remastered -- which should not be surprising considering the fact that the master was prepared some time ago -- but there are no technical flaws to report in our review. Clarity and depth are quite pleasing. I also like how Peter Bernstein's score sounds, though I am fairly confident that if the audio is fully remastered its density will end up being better. I think that balance will be improved as well.

Bolero Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original Cannon Group trailer for Bolero. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

Bolero Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The same people that would insist that Tinto Brass is a shameless pornographer will almost certainly try to convince you that John Derek's Bolero is one of the worst films you would ever see. You should ignore them. Bolero isn't a masterpiece and there are a lot of better erotic films that you can see, but I assure you that it is quite charming and definitely capable of making you forget that you have had a rough day. I must also state the obvious: Bo Derek is indescribably beautiful in it. Bolero can look better in high-definition, but the technical presentation is mostly fine and I am glad that Shout Factory decided to bring it to Blu-ray because the old DVD release has been out of print for quite some time. RECOMMENDED.