Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Borsalino Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 4, 2023

While some of the supplements included on this disc allude to two iconic movies starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford as having at least some perceived connection to Borsalino, namely Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, the fact that there's another supplement on this disc devoted to production design in general and costume design in particular may point to a third referent, Arthur Penn's 1967 opus Bonnie and Clyde. Those old enough to remember the late sixties (a dwindling number, to be sure) may recall that while there were all sorts of "hippie-fied" styles that came into fashion in the mid- sixties and then especially after the so-called Summer of Love, the same year as the Summer of Love more ostensibly haute couture types could be seen sporting the kind of clothes that Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty wore in the Penn film. Theadora Van Runkle in fact received an Academy Award nomination for her costume work on Bonnie and Clyde (she perhaps understandably lost to John Truscott for Camelot), but she had the "consolation prize" of starting a 1930's fashion craze that was quite the thing for a while, and which at least subliminally also informed the look of Borsalino, which came along three years later, but which notably references an actual piece of fashion in its very title.

If the Newman-Redford collaborations are cited as referents in terms of first Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid offering two supposed outlaws with one woman involved with both, and then kind of interestingly by Neil Brand in terms of how Claude Bolling's honky tonk score kind of presages Marvin Hamlisch's reinvigoration of the memory of Scott Joplin with The Sting, and if the entire look of the film probably can't help but evoke efforts like Bonnie and Clyde, you can also look back to the heyday of the American gangster film in the actual thirties to get a feel for the flavor of this quasi-homage. The film begins in Marseille in the 1930s as Siffredi (Alain Delon) gets out of stir and quickly discovers that his former moll Lola (Catherine Rouvel) has taken up with Capella (Jean-Claude Belmondo). The two initially duke it out over her, but of course end up being literal partners in crime.

Borsalino has little of the playful qualities that attended the two aforementioned Newman-Redford films, perhaps at least due in part to the well reported fact that there were some tensions between the stars. That said, this film was crafted at least in part to star these titans of French cinema, and if Delon was the guiding force behind that effort (he also produced), he may actually come off as decidedly more mannered than Belmondo. The story has some of the tragic force that informed the iconic Warner Brothers efforts from the 1930s, but it probably aims to be a bit too literary for the genre it's attempting to (re)create.

Borsalino Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Borsalino is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. Arrow's insert booklet isn't especially informational about the transfer, offering only the following:

Borsalino is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 with original mono audio.

The master for this release was supplied by Paramount Pictures.

This is more of than not a rather nice looking presentation, especially in the outside locations or more brightly lit interiors, where the palette pops quite agreeably and detail levels on things like those notable thirties' fashions is typically excellent. There are some occasional ebbs in quality, including a kind of wan, yellow and splotchy optically printed opening credits sequence, but then also a few times later where densities falter and/or grain can spike for no particular reason, occasionally resulting in deficits in fine detail. Any signs of age related wear and tear are minimal.

Borsalino Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Borsalino is presented with French or English tracks delivered in LPCM Mono. My strong advice is to stick with the original French track if at all possible (i.e., you don't have a problem with subtitles), as it's noticeably more full bodied and just plain louder, offering a much more pleasant listening experience for the musical aspects in particular. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Borsalino Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Josh Nelson


• Dressing Down: Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén on Borsalino (HD; 10:51) addresses the "look" of the film courtesy of an analysis of the work of costume designer Jacque Fonteray.


• The Music of Borsalino (HD; 11:32) features Neil Brand discussing Claude Bolling's work for the film.


• Le Magnifique Belmondo (HD; 13:01) is an archival piece providing an overview of Belmondo's career which I suspect may have been done for French television. Subtitled in English.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:18)


• Image Gallery (HD)

Additionally this comes with another very nicely appointed insert booklet with both new and archival writing. The keepcase features a reversible sleeve and encloses a double sided poster and six postcard sized reproduction artcards. Finally, packaging features a slipcover.

Borsalino Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Borsalino never quite attains the pure entertainment value of the Newman-Redford efforts, and in fact its tone is notably different from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid one way or the other. Delon is frankly a little forced in this effort, but Belmondo is kind of fun and the story, while rote, has some emotional impact. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements and non disc swag first rate. Recommended.