7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Boudu is a Parisian tramp who takes a suicidal plunge into the Seine, and is rescued by Monsieur Lestingois, a well-to-do bookseller with liberal ideas, who takes him home and tries to reconcile him with life and society. But Boudu is bored in this cosy little nest and uses his time to make trouble in the peaceful households around him.
Starring: Michel Simon, Marcelle Hainia, Charles Granval, Max Dalban, Sévérine LerczinksaForeign | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.19:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.2:1
French: LPCM 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Jean Renoir's "Boudu sauv� des eaux" a.k.a. "Boudu Saved From Drowning" (1932) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Park Circus. The supplemental features on the disc include a theatrical trailer for the new restoration of the film and photo gallery. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Soon to be saved - Michel Simon as Boudu
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.19:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jean Renoir's Boudu Saved from Drowning arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Park Circus.
The high-definition transfer Park Circus have used for their Blu-ray release of Jean Renoir's legendary film has been struck from a newly restored master -- the restoration, which involved a 2K digital scanning of the original nitrate camera negative and a preservation fine grain master positive, was done by L'immagine Ritrovata (Bologna) and Digimage laboratories (Paris) -- courtesy of French distributors Pathe. Naturally, there are massive improvements in terms of detail and color reproduction. The outdoor scenes, for instance, convey tremendous depth, while clarity and especially contrast levels are remarkably consistent. On the Criterion SDVD release of the film the park sequence where Boudu meets the rich businessman look soft and even out of focus; on the Blu-ray they appear exceptionally crisp and well detailed. As far as clarity is concerned, the biggest improvements are noticeable during the dark nighttime scenes - see the scene where Boudu prevents Lestingois from spending the night with his lover (screencapture #11) -- as now there is substantially more detail and better balanced blacks and grays. Various stabilization enhancements have been performed as well, and aside from a couple of inherited problematic frame transitions, the film looks the best it ever has - stable and healthy. Lastly, I did not see any signs of excessive noise reduction; naturally, a fine layer of light grain appears throughout the entire film. All in all, I feel very confident stating that Boudu Saved from Drowning is the best Blu-ray release Park Circus have produced to date. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B 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 2.0. For the record, Park Circus have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
Newly restored, the audio does not disappoint. Though its dynamic amplitude is rather limited, the flute solos, for instance, convey very good depth and fluidity. Balance has also been greatly improved, especially as far as the dialog is concerned, while various clicks, pops, and hissings have been eliminated. The English translation is very good.
The restoration of Jean Renoir's Boudu Saved From Drowning is very impressive, and this Blu-ray release, courtesy of British distributors Park Circus, is now one of my favorite releases of 2011. My only regret is that the restored version of the film was not screened in one of my local theaters. It would have been a fantastic experience to see the film on the big screen. If you reside in a Region-A territory and wish to add the film to your library, please keep in mind that the Blu-ray disc is Region-B "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Le journal d'une femme de chambre / Vintage World Cinema
1964
1955
Arrow Academy
1996
Werckmeister harmóniák
2000
Arrow Academy
1973
1988
Il Conformista / Arrow Academy
1970
Poesía sin fin
2016
The Earrings of Madame de...
1953
Undir trénu / Montage Pictures
2017
Play Time / Restored
1967
Arrow Academy
2016
散歩する侵略者
2017
The Jacques Tati Collection
1958
Golden Marie / Vintage World Cinema
1952
Restored
1971
Dual Format Edition
2022
Vintage World Cinema | Le Mandat / The Money Order
1968
La fleur du mal
2003
Le livre d'image
2018