Breezy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Breezy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 21, 2020

Clint Eastwood's "Breezy" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and exclusive new audio commentary by Howard Berger and C. Courtney Joyner. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Is there another actor that could have played William Holden’s character and done a better job with it? I don’t think so. Howard Berger and C. Courtney Joyner are correct to point in their new audio commentary that Holden was the perfect actor to play the divorced, visibly jaded real estate broker because in the early ‘70s he was very much like him -- a man who had quietly struggled with alcoholism, grown tired of unfulfilling relationships, and aged prematurely. One more thing. The commentators are also correct to point out that Holden had the right look for the LA scene that Clint Eastwood captured in his film. He had the authentic ‘polish’ that immediately makes it crystal-clear that he belonged to the area’s upper class. Without it the film could not have worked.

Moments after he bids goodbye to an elegant woman that has spent the night at his posh home, Frank Harmon (Holden) meets Breezy (Lenz). It is an awkward encounter because the girl jumps in his car and immediately announces that she is heading in the same direction he is. They both know that it is a lie. But Frank does not have the time or desire to argue with Breezy so he lets her stay and talk, assuming that he will be able to drop her off somewhere further down the road. However, Breezy changes his plan after she sees an injured puppy on the side of the road and Frank ends up driving to a nearby animal hospital.

The awkward encounter produces an even stranger romantic relationship -- at least as far as the people that have known Frank for years are concerned. After Breezy returns to his home they connect and begin spending time together, first as good friends and then as lovers. For a while it works, but the feeling that the relationship is doomed because their age difference is too big eventually pushes them apart.

The film works really well because Eastwood uses its drama to preserve the spirit and pulse of a place in a very particular moment. Also, instead of focusing on the age difference between Frank and Breezy, Eastwood uses their drastically different backgrounds to examine the place from completely different angles.

But the film isn’t just a conventional time capsule either. There is sincerity in Frank and Breezy’s brittle relationship that makes it incredibly poignant and produces a wonderful intimate atmosphere. Before they meet the two are drifting through life while wearing masks that are meant to convince the people around them that they are right where they want to be and doing exactly what makes them happy, which of course is a lie that they secretly despise. Needless to say, their loneliness is directly linked to their role-playing as well.

Eastwood does not use Frank and Breezy’s relationship to challenge any socio-cultural stereotypes and this is the key reason why his film looks so fresh today. The feelings and emotions his camera captures are simple, unfiltered and logical, which is why the relationship looks completely authentic. It is irrelevant whether it can survive. What matters is that Frank and Breezy get the opportunity to pursue happiness on their terms, without fearing the consequences, and do the best they can with it. It seems awfully simple, but this is a very elusive opportunity and at the end this is what Eastwood’s film reveals.

Breezy 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, Breezy arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

I did not see any serious flaws to report in our review. However, the master that was used to produce the release is old and has some obvious limitations. For example, during indoor and darker footage shadow definition often struggles and as a result some existing nuances are minimized and occasionally lost. This can produce flatness in backgrounds, at times even in areas with substantial amount of light. Grain isn't manipulated, but it isn't as nicely exposed and resolved as it should be. As a result delineation isn't optimal and if the film is viewed on a larger screen it is easy to tell. The good news is that there are no traces of problematic digital adjustments, so the visuals still have decent organic qualities. The color grading job is very good, but because of the light black crushing that emerges in darker areas some nuances are not as nicely balanced as they can be. Image stability is very good. All in all, the release offers a fine organic presentation of the film, but there is room for meaningful improvements. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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).

Breezy 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 film has a lovely period soundtrack that was created by the prolific French composer Michel Legrand. I thought that the lossless track handled it really and on my system dynamic balance was great. The dialog was very clear, stable, and easy to follow. My guess is that even if in the future the film is remastered in 4K the audio will not see any meaningful improvements.

Breezy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this new commentary, critic Howard Berger and author/screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner share a lot of interesting information about the era in which Clint Eastwood directed Breezy, the LA scene and the casting of William Holden, the tone of the film, the use of music, etc. It is a very good commentary, so if you enjoy the film find the time to listen to it in its entirety.

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Breezy. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Breezy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Clint Eastwood gets everything right in Breezy, from the ambience of the '70s to the attitudes that people had toward romance and happiness. It is why his film is such a gem and feels surprisingly fresh today. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an older but rather good organic master and features a very interesting exclusive new audio commentary by Howard Berger and C. Courtney Joyner. RECOMMENDED.