6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Anarchic and hilarious thriller stars Gerard Depardieu as a death-obsessed drifter drawn into an absurd murder plot featuring a bureaucrat who plans his own assassination, a missing knife that turns up in a subway rider's belly, and a killer who's afraid of the dark. Surreal direction from Bertrand Blier; Bernard Blier, Michel Serrault also star.
Starring: Gérard Depardieu, Bernard Blier, Jean Carmet, Marco Perrin, Carole BouquetForeign | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Bertrand Blier's "Biffet Froid" a.k.a. "Cold Cuts" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an archival interview with the director; exclusive new audio commentary by critic Nick Pinkerton; and vintage trailer. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by Gavin Smith and technical credits. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The neighbors
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Buffet Froid arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from an older master that was provided by StudioCanal. I believe that it is the same master that Optimum Home Entertainment worked with in 2007 to produce this R2 DVD release. (I have it and up until now it offered the best English-language presentation of the film).
The master is pretty good. It does not have any traces of compromising digital work; it is healthy as well. Before testing the Blu-ray release I was a bit concerned that the darker footage -- which is a lot -- could look weak on a larger screen, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that it holds really well. Yes, in some areas it is easy to tell that shadow definition isn't optimal, but even there plenty of healthy nuances are retained. So, for the most part depth is very pleasing, and in backgrounds clarity remains pretty good. During brighter footage some of the highlights can be better balanced, but there are no serious anomalies that will negatively affect your viewing experience. The color grading is very good. A brand new master will improve saturation and expand nuances, but if done right I don't believe that the difference will be substantial. The bigger and more meaningful improvements will be in the darker areas where some nuances will be better balanced and other better exposed, ensuring overall superior delineation and fluidity. Image stability is very good. (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).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The lossless track is pitched correctly, so if up until now you have been using the old R2 DVD of the film you should notice quite a difference. (I am very sensitive and the elevated pitch on Gérard Depardieu's voice, for instance, used to bother me a lot). When the master was created the audio was transferred properly, so there are absolutely no traces of age-related anomalies. It is very solid.
Beware of intelligent people that wish to explain Bertrand Blier's film Buffet Froid to you. They are neither smarter than you nor with a superior sense of humor. The opposite is true. This film actually very carefully baits these people to deconstruct its madness and then does a wide range of tricks that make them see things that don't exist. It is why the film is such a wild trip -- it's got a special sense of humor that pokes fun at the usual suspects while they connect with it for all the wrong reasons. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release of Buffet Froid is sourced from an older but nice master that was provided by StudioCanal. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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