Casque d'Or 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Casque d'Or 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 6, 2022

Jacques Becker's "Casque d'Or" a.k.a. "Golden Marie" (1952) arrives on 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include archival program with writer and director Alain Jessua; archival program with hair stylist Alex Archambault; and vintage trailer for the film. In French or German, with optional English, French, and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

In a bistro somewhere on the outskirts of Paris, former gangster-turned-carpenter Georges Manda a.k.a. Jo (Serge Reggiani, La Ronde, Army of Shadows) meets Marie (Simone Signoret, Les diaboliques, César et Rosalie), a stunningly beautiful blonde. The two are instantly attracted to each other - and this is something that Marie’s man, Roland (William Sabatier), who is in Felix Leca's gang, immediately notices. Barely able to contain his anger, Roland vows to get rid of Jo before the night is over. Felix (Claude Dauphin, Le Plaisir, The Tenant), who wants Marie for himself, senses that this might be the perfect opportunity for him to eliminate Roland.

A few drinks later, Jo and Roland agree to have a duel in the back of the bistro. Felix and the rest of his men surround them and they begin fighting. Jo quickly kills Roland. Then, shortly after a group of cops storms the bistro, Jo, Felix, and his men disappear into the night.

In the days that follow Jo and Marie spend plenty of time together. They walk around the city, visit the countryside and make love, and talk about their lives. Jo feels that Marie is the first woman his heart has truly desired, while Marie feels that Jo is the first man to treat her like a real woman. Eventually, the two come to realize that they were meant for each other.

Meanwhile, Felix, who has been hoping to win Marie’s heart, tells a corrupt police inspector that Raymond (Raymond Bussières, Le Gang), one of his no so bright men, is responsible for Roland’s death. Felix knows that when Raymond is arrested and the news reaches the countryside, Jo will return to the city to claim responsibility and free the innocent gangster. With Jo behind bars, Felix will have all the time in the world to make Marie fall in love with him.

Widely considered to be Jacques Becker’s masterpiece, Casque d’Or was inspired by true events -- very similar to the ones chronicled in the film -- that involved Manda and Leca. The project was initially offered to the great French director Julien Duvivier (Pépé Le Moko, Anna Karenina), but eventually ended up with Becker, who agreed to complete it in eight weeks.

The beauty and power of Casque d’Or are in its simplicity. This is a film that never attempts to play with the viewer’s imagination -- its story is notably transparent and the main characters are very much real people with real feelings and emotions.

Set in Paris at the beginning of the century, the film has an elegant period look. Many of the scenes where Jo and Marie are seen together remind of the work of the French impressionists -- they are bright, lush, and full of beautiful reflections. The camera work is very precise -- throughout the entire film, Becker treats natural light and shadows with the same attention the main protagonists get. The result is a very poetic yet at the same time firmly grounded in reality film that lingers long after the final credits roll.

Signoret is terrific as the determined to stay with her new lover Marie. It is difficult to explain precisely why, but when she is around Reggiani she does look like a woman who has found her soul mate. There are no dramatic confessions meant to reveal how she feels. When she looks at Reggiani and tells him that she loves him, it is easy to believe her because her eyes reveal that she means it.

Reggiani is perfect as Jo. His reformed gangster is an ordinary man who has chosen to live his life like a real man. He looks calm, relaxed, and ready to accept the hand fate has dealt him.

*In 1953, Casque d’Or won BAFTA Award for Best Actress (Simone Signoret).

Casque d'Or 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

StudioCanal's release of Casque d'Or is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. The Blu-ray is Region-B "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and are downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc

Screencaptures #1-19 are from Casque d'Or Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #28-37 are from Casque d'Or 4K Blu-ray.

The 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray are sourced from an exclusive new 4K master that was prepared after Casque d'Or was fully restored in 4K at L'Immagine Ritrovata in 2022. Obviously, the technical presentation of the film on the 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray isn't identical to those of StudioCanal's previous Blu-ray releases from 2012 and 2017, respectively. You can see our listings and reviews of the previous releases here and here. Also, before I address the new 4K makeover, I would like to clarify something else. The back cover of my 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray release highlights HDR and its benefits. (The early press materials for this release did the same). However, the 4K presentation does not come with an HDR grade.

The previous two Blu-ray releases of Casque d'Or offered very, very good presentations of the film. I pulled out this Blu-ray release and did extensive comparisons with the new 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases. My general impression is that Casque d'Or again looks good. I think that in terms of density, clarity, and delineation the older and new 1080p presentations look extremely similar. The only notable difference I could spot was in the gamma and contrast settings -- the previous 1080p presentation has a slightly more contrasty look that enhances most blacks, while on the new 1080p presentation there is a more even exposure of the blacks and grays. (You can examine screencapture #2). However, on the new 1080p presentation, mostly toward the end film, I felt that there are a few areas where the gamma weakens some of the blacks and grays as well. (See screencaptures #15 and 18). Also, I spotted some extremely light chroma noise speaking in, which means that the encoding should have been better.

What happens when you move to native 4K? Well, I don't think that the lack of a good Dolby Vision/HDR grade is an issue. I viewed the entire film on a very large screen and did not feel that the dynamic range of the visuals could have been drastically better. Again, I thought that towards the end there were a few areas where the gamma levels could have been managed a little bit better, but the quality of the restoration work was excellent. Naturally, I am slightly disappointed that the raw files were not handled better and the disc encoded with greater care. Will you notice the issues that I have highlighted? On a very large screen, most likely yes. On a small screen, probably not. So, if possible, I recommend that you find a way to test this release (the 4K and 1080p presentations) before you consider a purchase.

*The main menus on the 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray discs can be set in English, French, or German. Therefore, the French and German 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray releases should offer identical presentations of Casque d'Or.

Casque d'Or 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and German DTS-HD HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English, French, and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Clarity and stability are very good. However, there are a few areas of the original soundtrack -- primarily where the music becomes prominent -- where the age of the film begins to show. When it happens, you will hear something of a very light buzz. There is no doubt that this effect was introduced by the recording equipment. The English translation is very good.

Casque d'Or 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• At the Heart of Hearts - The Legend of Golden Marie - in this documentary, writer and director Alain Jessua (The Killing Game), writer Valerie Vignaux ("Jacques Becker ou l'exercice de la liberte"), and Jacques Becker's daughter Sophie Vaneck discuss the unique qualities of Casque d'Or and its production history. Also included is an excerpt from an archival interview with Jean Renoir in which he talk about his admiration for Jacques Becker and his work. In French, with optional English subtitles. (33 min).

• Alex and Marie: Once Upon a Time Casque d'Or - in this archival program, hair stylist Alex Archambault recalls his collaboration with Simone Signoret and Jacques Becker on Casque d'Or and discusses the film's reputation as a timeless classic. Mr. Archambault also visits Boulogne Bilancourt where the majority of the interiors seen in the film were shot. The program is narrated by Claudia Cardinale. In French, with optional English subtitles. (12 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Casque d'Or. In French, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

BLU-RAY DISC

• At the Heart of Hearts - The Legend of Golden Marie - in this documentary, writer and director Alain Jessua (The Killing Game), writer Valerie Vignaux ("Jacques Becker ou l'exercice de la liberte"), and Jacques Becker's daughter Sophie Vaneck discuss the unique qualities of Casque d'Or and its production history. Also included is an excerpt from an archival interview with Jean Renoir in which he talk about his admiration for Jacques Becker and his work. In French, with optional English subtitles. (33 min).

• Alex and Marie: Once Upon a Time Casque d'Or - in this archival program, hair stylist Alex Archambault recalls his collaboration with Simone Signoret and Jacques Becker on Casque d'Or and discusses the film's reputation as a timeless classic. Mr. Archambault also visits Boulogne Bilancourt where the majority of the interiors seen in the film were shot. The program is narrated by Claudia Cardinale. In French, with optional English subtitles. (12 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Casque d'Or. In French, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

Casque d'Or 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have mixed feelings about this new 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray release of Jacques Becker's Casque d'Or. It appears that the new 4K restoration that was undertaken at L'Immagine Ritrovata was outstanding but wasn't finalized as well as it could have been. The film looks very healthy and practically brand new, but there are some inconsistencies with the gamma levels on the 4K master. While not as prominent, they reminded me of the ones that are present on the 4K restoration of Luchino Visconti's Rocco and His Brothers. Also, the 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray discs could have been encoded better. Since there is already another very good release of Casque d'Or, again from StudioCanal, my recommendation is to find a way to test the 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack before considering a purchase.