De Sade Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

De Sade Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 21, 2023

Cy Endfield's "De Sade" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion Releasing. The supplemental features on the release include an exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critic Tim Lucas; extract from an archival program with writer Richard Matheson; and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The madman

Any other film that is as disjointed as De Sade would be impossible to defend. Some people still consider De Sade to be an impossible-to-tolerate mess, but I disagree. While not a masterpiece, it works because it reconstructs quite well what an utterly strange place the mind of Donatien Alphonse François de Sade must have been.

Cy Endfield is officially credited as the man who directed De Sade while working with a screenplay by Richard Matheson, but there is evidence that Roger Corman and John Huston both shot footage that is included in the current version of the film. In fact, Corman completed De Sade after Endfield abandoned it. All of this is quite peculiar, to say the least, because De Sade was greenlighted as an enormously ambitious project that remained the biggest in AIP's catalog.

In its current form De Sade is essentially a cinematic play within a deranged theatrical play that splits open the mind of the notorious Marquise (Keir Dullea). (I will explain exactly what this means and why I think the film was shot this way shortly). It is initiated and moderated by Huston, who plays the Marquise’s similarly strange uncle, but as odd as it may sound, he does not control its progression. Indeed, after the opening credits disappear, reality and the disturbing dark fantasies of the Marquise begin overlapping with an unbridled intensity that is utterly incompatible with pretty much everything the strange uncle says and does. Initially, it very much looks like this development is the serious flaw that critics have been addressing over the years, but the more time the camera spends observing the Marquise, the more it begins to make sense. Why? Because De Sade speculates that the Marquise only occasionally had the strength to control his deranged mind, and during his struggle to do so the deranged mind routinely unleashed disturbing dark fantasies that were meant to defeat him from within. In other words, the Marquise’s erratic public behavior, blackouts, and especially the infamous sexual perversions he engaged in were all part of the ugly mental battle that was taking place inside him. Does this sound like a crazy attempt to exonerate a notoriously crazy person? Well, sure it does, and you can easily build a pretty good case that it is precisely that, but all I am trying to clarify is that De Sade is not the chaotic mess its most outspoken critics have described. It does some very particular things in a very particular way.

The key events preceding the arrest of the Marquise and his imprisonment are recreated as part of an elaborate theatrical play that often begins to look too surreal but unfortunately underdeveloped as well. Indeed, this is the area where a lot of truly outrageous material could have been shot so that De Sade does look like an X-rated film. As is, De Sade only suggests that the Marquise was a ‘master of debauchery’ who had the unprecedented power to corrupt the minds and souls of those that entered his orbit and did not exit it on time.

Huston is the only actor that quite simply is not right for his part. He looks like an old man with a suspicious interest in De Sade who landed his part only because it was easy for him to secure it. Anna Massey is quite good as the intimidated wife of the Marquise who must come to terms with the truth that he never loved her. Senta Berger is her stunningly beautiful sister who begins a secret romantic relationship with the Marquise. Lilli Palmer is convincing as the very influential and powerful mother who eventually destroys the Marquise.

De Sade was the final film to be lensed by Swiss-born cinematographer Richard Angst, who worked with Fritz Lang on the classic duo The Tiger of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb.

De Sade Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, De Sade arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion Releasing.

The release is sourced from an exclusive new 2K master. It is a bit rough but has strong and convincing organic qualities. What could have been better? Well, while very pleasing, delineation and depth could be superior. In some darker areas, there is light black crush, so shadow definition could be better as well. There are no traces of problematic digital tinkering, but ideally grain exposure could have been better and more consistent. This means that density levels could be stronger as well. Some cosmetic work could have been done to eliminate surface imperfections. (There is one big damage mark that pops up early into the film). I assume that this new 2K master was struck from interpositive, so all of these limitations are inherited. Color balance is very good, but saturation levels could be even better. Image stability is good. However, there are a few areas where small stabilization enhancements could have been introduced. All in all, as you can tell there is room for meaningful improvements, but this release still offers a satisfying presentation of De Sade. 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).

De Sade 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 dialog is clear and easy to follow. However, the audio could benefit from a proper remastering job. Why? There are small but noticeable fluctuations, some thinning, and even some dynamic instability that is a byproduct of aging. Again, you do not have to worry about serious issues, but while viewing the film, there will be a few areas where you will certainly be able to tell that the audio could have been strengthened.

De Sade Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage U.S. trailer for De Sade. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Interview with Richard Matheson - presented here is an extract from an archival program in which Richard Matheson discusses the conception and evolution of the original screenplay for De Sade. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Tim Lucas. I enjoyed the commentary quite a bit because it addresses some gray areas of the production history of De Sade and how Cy Endfield, John Huston, and Roger Corman's contribution to it might have shaped its visual style and identity.

De Sade Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A lot of what has been said and written about De Sade over the years is not true. However, I also think that there is a lot of interesting information about its conception and production that can help understand it that has not been made public. De Sade was the most ambitious project to emerge from AIP and while it has some undeniable flaws it does things that make it different. I personally find its X-rating quite misleading because it is not that kind of a risque project, but during the same year Midnight Cowboy was scarred with the same rating as well. So, if you enjoy different films, De Sade should be on your radar. This recent Blu-ray release from Scorpion Releasing is sourced from a somewhat rough but solid exclusive new 2K master. RECOMMENDED.