6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A group of French students are drawn into the psychological and sexual games of a mysterious Dutchman. Once they sample his "fear powder" the students experience a series of hallucinations.
Starring: Catherine Jourdan, Lorraine Rainer, Sylvain Corthay, Richard Leduc, Pierre ZimmerForeign | 100% |
Drama | 59% |
Surreal | 8% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: LPCM 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
1970’s “Eden and After” doesn’t represent a change of creative direction for director Alain Robbe-Grillet, but it does bring a hearty dose of color to his style after his previous work bathed in the mystery of black and white. Perhaps the addition of bold hues encourages the primal side of the filmmaker, as “Eden and After” is more feral creation for the notoriously arcane helmer, indulging the wild side of youth as it explores psychological gamesmanship and unlocked desires. True to Robbe-Grillet’s cinematic approach, it’s cold to the touch, but for a low-wattage freak-out, “Eden and After” achieves its vague goals.
The AVC encoded image (1.66:1 aspect ratio) presentation brings Robbe-Grillet's cinematic universe into color, with some bright, stable hues welcoming the viewer as costuming and assorted grotesqueries are detailed, displaying limited fade. Skintones are quite natural. Grain takes on a slightly noisy quality here, but nothing that diminishes the filmic qualities of the viewing experience, while print issues are minimal, save for some speckling, mild judder, and a few harsh reel changes. Detail is satisfactory, with encouraging clarity for the various environments, bringing out Tunisian textures and industrial playgrounds, while close-ups retain their aging and emotional accuracy. Blacks have crush issues, but only on rare occasions.
The 2.0 LPCM sound mix carries the mood of the film with accuracy, emphasizing disparate sound effects and blustery atmospherics that sell changes in location. Music carries weight, bringing a nice heaviness to the track, with thumping tribal percussion and swinging rock rhythm. Dialogue exchanges are always intelligible, with a slightly muddy quality due to the age of the movie. Intentional manipulations in sound register clearly, retaining the feature's artistic intent.
"Eden and After" doesn't particularly advance Robbe-Grillet as a filmmaker, yet it has moments of real beauty and cinematic craftsmanship, and the helmer is wise to focus intently on the expressive face of star Jourdan. It doesn't take long before the feature loses connection with reality (or perhaps never had it in the first place), and while confusion is plentiful, it's communicated with a directorial confidence that eases immediate dismissal.
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