Eugenie 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Eugenie 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 12, 2023

Jess Franco's "Eugenie" a.k.a. "De Sade 70" (1970) arrives on 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray courtesy of Blue Underground. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with actor Jack Taylor; exclusive new audio commentary recorded by critics Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth; archival program about the production of the film; large collection of promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It immediately becomes obvious that the intent was to produce a serious adaptation of Marquis de Sade’s novel Philosophy in the Boudoir. There are a few segments where Jess Franco unleashes his imagination in a familiar fashion, but Eugenie does not enter that risky territory that some of the director’s more controversial films visit. It is a solid production with stars that truly look like stars.

The young and innocent Eugenie (Marie Liljedahl, The Seduction of Inga) is approached by the elegant Madame Saint Ange (Maria Rohm, Venus in Furs) who offers to take her away from her conservative parents for a few days. Madame then seduces her prominent father (Paul Muller) and he agrees to let her go.

A day later, Madame takes Eugenie to her luxurious villa on a beautiful island. The two women are greeted by Madame’s handsome stepbrother, Mirvel (Jack Taylor), who immediately shows interest in Eugenie. Very soon, however, it becomes clear that Madame and Mirvel are determined to corrupt their young and innocent guest. Initially, the carnal games excite Eugenie, but then they begin to scare her.

Meanwhile, a group of unexpected guests emerges from the shadows, led by a tall and demanding respect nobleman named Dolmance (Christopher Lee, The Oblong Box).

The film is rather unusual because its atmosphere becomes its story. There are a few interesting twists -- with the most effective one featuring Lee -- but one should not expect to be wowed by a succession of carefully scripted events. Indeed, as soon as the main characters arrive on the island Franco moves them into a different reality and essentially begins playing with one’s expectations. The effect is difficult to accurately describe, but for the most part, it feels a bit like being in a constantly evolving surreal dream. (Recently, French director Jean-Claude Brisseau has been very successful in his introduction of similar shifts in many of his erotic films).

What makes the film even more attractive is the fact that the actors exude tremendous confidence and some even have that classic Hollywood appearance. Lee was apparently unaware of the true nature of Franco’s film -- which is something film historian Stephen Thrower has rightfully questioned as it is difficult to imagine that Lee was under the impression that a project based on de Sade’s work would look drastically different -- but his mannerisms work perfectly for the desired visual style. Taylor and especially Rohm also bring the type of class and elegance a lot of other similarly themed films typically lack. So, this film not only has a tremendous atmosphere but also the sophisticated appearance of a very serious production.

As is often the case with Franco’s films from the late 1960s and early 1970s, however, some rough spots eventually emerge (different awkward zooms, some uneven transitions, etc.). It is probably safe to assume that time was a factor during the shooting process and therefore a lot of different scenes were done quickly, but it is also true that the editing of Franco’s films has always been somewhat inconsistent.

The trippy soundtrack was created by the legendary Italian composer Bruno Nicolai (Sergio Martino's Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, Tinto Brass' Caligula).

Eugenie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Blue Underground's release of Eugenie a.k.a. Marquis De Sade's Philosophy in the Boudoir is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray and the Blu-ray are Region-Free.

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, including its actual color values.

Screencaptures #1-25 are from Eugenie Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #36-40 are from Eugenie 4K Blu-ray.

The release is sourced from an exclusive new 4K master that was prepared after the film was fully restored in 4K from the original camera negative. The 4K Blu-ray presents the film with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I viewed the entire film with Dolby Vision.

Blue Underground's first Blu-ray release arrived on the market in 2015. This release sourced from a 4K master as well, but the technical presentation of the film was unconvincing. The new 4K master that was prepared for this 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack is superior. It produces visuals that boast better grain field, density levels, delineation, and depth. As a result, the dynamic range of these films -- in native 4K and 1080p -- is improved as well. Image stability is excellent as well. The new 4K master has a new color grade. I like some aspects of it, but I do not think that it is as convincing as it should have been. For example, I think that key primaries like red, brown, and black are wonderful. However, blue is not properly set and routinely overlaps with light turquoise. While the shift is not as prominent as the one observed on the recent 4K Blu-ray releases of Three Colors: Blue and The Italian Job, its presence is still easy to detect and occasionally produces small anomalies. For example, in certain areas, the turquoise creates a light neon-esque effect that impacts the whites. You can see its presence in screencaptures #2, 15, 21, 24, and 25. In these areas, there has to be proper blue of the kind that is typically present on vintage 35mm prints from the 1970s, not turquoise of the kind that is typically present in contemporary films. I still think that this presentation of Eugenie is preferable because the visuals have a superior organic appearance, but I also think that the color grade should have been better.

I did test various areas from the 1080p presentation as well. The Dolby Vision grade produces better indoor footage primarily by managing darker nuances more convincingly. On my system, whites are slightly more convincing as well. The inherited softness looks pretty much identical in 1980p and native 4K, though the superior density levels in native 4K make the transitions appear more organic. My score is 4.25/5.00.

Eugenie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 and French DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless English track is very good, but you need to keep in mind that there is some inherited unevenness on it. This is simply how many of Jess Franco's films were done, with frequent unevenness, even during exchanges where there isn't much dynamic activity. There are no age-related distracting anomalies.

Eugenie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Trailer - restored original trailer for Eugenie. In English, not subtitled.

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth. The two commentators discuss the visual style of Eugenie and the controversial nature of the original material that inspired it as well as the outstanding soundtrack that was created for it and the varying quality of Jess Franco's work. There are some interesting observations about other films from Franco's oeuvre as well as the careers of the actors that are seen in Eugenie.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Jack Taylor in the Francoverse - in this new program, star Jack Taylor, whose real name is George Brown Randall, recalls his initial encounter with Jess Franco and the first film they made together, Succubus, as well as the director's professional relationship with the legendary producer Harry Alan Towers. Mr. Taylor also discusses in great detail the production of Eugenie in Barcelona and specifically the erotic material, which apparently created some lasting drama, and lasting impact Franco had on his life and career. The program was produced by Alex Mendibil in Madrid, on October 18, 2022. In Spanish, with English subtitles. (25 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth. The two commentators discuss the visual style of Eugenie and the controversial nature of the original material that inspired it as well as the outstanding soundtrack that was created for it and the varying quality of Jess Franco's work. There are some interesting observations about other films from Franco's oeuvre as well as the careers of the actors that are seen in Eugenie.

• Trailer - restored original trailer for Eugenie. In English, not subtitled.

• Poster & Still Gallery - an excellent collection of posters, advertising materials (clippings, stills), lobby cards, black-and-white stills, color stills, and video and soundtrack covers from around the world. The gallery was compiled by Gregory Chick.

• Stephen Thrower on Eugenie - in this new video interview, Stephen Thrower, author of Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco, discusses the placement of Eugenie in Jess Franco's body of work, the film's tone and atmosphere, Maria Rohm's presence and the manner in which she is framed and shot, Christopher Lee's involvement with the film, the original Eugenie story, the film's troubled distribution history, etc. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Perversion Stories - this featurette takes a closer look at the production history of Eugenie. Included in it are archival interviews with director Jess Franco, actress Marie Liljedahl, producer Harry Alan Towers, and Christopher Lee. In English and French, with imposed yellow English subtitles where necessary. (18 min).

Eugenie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Eugenie is one of the best films Jess Franco created during what I consider to be his best period (the late 1960s and early 1970s). It is a very atmospheric film with an excellent cast and a wonderful soundtrack from Bruno Nicolai. This 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo release is sourced from a new 4K master that was prepared after the film was exclusively restored in 4K by Blue Underground. The film looks good on it, better than it did on this release, but a slightly more careful grading job would have ensured that it looks sensational. Also included on this release is a terrific exclusive new program with actor Jack Taylor, who shares a lot of terrific information about the making of Eugenie and his professional relationship with Franco. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.