6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Although Frank is always cheating on her with another woman, Eva still cannot bring herself to leave him. But Frank objects both when Eva becomes pregnant as well as when she takes a lover of her own.
Starring: Willeke van Ammelrooy, Hugo Metsers (I), Sylvia Kristel, Mimi Kok, Siem VroomForeign | 100% |
Drama | 28% |
Romance | 5% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Dutch: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Pim de la Parra's "Frank and Eva" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Cult Epics. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; exclusive new audio commentary by director Pim de la Parra; filmed audio conversation with actress and director Willeke van Ammelrooy and director Eddy Terstall; and more. In Dutch, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Exclusive entertainment
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Pim de la Parra's Frank and Eva arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics.
The release is sourced from a brand new remaster which was struck from a 35mm element, and director Parra has apparently seen it. I mention this because the current presentation is reportedly proper, but my guess is that the film was likely composed for the 1.66:1 ratio. Whatever the case might be, the current framing does not produce any notable anomalies and enjoying the film is quite easy.
Depth and clarity are quite good, though in some of the darker areas the limitations of the element that was utilized become obvious -- at times shadow definition isn't optimal and there is even light black crush that sneaks in. However, there are no troubling digital anomalies to report and this makes a huge difference. Delineation is frequently very pleasing and there is even proper fluidity. A meticulous restoration would undauntedly produce a superior and better balanced grain, but for the most part the current exposure remains adequate. Colors are stable, but there is no doubt in my mind that ideally saturation and nuances should be more convincing. Image stability is very good. A few large damage marks remain, as well as some minor specks and scratches. All in all, while there is room for plenty of meaningful improvements, this is a mostly pleasing organic presentation of the film that could very well remain its definitive presentation. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Dutch DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I don't know if any specific work was done to optimize the lossless track when the remaster was finalized, but if there ever were any serious age-related imperfections it is impossible to tell now. There is only one segment where I felt that balance was slightly unconvincing, but the rest of the film sounded excellent. Dynamic intensity, however, is predictably modest.
I am going to leave a bold speculation here and even if it turns out that I am completely wrong, I think that it will be quite helpful to folks who are curious about Pim de la Parra's film Frank and Eva. So this film was completed a decade after Francois Truffaut's Jules and Jim and having viewed it twice over the last couple of days I have a gut feeling that it was at least partially influenced by it. It is very possible that Parra did not fully realize it while he was working on it, but it embraces romance with the same unbridled enthusiasm and then refuses to judge the morality of its characters pretty much exactly like Truffaut's film does. Of course the time period and the location are different, and on top of this the film is about as authentically Dutch and proud of it as it could have been, but forty-five years later it just feels like Holland's quirky answer to Truffaut's classic. Until now, the film was apparently never officially distributed in the United States, so I am very grateful that Cult Epics produced this Blu-ray release. I thoroughly enjoyed it and consider it one of my best discoveries from recent years. The release also features a terrific new audio commentary by Parra with fantastic information about the production history of the film and the evolution of the Dutch film industry over the years. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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