Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

Girl on a Motorcycle Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 15, 2023

Jack Cardiff's "Girl on a Motorcycle" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary recorded by the director; new audio commentary recorded by critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas; and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional Engish SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

If you listen to the archival audio commentary the great Jack Cardiff recorded for The Girl on a Motorcycle a long time ago, you will learn a lot. Cardiff, who was a remarkable stylist, shares plenty of very interesting technical information that will reveal to you how Girl on a Motorcycle was put together. He mentions location choices, framing choices, light and color management, and the importance of creating a special ambience.

But there is something very important that Cardiff only partially addresses, which is his state of mind at the time when he began working on Girl on a Motorcycle. To be clear, Cardiff does explain where the inspiration for Girl on a Motorcycle came from and what he and the cast he worked with were trying to accomplish. But this is different. I refer to Cardiff’s mental condition at the time and how it impacted his creative choices because Girl on a Motorcycle is not a conventional film. Indeed, Girl on a Motorcycle is, at the very least, an intimate séance put on celluloid, and quite possibly something much bigger, like a powerful cinematic therapeutic that Cardiff desperately needed in his life. Old reviews downgrade Girl on a Motorcycle to just a fancy film with a couple of cultural icons that takes advantage of them as best as possible, but it is not difficult to conclude that these reviews miss the mark by a wide margin. The beauty in Girl on a Motorcycle, the physical and stylistic one, is just a façade that hides the true nature of Cardiff’s relationship with it.

Ignoring Cardiff’s real relationship with Girl on a Motorcycle instantly leaves you with a straightforward film about a young girl (Marianne Faithfull) who has suddenly realized that the man (Roger Mutton) she married is not right for her. In multiple episodes, the girl is seen trying to come to terms with the discovery while on her way to reunite with another man (Alain Delon) who secretly made her feel alive and taste true happiness. But during the journey, while riding her big bike, often as fast as she can, the girl allows her emotions to overwhelm her and in the process drifts away from reality.

The real ‘girl on a motorcycle’ was a German racer named Anke Eve Goldmann, but in the film the rebellious girl is a universal symbol that promotes the classic idea that freedom is worth the risk of losing one’s life. The girl’s experiences then provide plenty of material to ponder the validity of this idea and whether it deserves a contemporary reconsideration.

This contemporary reconsideration was supposed to take place during the 1960s, which was a decade that embraced and deconstructed freedom in some quite unusual ways. For example, a wide variety of powerful drugs were often used to stimulate the deconstructive work, and many of the people that committed to it ended up losing their lives. Other people, while claiming to have understood the true nature of freedom, then went down some very dark roads and entered places that transformed them into seasoned criminals.

Film directors, actors, composers, and producers participated as well. Roger Corman’s The Trip, for instance, is a great film to see about the type of deconstructive work that was done by these people and the stimulants they used. Most of them experimented with alcohol and famous drugs, like LSD, but the more adventurous ones went on the road and visited distant countries whose cultures understood and promoted drastically different concepts of freedom. (The Beatles went to India for this exact reason).

Girl on a Motorcycle is a byproduct of the same trend. In it, the main stimulant is sexual desire/erotica, but despite its notorious X rating, its visuals are neither risky nor explicit. Unsurprisingly, Cardiff uses his preferred stimulant in much the same way Corman -- as well as Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson, and Dennis Hopper -- did LSD in The Trip.

While Faithfull, Delon, and Mutton are quite good, the greatest strength of Girl on a Motorcycle is the quality of its visuals. They are a feast for the eyes and easily transform Girl on a Motorcycle into, well, quite the trip.

Girl on a Motorcycle Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Girl on a Motorcycle arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a gorgeous 4K master that was prepared on behalf of Euro London Films, Ltd. This master is easily the best that I have seen done for a European film from Kino Lorber's catalog in a very, very long time. It is so good, it makes the previous presentation of Girl on a Motorcycle from this release, which I have, look almost like an average upscale. Indeed, the improvements in delineation, clarity, and depth are practically everywhere and very easy to appreciate. The 4K master does make the frequent density fluctuations more pronounced as well, but this is how the film was lensed. Color reproduction is outstanding. Frankly, the color grade is one of the most all-around convincing I have seen in a couple of years. It gives the visuals a fantastic organic quality that makes viewing the film a pretty special treat. Image stability is very good. I did not notice any large distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. My only minor criticism pertains to the encoding. The grain fluctuations throughout the film can be rather substantial and I think that in a couple of darker areas it would have been beneficial to have specific encoding optimizations to ensure that grain is as tight as possible. Fantastic 4K makeover. My score is 4.75/5.00. (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).

Girl on a Motorcycle 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 very basic and quite easy to follow. I think that the music, the intense dreams (with the audio effects), and the racing footage provide good dynamic contrasts as well. However, it is quite easy to tell that in certain areas the quality of the original soundtrack is not great. For example, you will easily notice that from time to time there is unevenness and flat spots that sneak in and then disappear. Occasionally, the bike can sound a tad weak, too. But this is how the soundtrack was finalized, so it is not the lossless track that produces the fluctuations.

Girl on a Motorcycle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Jack Cardiff. It is a very good commentary with plenty of technical information that addresses the different location, casting choices, raming choices, light and color management, and the importance of creating a special ambience. However, as mentioned in our review of Girl on a Motorcycle, it does not focus on the true nature of Cardiff's relationship with the film.

• Commentary Two - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Girl on a Motorcycle. (2 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for Girl on a Motorcycle.

Girl on a Motorcycle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The new 4K master that was prepared for Jack Cardiff's Girl on a Motorcycle is a genuine stunner. I was so impressed with the quality of the visuals that twenty-four hours later ended up viewing the film again. My second experience with it was just as enjoyable, too. For my money, this Blu-ray release is one of the most convincing upgrades to enter Kino Lorber's entire catalog. If you reside on the other side of the Atlantic and wish to purchase Girl on a Motorcycle for your collection, please keep in mind that it is Region-A "locked". VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.