6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Walter is told by his boss, Sara, to deliver an urgent letter to Henri de Corinthe. On the way he finds a beautiful woman he had been eying in a nightclub, lying in the road, bound up. He takes her to a villa to get a doctor, and ends up being locked in a bedroom with her. While she is making love to him, he has visions of surrealistic images from René Magritte's paintings. In the morning, the girl, Marie-Ange, has vanished, the villa looks derelict, and his neck is bleeding. Was it all just a nightmare?
Starring: Cyrielle Clair, Arielle Dombasle, Daniel Emilfork, François Chaumette, Michel AuclairForeign | 100% |
Drama | 56% |
Epic | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Alain Robbe-Grillet's "The Beautiful Prisoner" a.k.a. "La Belle Captive" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent U.S. distributors Olive Films. The only bonus feature is an original French theatrical trailer for the film. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
A kiss to remember...
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alain Robbe-Grillet's La Belle Captive arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.
The release uses as a foundation the same remaster (licensed from Argos Films) which French label Carlotta Films accessed when they prepared their DVD release of La Belle Captive for the nine-disc box set of Alain Robbe-Grillet films. What this means is that the presentation is vastly superior to the first non-anamorphic R1 DVD release Koch Lorber produced. Indeed, not only are depth and clarity dramatically improved -- with the dream sequences, in particular, looking strikingly better -- but color reproduction is also a lot more convincing. Because color and shadow are utilized in a variety of different ways throughout the entire film, these improvements are easy to see virtually everywhere. There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Additionally, a layer of extremely light grain is retained throughout the entire film, but a slightly better encoding could have exposed it even better. (On the remaster the grain has been very carefully toned down a bit, but the integrity of the film is unaffected and as result it has a lovely organic appearance). There are no transition issues or general stability issues. Lastly, there are no large debris, cuts, stains, or damage marks to report in this review. All in all, this is a strong and competent technical presentation of La Belle Captive which is guaranteed to please fans of the film who have been patiently waiting for it to transition to Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Olive Films have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The classical score (with some lovely violin solos) enhances the dreamy atmosphere very well. The dynamic intensity, however, is unlikely to impress viewers who appreciate the sound designs big-budget contemporary films typically have. The dialog and the narration are exceptionally crisp, stable, and always easy to follow. Also, there is absolutely no background hiss. The English translation is very good.
Alain Robbe-Grillet's La Belle Captive is a wild and very trippy thriller that should appeal to viewers who love to challenge themselves with unconventional films. Lensed by the great Henri Alekan (the classic Beauty and the Beast), it is also strikingly beautiful and simply perfect to experience on Blu-ray. Fortunately, Olive Films' release does not disappoint. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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