La Habanera Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

La Habanera Blu-ray Movie Review

A German classic directed by Douglas Sirk (All That Heaven Allows).

La Habanera is a German classic film produced by Bruno Duday (The Higher Command, The Gypsy Baron). The feature- film is directed by the beloved Hollywood filmmaker, Douglas Sirk (All That Heaven Allows). Zarah Leander stars.

Astree Sternhjelm (Zarah Leander) is Swedish born and in an abusive relationship with a wealthy Caribbean land baron, Don Pedro de Avila (Ferdinand Marian). As time passes, Astree begins to long for her past life in Europe. Astree also yearns to get away from her abusive lover. Meanwhile, the kind Dr. Sven Nagel (Karl Martell) ignites new passions within Astree while helping to fight a devastating pandemic. Can Astree find a new happiness with Dr. Sven (or will the jealous wrath of Don Pedro get in the way)?

Zarah Leander delivers a strong performance in the film. The role was a strong fit for her acting abilities and she shines in the part. The role is complex and Leander brings forth her passionate acting to the film. An impressive effort that helps the storytelling excel.

The wonders of cinema.

The cinematography by Franz Weihmayr (A Summer You Will Never Forget, Men at a Dangerous Age) is an impressive element of the production. The black-and-white cinematography of La Habanera imbues the film with some interesting stylistic flourishes throughout the run-time. The stylistic elements imbued in the cinematography enhance the tone.

Another effective element of the production is the costume designs. The costumes by Annemarie Heise (The Wedding Journey, A Night in May) are well done for each of the leading actors. The music score composed by Lothar Bruhne (The Man Who Wanted to Live Twice, Secrets of a Soul) also adds to the experience as well. Solid efforts all around.

The screenplay by Gerhard Menzel (Life Goes On, Late Love) is entertaining. Though not an outright classic, the script for La Habanera is well-written and has some effective components. The storytelling flows reasonably well. Douglas Sirk (All That Heaven Allows, The Final Chord) brings the script to life in the director's chair and imbues the filmmaking with a sense of style that is effective. La Habanera is also well edited by Axel von Werner (The Green Emperor, Stronger than Paragraphs). Fans of classic cinema will find it worth checking out.

La Habanera Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, La Habanera is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The release has a average presentation quality and never seems as robustly restored as one might hope to find. The scan is a decent one and has a good amount of detail but it still shows some wear throughout the print – as scratches and small marks can still be seen on the scan. The black-and-white cinematography has average black levels and never looks as silky black as one might hope to find. A decent if somewhat underwhelming presentation.

La Habanera Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in German uncompressed PCM 2.0 mono 16 bit. The lossless audio track on the release is average. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. However, the track never sounds as crisp or engaging as a pristine audio-restoration sometimes provides to classic-era productions. The track has decent fidelity and the presentation is serviceable (if never as perfect as one might desire to find).

Optional English subtitles are provided.

La Habanera Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Olaf Moller

La Habanera Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

La Habanera is worth a watch. The film features solid direction by Douglas Sirk (All That Heaven Allows) and a strong leading performance by Zarah Leander. Fans of Sirk and Leander will want to see it. Available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber, the release is worth checking out. Recommended.