7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.3 |
A blissed-out summer holiday on the Côte d'Azur is interrupted by the arrival of an old acquaintance and his eighteen-year-old daughter—unleashing a gathering tidal wave of sexual tension, jealousy, and sudden violence.
Starring: Alain Delon, Romy Schneider, Maurice Ronet, Jane Birkin, Paul CrauchetForeign | 100% |
Drama | 72% |
Romance | 29% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
French
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Jacques Deray's sexy "La piscine" a.k.a. "The Swimming Pool" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors M6. The disc contains the French and English versions of the film as well as a number of informative supplemental features. It is also Region-Free.
The lovers - Alain Delon and Romy Schneider
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jacques Deray's La piscine arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors M6.
Approximately a year ago, Lionsgate Films produced a lavish DVD box set of Alain Delon films in North America, which contained the French version of La piscine (licensed from Studio Canal). The transfer for it was fairly strong, conveying good detail and plausible contrast. The Blu-ray transfer by M6, however, offers a substantial upgrade over the existing Lionsgate Films release – on the Blu-ray disc, contrast is dramatically improved, clarity substantially better and the color scheme far more convincing than that seen on the DVD. The close-ups in particular look terrific. Furthermore, neither edge-enhancement nor macroblocking are a serious issue of concern (both are very problematic on the DVD). The actual transfer is also notably healthy – there aren't any disturbing debris, specks, or scratches to report in this review. (Note: Even though this Blu-ray disc is marketed as Region-B, it is actually Region-Free. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French Dolby Digital 2.0 (48 kHz) and English Dolby Digital 2.0 (48 kHz). Both of these tracks belong to the two version Jacques Deray filmed for La piscine - French and English. On the French version, Alain Delon and Romy Schneider speak their lines in French (as well as everyone else). On the English version, the two speak their lines in English (this isn't a simple dubbed version of the film, but an entirely new presentation that was filmed alongside the French version). This being said, I opted for the English Dolby Digital 2.0 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the French Dolby Digital 2.0 track.
Generally speaking, there are no issues to report with the English Dolby Digital 2.0 track. The dialog is crisp, clear and easy to follow. Michel Legrand's lovely soundtrack is also trouble-free. There are no serious balance issues between the dialog and the music score – I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings. There seems to be enough depth here that will please those of you expecting a strong audio treatment.
The French track is the preferable one - the actors sound a lot more convincing when they speak their lines in French. As far as the actual quality of the French Dolby Digital 2.0 track is concerned, I believe that it is practically identical to the English Dolby Digital 2.0 track. With the scenes I tested, there were no balance issues, cracks, pops, or hissings. This said, I would like to make it clear that the French subtitles on the English version of La piscine are optional – you could turn them off from your remote control. However, there are no optional French or English subtitles on the French version of the film.
There are a number of terrific supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc. Please note that only the ones marked below as 1080p are viewable on US TV sets; all other extras are in standard-def PAL. Therefore, you need to have a Blu-ray player that converts PAL-NTSC, or a multi-system TV set, in order to view them.
Notes de production – a short, text-size, summation of the production history of the film (in French).
Interview de Jean-Claude Carriere – writer and scenarist Jean-Claude Carriere talks about his collaboration with Jacques Deray, his work on the original text/dialog for the film as well as his interaction with the cast. The interview was recorded in November of 2007 (in French without optional subtitles, PAL) (27 min).
Fin alternative – an alternate ending showing the St. Tropez police arriving at the luxurious villa (1080p) (1 min).
Archives: Les retrouvailles R. Schneider/A. Delon – An archival footage showing Alain Delon and Romy Schneider arriving at St. Tropez and being interviewed by the local press (in French without optional subtitles, PAL) (3 min).
La bande-annonce – the original theatrical trailer for La piscine
(1080p) (3 min).
Le film version anglaise – The English language version of the film.
French distributors M6 deliver yet another fantastic Blu-ray release. This time around it is Jacques Deray's La piscine, a film that meant a lot to former lovers Alain Delon and Romy Schneider. The transfer is excellent and the Blu-ray is Region-Free. Obviously, we recommend it.
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