Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

La Poison Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 26, 2013

Sacha Guitry's "La Poison" a.k.a. "Poison" (1951) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The only supplemental feature included with this release is a new documentary film featuring interviews with writer and film historian Henry Gidel, film historian Claude Gauteur, novelist and French cinema expert Alain Decaux, director Jean Becker, and writer and director Raoul Sangla. The release also arrives with a 24-page illustrated booklet featuring Bettina Knapp's essay "On Rancour Expelled" and Francois Truffaut's "On Guitry's Habitual Theme". In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

She is drinking again...

The legendary Michel Simon (Boudu Saved From Drowning) is Paul Braconnier, an aging man who has a difficult time living under the same roof with his wife (Germaine Reuver, Mademoiselle Has Fun). She is a shockingly unattractive and constantly inebriated old-fashioned woman who can’t stop heckling Paul, which is why he can’t stop thinking about getting rid of her. What Paul does not know is that his wife has also had enough of him, which is why she has purchased a small bag of rat poison from the local chemist. She plans to mix some of the poison with his dinner and then watch him die.

But before his wife can kill him, Paul travels to Paris to consult with a famous lawyer (Jean Debucourt, The Earrings of Madame de...) about all the small details that will later on determine whether he remains a free man or goes to jail. Having just recorded his one-hundredth acquittal, the lawyer approaches Paul’s case with great interest, assuming that he has already killed his wife -- and ends up describing to Paul everything he needs to know to have the perfect murder. Overflowing with joy, Paul thanks the lawyer and then immediately heads back home to kill his wife.

This deliciously subversive comedy from the great Sacha Guitry is divided into two somewhat uneven parts. The first targets all sorts of different stereotypes about family life while Guitry follows closely Simon’s miserable character. By the time he meets the famous lawyer, Guitry makes a credible case that he is indeed a victim whose life and dignity ought to be restored -- with a murder.

The second part is an anarchist’s wet dream -- after the action moves to the courtroom, Guitry unleashes an impressive attack on French morality and ethics that ultimately transforms the killer into a national hero. This is done with such a dry sense of humor that one really has to wonder whether Guitry was in fact shooting only a comedy. The approach is truly quite brilliant, because as ridiculous some of the killer’s arguments may sound, they surely force one to seriously ponder the beliefs and methods of those who represent and enforce the law.

Simon is spectacular as the frustrated villager who tries to design the perfect murder. His first encounter with the famous lawyer, in particular, is absolutely hilarious. It is one of many sequences in the film where Guitry brilliantly changes roles to prove that morals and ethics are bendable.

Reuver also leaves a lasting impression as the abusive housewife who cannot stop drinking. In real life she was a beautiful, enormously elegant woman, but in La Poison she is ugly and genuinely frustrating, the type of woman that could inspire a man to do a serious mistake. (Because the film so openly sides with Simon’s character, towards the end of his life Guitry was often an easy target for a lot of feminists in France).

The legendary French actor Louis de Funès (La grande vadrouille, Le Gendarme et les extra-terrestres) has a small cameo in La Poison as well.

The film was lensed by the great cinematographer Jean Bachelet, who also collaborated with Jean Renoir on his The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936) and The Rules of the Game (1939). The simple but beautiful music score was composed by Louiguy, one of the two creative minds behind Édith Piaf’s beloved La Vie en rose.

La Poison Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sacha Guitry's La Poison arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.

The release uses as a foundation Gaumont's recent digital restoration of La Poison. Generally speaking, detail is very good -- most close-ups boast pleasing depth while the nighttime sequences convey very good clarity (see screencapture #8). Contrast is stable. There are no traces of excessive degraining, but grain isn't always evenly resolved. There are select sequences where it is mixed with light noise, occasionally affecting definition and even shadow detail (see screencapture #12). In motion, however, these small fluctuations are rarely distracting. Edge-enhancement is not an issue of concern, but there are a few instances of light sharpening sneaking in, typically where there is plenty of light. Lastly, there are no large debris, cuts, warps, or damage marks to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

La Poison Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The audio has decent depth and at times pleasing fluidity. Unsurprisingly, however, the dynamic intensity is quite limited. Even during a few of the key discussions involving Paul dynamic movement is extremely limited. Still, the beauty of Louiguy's soundtrack is still enormously easy to appreciate. The dialog is also crisp, stable, and easy to follow. There are no problematic audio dropouts, distortions, or annoying background hiss to report in this review. The English translation is very good.

La Poison Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• On Life on Screen: Miseries and Splendor of a Monarch - a fantastic documentary film by Dominique Maillet focusing on the life and legacy of the great Sacha Guitry. The film features interviews with writer and film historian Henry Gidel, film historian Claude Gauteur, novelist and French Cinema expert Alain Decaux, director Jean Becker, and writer and director Raoul Sangla. The documentary was produced exclusively for Gaumont. In French, with optional English subtitles. (61 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - 24-page illustrated booklet featuring Bettina Knapp's essay "On Rancour Expelled" (1981) and Francois Truffaut's "On Guitry's Habitual Theme" (1957).

La Poison Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sacha Guitry is one of French Cinema's great masters. Unfortunately, until very recently his films were virtually impossible to see outside of France. With La Poison, as well as Criterion's excellent box set of Guitry films, English-speakers can finally begin to explore the legendary director's work. Eureka Entertainment's release of La Poison uses as a foundation Gaumont's recent digital restoration of the film. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.