La marge 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

La marge 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 29, 2026

Walerian Borowczyk certainly has one of the most distinctive filmographies in 20th century cinema, and for just one example, Theatre of Mr. & Mrs. Kabal might suffice quite handily. Those wanting even more "adventures" in the often wild world of Borowczyk might want to check out Immoral Tales or (for the really adventurous) The Beast. La Marge might seem on its titillating surface to be yet another dive into what might be jokingly referred to as neo-pornography on the part of Borowczyk, and it may be salient to note that probably due to featuring co-star Sylvia Kristel the film evidently had a release under the name Emanuela 77, but even given all of that, there's a decidedly more serious undertone to this piece than in at least some other Borowczyk outings, and in fact a whole subtext dealing in virtually Freudian issues of the dialectic between Eros and Thanatos (that would be, well, Love and Death for any Luddites) suffuses a rather melancholy narrative.

Sigismond Pons (Joe Dallesandro) seems to have it all, including a beautiful wife, Sergine (Mireille Audibert) and adorable son Elie (Emmanuel Franval), not to mention an incredibly wealthy uncle named Antonin (André Falcon) who owns an estate that Sigismond and Sergine like to frolic erotically around. Sigismond works for Antonin, and a business trip takes him to Paris, where he has a chance meeting with a prostitute named Diana (Sylvia Kristel). For reasons which are perhaps not really fully explained given the somewhat idyllic circumstances that Sigismond has already been seen in, Sigismond begins an affair with Diana. Suffice it to say a horrifying tragedy (actually more than one) ensues, and the result is Sigismond is drawn even more to Diana as a result, for (again) almost Freudian reasons.

Borowczyk seemingly can't help himself from offering copious nudity and coupling, but even given the sexual content, the actual underpinning of the story is Sigismond's reaction to grief and using sex as a kind of salve. The concept (based on a source novel by André Pieyre de Mandiargues, whose own history includes a bit of "neo-pornography") is certainly interesting and even compelling, though it might be argued Dallesandro is really not an actor of sufficient depth to bring the nuances of Sigismond's character fully to life (and/or death, as the case may be). Kristel is certainly captivating but again may not have the emotional resources to fully infuse Diana. The ultimate nihilism of the film may suggest that whatever the intervening pleasures Eros may provide, Thanatos seemingly almost always has the upper hand.

La marge 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

La Marge is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Radiance Films with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.67:1. Two additional AVC encoded 1080p transfers in the same aspect ratio are offered on separate discs. Radiance sent check discs for purposes of this review, and so I'm not privy to any verbiage included in an insert booklet, but their website mentions a 4K restoration by Studio Canal, while also mentioning in passing that maybe a bit curiously the 4K presentation is in SDR. I haven't been able to dredge up any information on why that choice was made, but it results in a 4K presentation that from a palette standpoint at least is difficult to differentiate from the two 1080 SDR presentations included in the set. All three presentations (one 4K, two 1080) offer a well suffused palette that nonetheless can show slight variations in densities and warmth, but which overall offers secure accountings of everything from some of the golden yellow flowers in a memorable early scene to later pops of red once things matriculate to Paris. If the 4K presentation arguably improves detail levels, again those improvements may not be overwhelming, due at least in part to Borowczyk's tendency toward midrange framings and especially this story's emphasis on shadowy nighttime streetwalking environments, where fine detail can struggle at times to penetrate the overwhelming darkness. There's no appreciable age related wear and tear on tap, and grain resolves without any issues.

La marge 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

La Marge features DTS-HD Master Audio Mono tracks in either French or English. The French track is considerably louder and fuller bodied in the midrange and low end than the English track, something that's audible from the get go with the ambient environmental storm effects that start out the film. There's dubbing one way or the other, and so "actual" voices may vary, and sync as they say can be a bit loose at times. Otherwise, though, the two tracks are largely interchangeable in terms of overall mix prioritization and reproduction of dialogue, which is always clear. Optional English subtitles are available.

La marge 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K Disc

• Theatrical Cut (UHD; 1:26:11)

1080 Disc One

• Theatrical Cut (HD; 1:26:11)


• The Erotic Surrealism of Walerian Borowczyk and Andre Pieyre de Mandiargues (HD; 15:27) is an intelligent video essay deconstruction by Samm Deighan.


• Sean Price Williams (HD; 10:02) is a new interview with the director and cinematographer.


• Brief Von Paris (HD; 40:31) is a 1976 short by Borowczyk shot on 16mm under commission from the German broadcaster ZDF. This is like a somewhat chaotic video tour of the French capital.


• Diana from Amsterdam (HD; 5:34) features behind the scenes footage from the set of La Marge shot on 8mm by camera operator Noël Véry. Narrated by Sylvia Kristel.


• Noël Véry and André Heinrich (HD; 4:44) are featured in this archival piece from 2007. Subtitled in English.


• Noël Simsolo (HD; 7:55) discusses his involvement with Borowczyk and the film.


• Andre Pieyre de Mandiargues (HD; 14:37) features the source novelist in a 1967 interview. Subtitled in English.


• The Streetwalker (HD; 11:15) features alternate scenes from a British VHS version of the film.


• Gallery (HD)

1080 Disc Two

• Director's Cut (HD; 1:31:53)

La marge 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you're a fan of Borowczyk, or at least acquainted with that aforementioned distinctive filmography, you might be both surprised and nonplussed by what's on tap here. The frequent excursions into soft core territory might be expected, but the underlying melancholy of this tale is really rather unusual for Borowczyk, at least based on the other films of his I've seen and reviewed through the years. Technical merits are generally solid, though the 4K presentation is, like the 1080 presentations, in SDR. Radiance has assembled some informative and interesting supplements, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.