7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Beautiful, troubled Dominique Marceau came to bohemian Paris to escape the suffocation of provincial life, only to wind up in a courtroom, accused of a terrible crime: the murder of her lover. As the trial commences and the lawyers begin tangling over Dominique's fate, the film delves into her past, reconstructing her struggle to find a foothold in the city. What emerges is a nuanced portrait of an impulsive young woman misunderstood and mistreated by those around her, and of her ultimately tragic affair with an up-and-coming conductor.
Starring: Brigitte Bardot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel, Sami Frey, Marie-José NatForeign | 100% |
Drama | 88% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Henri-Georges Clouzot's "La Verite" a.k.a. "The Truth" (1960) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an archival documentary featuring Brigitte Bardot; vintage interview with director Henri-Georges Clouzot; and Pierre-Henri Gilbert's recent documentary "Le Scandale Clouzot". The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by Ginette Vincendeau and technical credits. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Unexpected encounter
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Henri-Georges Clouzot's La Verite arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:
"This new 4K restoration by Sony Pictures Entertainment in partnership with The Film Foundation and RT Features was undertaken from the 35mm original camera negative and a 35mm fine-grain master positive. Inspection, repair, 4K scanning, and digital image restoration were performed by L'immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy. Conforming, color grading, and additional 4K scanning and image restoration were performed at Deluxe in Culver City, California. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from a 35mm composite fine-grain master. Audio restoration was performed at Deluxe Audio Services in Hollywood."
The film looks terrific in high-definition, and undoubtedly the best it ever has. I was particularly impressed with the outstanding density and depth, though I could instantly recognize a few of the areas where the footage from the fine-grain master was utilized (you can see an example in screencapture #9). The consistent solid organic appearance of the visuals, however, is mighty impressive. The grading job is also enormously pleasing, and as our screencaptures easily demonstrate the ranges of healthy nuances that exist on the new 4K remaster are optimized as best as possible. Image stability is excellent. There are no debris, damage marks, cuts, torn frames, or other troubling age-related imperfections. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
There are no technical anomalies to report in our review. The audio has been carefully remastered and as a result clarity, depth, and balance are excellent. I also think that the range of dynamic nuances that are present are excellent for a film from the early '60s. The English translation is outstanding.
For a long, long time the consensus has been that La Verite was the film that legitimized Brigitte Bardot as a 'serious' actress. She is indeed excellent in it and reveals a wide range of contrasting character qualities, but I quite dislike what the critical praise that produced the consensus actually implied about her earlier work. Bardot never had to prove anything, and with or without La Verite her reputation would have continued to grow. Frankly, I think that her performance in La Verite only proved a small group of influential critics wrong, and in the process further solidified her image as a cultural icon. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release is sourced from a fantastic new 4K restoration. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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