Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

La verite Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 28, 2019

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

Pay very close attention to the quick exchanges between Charles Vanel’s lawyer, Guerin, and his assistant in the very beginning of the film, right before the trial begins. They identify their primary objective as selling the right image of the girl that has killed her boyfriend to the right jury members. The truth matters to them, but it has too many nuances that they expect the prosecutor will manipulate to emerge victorious. In other words, two experienced performers will try to sell their version of the truth to a small group of observers that will seal the girl’s fate.

Shortly after, the theater begins.

A few flashbacks very quickly establish that Dominique Marceau (Brigitte Bardot) was a flirty girl who at least initially tried to enjoy life as best as she could. She was fully aware that men of all ages found her very attractive and most of the time she did not mind playing their games because many offered benefits that she just could not resist. Her sister, Annie (Marie-Jose Nat), had a completely different understanding of what made life exciting, but only occasionally challenged Dominique because she was too busy with her violin studies.

When the two sisters became aware of Gilbert Tellier’s (Sami Frey) existence, however, their relationship became a lot more complicated. Annie was the first to meet him at the Conservatoire, where many considered him the most talented young conductor, and quickly fell in love with him. Then when he came looking for her Dominique tried to use a few of her old flirting tricks on him, but instead found herself attracted to him. It was when the two sisters became involved in an intense competition to win Gilbert’s heart, which he prematurely ended after he officially started dating Dominique.

The bulk of the crucial nuances that Guerin and his opponent, Eparvier (Paul Meurisse), need to highlight in order to win the trial emerge here, after Dominique and Gilbert begin learning more about each other and then gradually undergo serious transformations. In one of the flashbacks Dominque gets a new job as a coat-check girl and then makes a series of odd decisions that completely backfire on her and she loses Gilbert’s trust. Then in an attempt to regain her credibility and his love, she makes a desperate move that pushes him back into Annie’s hands, which produces additional drama that makes her feel even more miserable. These are the sort of ups and downs that are routinely targeted by Guerin and Eparvier to change Dominique’s profile before the members of the jury.

Quite predictably, at least all these years after the film was completed, however, the theater diminishes the value of the truth so much that eventually it evolves into something of a gambling game in which Dominique’s life is the ultimate prize.

Henri-Georges Clouzot’s La Verite has all of the key qualities that the most outspoken members of the Nouvelle Vague gang disliked -- it is very methodical and melodramatic, oozing classic intellectual bravado, and tightly controlled. In a way, it is something of a grand exposé that unabashedly seeks to illuminate.

But Bardot’s performance, which essentially proved that she could be a ‘serious’ actress, actually makes it awfully difficult to group La Verite together with similarly themed classic court melodramas that the likes of Julien Duvivier (The Maurizius Affair) and Andre Cayatte (Justice Is Done) directed during the same period. Bardot brings in splashes of erotic flavor to the narrative that just about succeeds in corrupting its seriousness. It is really quite fascinating to watch how she does it because the character qualities that define the flirty girl from the early flashbacks and the heartbroken girl that is facing the jurors are massive, and to have them look as legit as they are is not a small accomplishment.

Frey is likeable, but there are other characters that he played throughout his career that are a lot more convincing. On the other hand, Nat’s performance is rarely brought up when La Verite is discussed, and yet she is outstanding as the jealous sister.

*Francois Truffaut was one of the biggest critics of these types of classic court melodramas and he had plenty of negative things to say about Clouzot. However, one of his favorite targets was Cayette, whose work he apparently disliked with a passion.

La verite Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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).

La verite Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

La verite Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Brigitte Bardot - presented here is a segment from the French documentary Brigitte Bardot telle qu'elle in which the iconic actress recalls her struggle to have a private life in the early '60s, the role that the media played, and how her career evolved after La Verite. There is also a very interesting segment with Bardot's former confidant, Alain Carre, who betrayed her. The documentary was produced in 1982. In French, with optional English subtitles. (20 min, 1080i).

• Le Scandale Clouzot - this documentary takes a closer look at the life and legacy of Henri-Georges Clouzot. It was produced by French filmmaker Pierre-Henri Gilbert in 2017. In French, with optional English subtitles. (63 min, 1080p).

• Interview - presented here is an archival interview with Henri-Georges Clouzot which was broadcast on French television on November 11, 1960. The director quickly addresses the production La Verite. In French, with optional English subtitles. (5 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by professor Ginette Vincendeau and technical credits.

La verite Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.