8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
In a huge, old-fashioned luxury hotel, a stranger tries to persuade a married woman to run away with him, but it seems she hardly remembers the affair they may have had (or not?) last year at Marienbad.
Starring: Delphine Seyrig, Giorgio Albertazzi, Sacha Pitoeff, Françoise Bertin, Jean LanierDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 82% |
Romance | 24% |
Surreal | 17% |
Mystery | 7% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Alain Resnais' "Last Year at Marienbad" (1961) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival program with second assistant director Volker Schlöndorff; archival video essay created by critic James Quandt; documentary on the making of the film; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The players
Kino Lorber's release of Last Year at Marienbad is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray disc is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray disc is Region-A "locked".
Please note that all screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.
The combo pack introduces the recent 4K restoration of Last Year at Marienbad that was prepared at French lab Hiventy on behalf of StudioCanal. The 4K restoration has appeared on Blu-ray in various markets. We have reviews of Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release here and StudioCanal's British release here.
In native 4K, the 4K restoration cannot be viewed with Dolby Vision or HDR. However, this is probably a very good thing because in several areas of the film there are intricate shadows and shadow nuances that almost certainly would have looked too dark had the 4K master been graded with Dolby Vision or HDR. Screencapture #2 is from one such area. On my system, the entire film looked gorgeous. A few daylight panoramic shots were reflective of what I consider to be reference quality too, though a lot of the indoor footage is also very, very impressive. However, I was not surprised because the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray looks great as well. So, should you consider an upgrade if you already have the Blu-ray release? If you have a very large screen or project, and you wish to have the best possible presentation of the film, I think that you should. Why exactly? In native 4K, all visuals retain a spectacular tightness, and with their excellent fluidity, the presentation looks very solid/even. I would describe the 1080p presentation very, very similarly, but I think that trained eyes will spot some areas where it is clear that it is a 1080p presentation. Grain can appear slightly looser, some native density fluctuations might be a bit more obvious, and during a few transitions fluidity may not be as solid. In other words, the native 4K presentation offers miniscule improvements, which will be appreciated by trained eyes but may not be registered as such by some viewers. Ultimately, I think that the 4K restoration of Last Year at Marienbad is excellent and looks lovely on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray.
There is only one standard audio track on this release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The 4K Blu-ray uses the same restored Mono track that was included on previous Blu-ray releases of Last Year at Marienbad. I do not have any new comments to add. It is very healthy and stable. There are no encoding anomalies to report.
4K BLU-RAY DISC
A lover of classic European cinema must have a copy of Alain Resnais' mind-bender Last Year at Marienbad. Several years ago, this fascinating film was beautifully restored in 4K and released on Blu-ray, and now, it is also available on 4K Blu-ray. I think that it looks excellent on both releases, but the native 4K presentation offers a few miniscule improvements which trained eyes will appreciate. (The 4K Blu-ray release is a combo pack, so it has a Blu-ray copy of the 4K restoration as well). VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
L'année dernière à Marienbad / First Printing DigiPak with Embossed Slipcover
1961
L'année dernière à Marienbad
1961
L'année dernière à Marienbad
1961
Il deserto rosso
1964
1965
Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux / My Life to Live
1962
Le dernier métro / First Printing DigiPak with Slipcover
1980
重慶森林 / Chung Hing sam lam / First Printing DigiPak with Slipcover
1994
The North / First Printing DigiPak with Slipcover
1983
Der Himmel über Berlin
1987
Солярис / Solyaris
1972
La double vie de Véronique
1991
Det sjunde inseglet
1957
1978
Trois couleurs: Rouge
1994
1967
Otto e mezzo / Federico Fellini's 8½
1963
Contempt 4K / 60th Anniversary
1963
La règle du jeu
1939
Jules et Jim
1962
Les quatre cents coups
1959
1934
Ansiktet
1958