6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A controversial account of a French army deserter caught between rival political factions.
Starring: Michel Subor, Anna Karina, Henri-Jacques Huet, Paul Beauvais, László SzabóForeign | 100% |
Drama | 82% |
War | 2% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
French: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Jean-Luc Godard's " Le Petit Soldat" (1963) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an archival audio interview with the director; segment from a vintage program with the director; and archival interview with Michel Subor. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Nicholas Elliott and technical credits. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The Russian girl
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Le Petit Soldat arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:
"This high-definition digital transfer, undertaken by StudioCanal and approved by cinematographer Raoul Coutard, was created from the 35mm original camera negative at Digimage Classics/Hiventy in Joinville-le-Pont, France. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from a 35mm optical soundtrack positive."
The film looks healthy and appropriately vibrant. Depth, clarity, and fluidity remain very pleasing, though you should keep in mind that because the camera always moves occasionally there are some rather abrupt shifts in terms of density. (Typically, these occur during camera movement in outdoor footage). The grading is good, but there are a couple of sequences where contrast levels fluctuate a bit and produce some 'thicker' than usual visuals. However, this isn't a flaw of the presentation, as such appear on many films that Coutard lensed throughout the years. Additionally, there are a few areas where grain stability isn't optimal, but it appears that this is a retained effect from the master. (Example: what appears to be compression inconsistency on the right side of the frame in screencapture #1 is something entirely different). Image stability is outstanding. (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 tracks on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The dialog and monologue are stable and always very easy to follow. Dynamic intensity is limited, but it is because the original soundtrack does not really offer any material that could impress folks that appreciate what modern mixes have to offer. In other words, the lossless track faithfully recrudesces the native qualities of the original soundtrack.
Is Le Petit Soldat a political film or not? Michel Subor tells us that it is not, but it has been seen and critiqued as such since its release in the early '60s. Well, half the problem with Le Petit Soldat is right there -- if it was not conceived to be a political film but virtually everyone focuses on its politics then something did not work as intended. The other half of the problem is that as a political eye-opener it remains extremely cautious, which is exactly why back in the days it was dismissed by left and right-leaning critics. (Ironically, but not surprisingly, the politics of the film is precisely what contemporary critics focus on, only this time their take on it is completely different). The romantic material is where Jean-Luc Godard becomes the playful and creative director that forced people to reconsider what cinema ought to be, but there just isn't enough of it. So, the only thing that the wonderful footage with Anna Karina and Subor accomplishes is make it rather obvious that without the politics Le Petit Soldat could have been as impressive as the film that preceded it, Breathless. RECOMMENDED, but only to Godard completists.
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