Le Septième juré Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

Le Septième juré Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 22, 2015

Georges Lautner's "The Seventh Juror" a.k.a. "Le septième juré" (1962) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; alternate scene; and new video program produced by Jerome Wybon. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The other woman

On a lazy afternoon, middle-aged pharmacist Grégoire Duval (Bernard Blier) strangles a young beauty (Françoise Giret) at a secluded beach. While the woman dies in his hands, he has a near-orgasmic experience that temporarily transforms him into an entirely different man. After the murder, he quietly returns home and once again becomes the respectable father and husband he has been for years.

Shortly after, the young woman’s body is discovered and her lover, Sylvain Sautral (Jacques Riberolles), arrested. In the town’s popular bistro where Duval and his bourgeois friends frequently gather for a drink, everyone is convinced that it is only a matter of time before Sautral is convicted because only a playboy like him could have killed the beauty.

Though Duval is disgusted with himself, he decides to keep quiet because he is convinced that Sautral will never be found guilty. But he is forced to change his plan when he is asked to be a juror and then accidentally encounters the Prosecutor, a man with an outstanding record who has already concluded that Sautral is a lunatic who has to be punished.

Based on Francis Didelot’s novel, Georges Lautner’s The Seventh Juror blends the quiet intensity of Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men and the dry sarcasm of Luis Bunuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. However, thematically it is arguably a lot closer to Andre Cayatte's Risky Business.

The film essentially tells two different stories. The first is about Duval, the monster, who is quietly observing the legal circus while trying to come to terms with the fact that he has killed another human being. The long monologues in which he describes how he feels and how he has been living a double life for years occupy a big part of the film.

The second story is about a hypocritical system that has corrupted an entire town. Everyone is profiled and right and wrong are constantly redefined to fit the expectations of the vocal majority. Once Duval admits that he is the killer the film becomes quite bizarre, but many of its observations actually still feel relevant today.

There are some wild twists and turns and the finale is fantastic. Most viewers will probably be caught completely off guard when Duval visits his wife (Danièle Delorme).

Blier, one of the greatest French actors of his generation, is excellent as the jaded pharmacist. Delome is equally convincing as the stunned wife and mother who slowly begins to realize that her life will never be the same again.

The film was lensed by Lautner’s regular cinematographer, Maurice Fellous, but its visual style is quite different from that of the French director’s popular crime comedies. Indeed, it frequently looks like it was meant for a late Claude Autant-Lara film. The elegant classic soundtrack was created by Jean Yatove.

Le Septième juré 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, Georges Lautner's The Seventh Juror arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe.

Pathe restored The Seventh Juror in 2K in 2014. The label entrusted the work to Eclair Group for the image and L.E. Diapason for the sound. The restoration was made possible with the support of CNC.

The film looks very fresh and very healthy. Virtually all of the close-ups boast excellent depth, including the ones from the indoor footage where light could be restricted, while the larger shots boats pleasing fluidity. Contrast levels remain stable. The grain is very fine and evenly distributed throughout the entire film. The encoding isn't problematic, but it could have been optimized so that the grain is even better pronounced. There are no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. Some rebalancing optimizations appear to have been applied, but the integrity of the film is fully intact (see screencapture #13). Image stability is excellent -- there is no edge flicker or any basic transition issues. Large debris, damage marks, cuts, and stains have been carefully removed. All in all, even though there is room for some minor improvements, the technical presentation of The Seventh Juror is very good. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3/Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Le Septième juré Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Also included on this disc is a French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Descriptive Audio track. Optional English and French SDH subtitles have been provided for the main feature.

The audio is clean and stable. Depth and clarity are excellent and the music wonderfully balanced with the narration and the dialog. There is even a very good range of nuanced dynamics. (Jean Yatove's score has a very important role and thanks to the excellent fidelity and balance easily opens up the film in all the right places. See the footage before the murder). There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.

Le Septième juré Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Film annonce - original restored French trailer for The Seventh Juror. In French, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Montage alternatif du meurtre - a visual comparison highlighting some framing differences (French version vs. alternative version of the murder sequence). Music only. (3 min).

• Un film qui me ressemble - video program featuring clips from new and archival interviews with Bertrand Blier, Yves Rodallec, Jean-Philippe Guerand, Philippe Lombard, Bernard Blier, and Georges Lautner. The program was produced by Jerome Wybon. In French, not subtitled. (22 min).

Le Septième juré Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A jaded killer carves open a hypocritical system that has corrupted an entire town in Georges Lautner's fantastic thriller The Seventh Juror. The film has been recently restored in 2K by Pathe and is now available on a Region-Free Blu-ray in France. Quite a few of Lautner's crime comedies are already out on Blu-ray, but this is a very different film and quite possibly his best. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.