7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A young man returns to his home village to find that an old friend has become an unhappily married alcoholic.
Starring: Gérard Blain, Jean-Claude Brialy, Michèle Méritz, Bernadette Lafont, Claude CervalForeign | 100% |
Drama | 85% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
French: LPCM Mono
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Screened at the Cannes Film Festival, Claude Chabrol's "Le beau Serge" (1958) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; segment from an episode of the French television series L'invite du dimanche; documentary film directed by Francis Girod; and a new audio commentary with Newcastle University professor Guy Austin. The disc also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring Terrence Rafferty's essay "Homecomings". In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Serge
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Claude Chabrol's Le beau Serge arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears in the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using Revival, Flame, and Smoke, while Digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.
Telecine colorist: Bruno Patin/Eclair, Paris."
I don't currently own Le beau Serge on SDVD in my library and therefore I cannot comment on how this Blu-ray release compares to previous releases. However, I will be shocked if there is a SDVD release, in R1 or R2 land, that comes even remotely close in matching its quality.
The high-definition transfer is wonderful. I assume that it is more or less identical to the one french distributors Gaumont have used for their Blu-ray release of Le beau Serge, but I do not yet know for sure (I will probably pick up the French release at some point in the future to compare it to the Criterion release). Detail is wonderful throughout the entire film, even when light is restricted. Clarity is also pleasing, particularly during close-ups. Colors are well balanced, though I am going to speculate that blacks have been slightly boosted, as occasionally they seem just a tiny bit oversaturated. A light layer of well resolved grain is present throughout the entire film. There are no traces of problematic sharpening, though a few harsh edges pop up here and there. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review either. All in all, this is an impressive release of a classic film which does not appear to have ever been treated with the respect it deserves on this side of the Atlantic. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm soundtrack print. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation."
The loseless audio track handles Émile Delpierre's somewhat unsettling soundtrack very well. The music has pleasing organic qualities and there are absolutely no distortions to report in this review. The dialog is clean, stable, clear, and easy to follow. Additionally, there are no pops, cracks, excessive hiss, or dropouts. The English translation is excellent.
Claude Chabrol's directorial debut is a raw but also beautiful film about friendship and sacrifice that signaled the arrival of a group of visionary directors that would eventually change the way movies were made. Recently restored, Le beau Serge arrives on Blu-ray with a handsome new transfer and a good set of supplemental features, including a brand new audio commentary, courtesy of Criterion. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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