Les Amants de Vérone Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Les Amants de Vérone Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 23, 2015

André Cayatte's "The Lovers of Verona" a.k.a. "Les amants de Vérone" (1949) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe. The supplemental features on the disc include a newly restored trailer for the film and a new featurette with clips from an archival interview with the French director. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"I thought you might be able to help me..."

The famous actress Bettina Verdi (Martine Carol, Lola Montès) arrives in Venice to appear in a brand new adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. While taking a break, she visits a small glass blowing studio where one of the workers, Angelo (Serge Reggiani, Casque d'Or, La Ronde), flirts with her. Later on, she also visits the lavish home of a former politician (Louis Salou, Children of Paradise) whose young daughter, Georgia (Anouk Aimée, La Dolce Vita, Lola), begs her to help her find work as an extra so that she can get away from her family.

On the following day, Angelo and Georgia head to the studio where shooting is about to begin. As luck would have it, both are offered to temporarily replace the two stars so that the director can finish a rather tricky sequence. It takes a single look for Angelo and Georgia to instantly realize that they were meant to be together.

But like in the famous play their love seems doomed. Georgia’s family immediately opposes their relationship and when she and Angelo head to Verona to finish the film two killers are sent after them. Georgia’s jealous beau Raffaele (a truly brilliant Pierre Brasseur, Le Quai Des Brumes, Eyes Without a Face) also vows to teach the two lovers an important lesson.

The structure of the narrative is surprisingly modern and this might have been the reason why The Lovers of Verona did not impress critics when it was first released in the early 1950s. It is obvious that director André Cayatte and the legendary screenwriter Jacques Prévert are essentially bringing together two stories that are supposed to complement each other, but the real story -- the one about Angelo and Georgia’s romance -- has some unusual elements that create some very odd contrasts. The bulk of the footage with the crazy Amedeo Maglia (Marcel Dalio, To Have and Have Not), for instance, would have been a lot more appropriate in one of Luis Bunuel’s dark comedies as it is so over the top that it almost single-handedly changes the tone of the entire film. The sequence at the end in which Georgia’s father questions Angelo in front of the entire family also looks borderline surreal. As a result, the film never quite settles down, though the direction it wishes to follow is very clear.

Nevertheless, this is a strikingly beautiful film. The outdoor footage from Venice and Verona is fantastic. The footage from the studio where Angelo and Georgia fall in love is also very carefully lit and framed. But this shouldn’t be surprising as Cayatte worked with the legendary cinematographer Henri Alekan, whose elegant style is instantly recognizable. Various close-ups have that very soft glowing appearance that is present in Jean Cocteau's classic Beauty and the Beast, which he lensed. Light and shadow are also carefully captured by the camera to enhance the period atmosphere of the film that is being finished.

The film’s romantic score was created by acclaimed Hungarian-French composed Joseph Cosma, who worked with Jean Renoir on a number of his best films (La Grande Illusion, The Rules of the Game, Elena and Her Men).

Les Amants de Vérone Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, André Cayatte's The Lovers of Verona arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe.

Pathe restored The Lovers of Verona in 4K in 2014. The label entrusted the work to L'Immagine Ritrovata - Bologna. The restoration was made possible with the support of CNC.

Despite some minor density fluctuations, all of which are clearly inherited, the film looks very fresh and healthy. Generally speaking, depth and clarity are very good, with the outdoor footage, in particular, looking very good. In select areas, where time has left its mark, grain could be slightly underexposed, but it is healthy and stable (see screencapture #13). Elsewhere the outdoor footage looks great (see screencapture #3). The indoor footage appears well balanced and sharp. The only exceptions are in areas where the legendary cinematographer Henri Alekan treats light in some rather unusual ways -- or not so unusual if one has seen his work on Beauty and the Beast (you can see the same soft silvery look in screencapture #10). During close-ups with plenty of natural light detail and clarity are terrific (see screencaptures #1 and 2). There are no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. Overall image is very good. Finally, there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, torn frames, or stains to report in our review. All in all, this is yet another very good restoration of an early French black-and-white film. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Les Amants de Vérone 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 is a French Audio Descriptive DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Optional English and French SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is stable and clean. Depth is rather limited, but this isn't surprising considering the age of the film. Indeed, it is easy to tell that time has left its mark on its because occasionally some light unevenness in the mid-range frequencies makes it presence felt. However, the audio has been restored and balance and clarity are very good. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in our review. The English translation is excellent.

Les Amants de Vérone Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Le Film Annonce - new restored trailer for The Lovers of Verona. In French, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Andre Cayette, un cineaste indigne - this documentary focuses on Andre Cayette's directing style and his film The Lovers of Verona. Included in it are interviews with producer Francois Cognard (Amer, The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears), film historian Carole Aurouet, director Alain Bonnot (Black List), and director Yves Boisset (The Cop). Also included are clips from an archival interview with Andre Cayette. In French, not subtitled. (21 min).

Les Amants de Vérone Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

André Cayatte's The Lovers of Verona is a film that I had not previously seen. It has the elegance and allure of some of Marcel Carne's early films, but in a number of different ways it feels quite modern. It was scripted by Jacques Prévert and lensed by the great cinematographer Henri Alekan. The film has been recently restored in 4K by Pathe and I think that it looks as good as it can. As it is the case with all of the classic titles in Pathe's collection, the Blu-ray release is English-friendly and Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.