8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
A sadistic headmaster's frail wife and his scheming mistress plot to kill him.
Starring: Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel, Jean BrochardDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 95% |
Psychological thriller | 25% |
Mystery | 13% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Horror | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
French: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Henri-Georges Clouzot's "Les diaboliques" a.k.a "Diabolique" (1955) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; audio commentary by Susan Hayward; and video introduction to the film by French cinema scholar, critic and author Ginette Vincendeau. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Where is the body?
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Henri-Georges Clouzot's Les diaboliques arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films.
The high-definition transfer Arrow Films have used for their Blu-ray release of Les diaboliques is very good. First, I didn't see any traces of excessive noise reduction. Though not always consistent and well resolved - obviously due to various source limitations - fine film grain is present throughout the entire film. Some of it is mixed with light noise, but having compared Arrow's transfer to Criterion's transfer (we will have a review of the Criterion Blu-ray release of Les diaboliques shortly), occasionally I actually tend to prefer the rawer look of the Arrow transfer. Clarity is also very pleasing -- even the the darker scenes look very good. Contrast levels and color reproduction are also satisfying, and I personally prefer the deeper and richer blacks and grays of the Arrow transfer. In motion, the Criterion transfer looks slightly tighter. For example, I noticed a few small warps on the Arrow transfer (early into the film), which Criterion have addressed (generally speaking, Criterion have done various minor stabilization adjustments on their transfer). However, there are no serious stability issues with the Arrow transfer to report in this review. Lastly, some inherited damage marks are present - they are also present on the Criterion transfer - but the overall quality of the presentation is indeed very good. All in all, this is a solid transfer that should please fans of the film. (Note: This is a a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French LPCM 1.0. For the record, Arrow Films have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
I don't have any major reservations with the French LPCM 1.0 track. Obviously, its dynamic amplitude is rather limited, but the dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or audio dropouts to report in this review. The English translation is very good.
British distributors Arrow Films' presentation of Henri-Georges Clouzot's legendary Les diaboliques is very good. In fact, I tend to prefer the look of their transfer over the one Criterion have used for their Blu-ray release. At the end of day, however, both releases look very, very good. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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