7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A dramatization of the life of the notorious courtesan and showgirl.
Starring: Martine Carol, Peter Ustinov, Anton Walbrook, Henri Guisol, Lise DelamareDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 78% |
Romance | 32% |
History | 10% |
Period | 10% |
Biography | 7% |
Melodrama | 6% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.55:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.55:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Max Ophuls' "Lola Montes" (1955) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with film scholar Susan White, recorded in 2008; an installment form the French television series "Cineaste de notre temps," in which many of Max Ophuls' collaborators discuss working on "Lola Montes"; "Max by Marcel" (2009) - a short film by Max Ophuls's son, Marcel, in which he pays tribute to his father and discusses his role as an assistant director on "Lola Montes"; silent footage showing actress Martine Carol briefly demonstrating the glamorous hairstyles worn in "Lola Montes"; and more. The disc also arrives with a 28-page illustrated booklet containing Gary Giddins' essay "Loving Lola." In French, with optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked."
Martine Carol as Lola Montes
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.55:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Max Ophuls' Lola Montes arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears in the beginning of this newly-restored transfer of Lola Montes:
"Released in Paris on December 23, 1955, Lola Montes, directed by Max Ophuls, caused an unprecedented scandal. Faced with the commercial failure of the movie, the producers decided to cut out some scenes, to translate part of the German dialogues in French and remix the sound. At the end of 1956, against the director's wishes, the film was cut further and re-edited chronologically.
In 1968, the producer Pierre Braunberger bought the movie rights and produced a version which was close to the original. In 2008, thanks to digital technology, the Cinematheque francaise is able to release a completely restored version, faithful to Max Ophuls' wishes, with the colors, the stereo sound and the format originally intended."
Anyone who has previously seen Lola Montes, theatrically or on SDVD, will be overwhelmed by this newly restored high-definition transfer. I certainly was. The depth, clarity and improved colors are quite unbelievable. Furthermore, practically all of the stability issues that plagued previous transfers of the film have been addressed. Contrast is also improved dramatically. Many of the dark scenes - such as the one where we see Lola alone on the ship, after her mother sends her back to her cabin - look clearer and not as noisy (as they are, for example, on the French SDVD). Film grain is also very much intact. Additionally, flecks, scratches, cuts, warps and large debris are nowhere to be seen. Frankly, aside from some very mild background color pulsations that pop up here and there - likely due to the poor condition of the original elements - such as the ones seen in Chapter 15 (01. 06. 42), I could not be any happier with the presentation. It is marvelous! (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).
I am probably going to surprise some of you here, but I feel that the audio presentation is far more impressive than the video presentation. According to the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc, the original 3.0 soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit and edited together from the original 4-track magnetic tracks of the two surviving CinemaScope prints, as well as a later mono soundtrack print that was used to fill one small part of the track. What this means is that Lola Montes now has as complete of an audio track as there ever was one. Gone are the pops, hiss, unevenness and "voice tremblings" that plagued older releases of the film. Georges Auric's beautiful score has also never been this clear. To sum it all up, the folks that did all of the audio restoration work deserve an enormous amount of credit, as the improvements are simply phenomenal.
For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
Cineaste de notre temps - in this installment of the French television series Cineaste de notre temps, many of Max Ophuls' collaborators discuss working on Lola Montes. Actors and crew from earlier Ophuls films, including Danielle Darrieux and Simone Simon, also make appearances. The Episode originally aired on October 26, 1965, and was directed by Michel Mitrani. In French, with optional English subtitles. (54 min, 1080i).
Max by Marcel - in this moving 2009 short film, Max Ophuls's son, Marcel - the award-winning director of the documentary The Sorrow and the Pity - pays tribute to his father and discusses his role as an assistant director on Lola Montes. Also included are excerpts from new and archival interviews with many of Max Ophuls's key collaborators. In French, with optional English subtitles. (33 min, 1080i).
Martine Carol Hair Tests - silent footage showing actress Martine Carol briefly demonstrating the glamorous hairstyles worn in Lola Montes. It was first presented on French television on August 3, 1958. (2 min, 1080i).
Rerelease trailer - the rerelease trailer created by Realto Pictures for the 2008 U.S. theatrical run of Lola Montes. (3 min, 1080p).
Audio commentary - recorded in 2008, this commentary features film scholar Susan White, author of The Cinema of Max Ophuls. This is the same audio commentary that appears on the R2 SDVD by Second Sight.
Booklet - a 28-page illustrated booklet containing Gary Giddins' essay "Loving Lola" (Mr. Giddins is the author of several books about music, including Visions of Jazz, Bing Cosby: A Pocketful of Dreams, and the recent Jazz).
February has to be a very special month for film aficionados. The three films Criterion are releasing -- Max Ophuls' Lola Montes, Steve McQueen's Hunger, and Gotz Spielmann's Revanche -- are clearly three of the very best in their Blu-ray catalog. There has never been a better time to collect great films, folks. Enjoy it! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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