6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Based on a true story. Madame Claude, a well connected Parisienne with dark past, runs a network of high-class call girls. She sends her girls to any place in the world to satisfy sexual desires of wealthy and powerful men. Claude's manipulations also involve big business and politics. Meanwhile, photographer David Evans is trying to clear his own criminal record by providing the authorities with pictures of Claude's girls with important clients in compromising positions. But powerful men can do anything to keep their secrets...
Starring: Françoise Fabian, Dayle Haddon, Murray Head, Klaus Kinski, Maurice RonetForeign | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
French: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Just Jaeckin's "Madame Claude" a.k.a. "The French Woman" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new video interview with the director; exclusive new audio commentary by author and critic Richey; and vintage promotional materials for the film. In French or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Madame Claude arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics.
This film was fully restored in 4K under the supervision of its cinematographer, Robert Fraisse. All of the restoration work was carried out at L'immagine Ritrovata. Unfortunately, the end result is very predictable -- it is another poor digital interpretation from lab technicians that robs the film of its native qualities.
I viewed it earlier today and thought that the digital makeover was every bit as disappointing as the ones that were prepared for Manila in the Claws of Light, Série Noire, and Dragon Inn. (Sadly, I can name many more such misfires that are out on Blu-ray in the United States. In France, virtually all color films in Gaumont's catalog are graded just as poorly). For example, it is immediately obvious that the entire film was graded with incorrect LUT values, which is why the primaries and supporting nuances look awful. Predictably, the native dynamic range of the film is completely destabilized as well, which is why you will routinely see darker footage look uncharacteristically flat, with digitally-produced gray(s) wiping out existing shadow nuances (see screencapture #3). Also, depth fluctuates a lot, but not because there are native fluctuations produced by specific stylistic decisions. The poor grading has simply introduced various ranges of digital anomalies. The good news is that the film looks clean and boasts very solid density levels. The overall stability of the visuals is great as well. But these strengths are utterly meaningless now because this film just does not look as it should. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
French: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit), French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, and English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192kbps). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I viewed the entire film with the French LPCM 2.0 track. I thought that the audio was outstanding. The dialog was very clean, crisp, and easy to follow. Depth and dynamic intensity were what I expected them to be -- solid for a film from the 1970s. I did not detect any age-related anomalies to report in our review.
I am quite certain that I would have enjoyed Madame Claude a lot more if the new 4K restoration that was prepared for it actually did what it's supposed to do -- restore the film's native qualities. Unfortunately, it is just another poor digital interpretation from the lab technicians at L'immagine Ritrovata, which, sadly, was endorsed by cinematographer Robert Fraisse. It is too bad because I know for a fact that the folks at Cult Epics did a lot of hard work to bring the film to North America and make this release as attractive as possible.
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