8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When a general's wife decides to secretly sell the diamond earrings he gave her on their wedding day to pay off a troubling debt, she inadvertently sets off a chain of events that results in a whirlwind affair with an Italian baron.
Starring: Charles Boyer (I), Danielle Darrieux, Vittorio De Sica, Jean Debucourt, Jean GallandDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 100% |
Romance | 35% |
Period | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
48kHz, 16-bit
French SDH, English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Max Ophüls' "Madame de..." a.k.a. "The Earrings of Madame de..." (1953) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Gaumont. The supplemental features on the disc include an introduction by Oscar winning director Marcel Ophuls; new documentary film produced by Dominique Maillet; and short video piece with comments from restoration supervisor Audrey Birrien. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Madame de...
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Max Ophuls' The Earrings of Madame de... arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Gaumont.
Gaumont's high-definition transfer is not identical to the one Criterion used for their Blu-ray release of this very beautiful classic French film. Detail and image depth are clearly superior on Gaumont's release. This is easy to see during daylight panoramic shots and during select indoor shots with plenty of light. (You can compare screencapture #11 with screencapture # 11 from our review of the Criterion release to see exactly what type of improvements are present). Traces of some extremely light noise corrections, however, remain, though none of them are problematic. Contrast levels are stable. Also, there are no traces of compromising sharpening corrections. This being said, while viewing the film I noticed traces of light chroma noise (see screencaptures #3 and #17). The most obvious ones appear during the beach sequence at the end of the film. Additionally, there is an obvious discrepancy between the black/gray settings when one compares the Gaumont release with the Criterion release. In this case, considering the above mentioned traces of light chroma noise, it is clear that Gaumont's high-definition transfer could have been encoded better. Finally, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. Also, there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, or scratches. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. 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 standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Gaumont have provided optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature.
Dynamic intensity is limited, but it is obvious that the film's original sound design is fairly modest. Clarity and depth are very good and the dialog is free of hiss, crackle, and pops. The music is well balanced, though the range of nuanced dynamics is small. The English translation is excellent.
Gaumont's new Blu-ray release of Max Ophuls' Madame de... isn't flawless, but currently it is clearly the best one on the market. Fans of the film should consider picking up Criterion's Blu-ray release of the film as well because none of the supplemental features on Gaumont's release are English-friendly. RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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