7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
A common thief breaks into the house of a professional dominatrix, and begins to help her "train" her clients.
Starring: Gérard Depardieu, Bulle Ogier, André Rouyer, Roland Bertin, Tony TaffinForeign | 100% |
Drama | 57% |
Erotic | 17% |
Romance | 6% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Barbet Schroeder's "Maitresse" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute. The supplemental features included on this release are theatrical trailers and an exclusive new video interview with Dr. Patricia MacCormack and Edward Lamberti. The release also arrives with a 28-page illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by Dr. Patricia MacCormack, new interview with director Barbet Schroeder, notes on the film's history with the BBFC by Craig Lapper, and director and cast biographies. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked". Please be advised that the film contains explicit footage that is not appropriate for minors!
The dominatrix
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Barbet Schroeder's Maitresse arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"The film was transferred in High-Definition from the original 35mm interpositive. The audio was transferred from the original magnetic tracks. The picture was restored using HD-DVNR and MTI restoration systems, removing dirt, scratches, and debris, repairing damaged frames, and improving stability issues. Audio issues such as pops, crackle, and noise/hiss were also improved. The new transfer was supervised and approved by director Barbet Schroeder.
Technical Producer: James White (BFI).
Technical Assistant: Douglas Weir (BFI).
Telecine Colorist: Fabien Napoli (Scanlab, Paris).
Picture Grading: Stephen Bearman (Deluxe Digital, London).
Picture Restoration: Clayton Baker, David Burt, Tom Wiltshire (Deluxe Digital, London). "
The presentation is everything I hoped it would be - a dramatic upgrade in quality over Criterion's R1 DVD release of the film. (I don't have a R2 DVD release of the film in my library and cannot comment on how it compares). Detail and clarity are wonderful. The footage from inside the chamber, for instance, now has plenty of depth, and definition is so much better. The low noise from the DVD release is also nowhere to be seen. Contrast levels are also stable. There are various adjustments in the film's color scheme as well. It appears that some of the light greens and blues have been elevated. The blacks are better saturated. Furthermore, there are no traces of excessive degraining. Problematic sharpening corrections have not been performed either. Generally speaking, grain is mostly well-resolved and evenly distributed. There are no large damage marks, cuts, debris, or warps. This being said, compression could have been even better (see screencapture #14) to avoid light artifacts. Still, I am convinced that anyone who has seen Maitresse on DVD will be tremendously satisfied with the film's transition to Blu-ray. I most certainly am. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French LPCM 2.0. For the record, the BFI have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The audio treatment is as pleasing as the video treatment. One could immediately tell that depth and stability are improved, while any background hiss that might have been present was removed. Carlos D'Alessio's soundtrack does not have a prominent role in the film. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. The English translation is very good.
Thirty-seven years after its release, Barbet Schroeder's Maitresse remains a fascinating film to behold. I think that even today trying to categorize it is beyond pointless. It is easy to say, however, what it isn't -- it is not an exploitation film. If its subject matter appeals to you, see it. I guarantee you will like it. Using a brand new high-definition transfer supervised and approved by its director, Maitresse looks beautiful on Blu-ray, the best it ever has. The British Film Institute deserves a lot of credit for bringing Barbet Schroeder's early films to Blu-ray as all of them looked quite poor on DVD. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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