7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In this tale of obsessive love, based on Cornell Woolrich's WALTZ INTO DARKNESS, wealthy plantation owner Louis Mahé, of Réunion Island, falls madly in love with his mail-order bride, Julie, despite the fact that she is not quite what she seems — and is, in fact, a lot worse. Even after becoming the victim of her deleterious influences and discovering that she is not the woman with whom he had been corresponding, Louis allows himself to be drawn into a downward spiral of criminality and a self-injurious lifestyle just to prove his undying devotion to this French femme fatale.
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Nelly Borgeaud, Martine Ferrière, Marcel BerbertForeign | 100% |
Drama | 80% |
Romance | 18% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Choosing a prospective mate from a personal ad can be risky business, as I can testify from personal experience. Years ago I made the probably questionable decision to answer a personal ad in a local newspaper, one that was made interesting for me since the woman mentioned that she had two tickets to see Ella Fitzgerald for a “first date.” Once I actually met the woman outside the concert hall, she divulged to me that she had literally just been released from a long stay at a mental hospital, and while she did have Ella tickets, and we did in fact traipse inside to attend the concert, she experienced an emotional meltdown during the performance that necessitated an early exit. You’d think I would have learned my lesson, but, no, several years later I answered another personal ad and—ended up marrying a wonderful woman who still at least claims to love me over two decades later. Like I said—risky. Mississippi Mermaid, one of the more confounding if weirdly charming films in François Truffaut’s oeuvre, starts out with some voiceovers detailing various “lonely hearts” advertising for a prospective mate, and then segues into the story of one such individual, a wealthy French guy named Louis Mahé who has in fact been preparing to greet a woman whom he “met” through just such a personal ad, and who is now excited to be able to really meet her face to face. Louis has only a sheaf of letters and a picture of his bride to be, and the woman appears to be a rather drab if reasonably pretty brunette. When Louis waits dockside for this woman to disembark, he’s surprised and ultimately a bit confounded when no one who looks like the picture traipses off the large ship. (The ship is named the Mississippi, which at least explains that element of this film's somewhat odd English title. The original French title of the film was La sirène du Mississipi, which is probably a bit more on point and less suggestive of a precursor to Splash). A few minutes later, almost by chance (and in a moment which Truffaut elides cinematically with a pan which almost seems to suggest everything might be a dream) he stumbles across a gorgeous blonde who claims she’s Louis’ expected spouse to be, Julie Roussel (Catherine Deneuve). A quick marriage ensues, but it turns out neither spouse has been entirely honest with the other, and a convoluted scheme unfolds which threatens Louis’ hoped for happily ever after.
Mississippi Mermaid is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Culled from the MGM/UA library, which typically tends to mean older masters, Mississippi Mermaid also has the look of having been sourced off of duplicate elements. While grain isn't quite as problematically pronounced or clumpy as one might expect from such sources, colors have faded, though some parts of the film, including some really ravishing outdoor shots, still offer some surprisingly stunning blues. The overall appearance here is decidedly on the soft side, with close-ups tending to fare best in terms of providing above average amounts of detail (see screenshot 1). Age related wear and tear is also in evidence, with quite a few dirt specks and the like dotting the presentation (take a deep breath as the film starts, for the opening few moments have some of the worst damage in this regard). All in all, this is a solid if unspectacular looking transfer, one which offers a reasonably good viewing experience of a relatively rarely seen Truffaut film.
Mississippi Mermaid's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track is nothing to write home (and/or to a prospective spouse) about, but it provides ample support for the film's dialogue and a rather enjoyable score by Antoine Duhamel. There are really no age related issues of any kind to report on this problem free if unambitious track.
Mississippi Mermaid takes some intriguing twists and turns, though truth be told it doesn't ever really stand up to much actual examination, for those inclined to think about such things after the film has ended. Belmondo and Deneuve are excellent in unusual roles, and if the mystery isn't all that convincing, the examination of two souls seemingly bound together by some inexorable force is quite compelling. Video quality here is a little spotty, and so fans of the film should probably peruse the screenshots accompanying this review to get a sense of how things look. Taken as a whole, Mississippi Mermaid comes Recommended.
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