Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		2.0

One + One | Sympathy for the Devil Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 2, 2011

Jean-Luc Godard's "Sympathy for the Devil" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Fabulous Films. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; Richard Mordant's documentary "Voices"; photo gallery; and cast and film biographies. In English, without optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Sympathy for God(Art)

Jean-Luc Godard's Sympathy for the Devil is remembered primarily for that famous incident at the London Film Festival in 1968 where the Gallic director attacked the film's producer. He would then go on to shoot Le gai savoir (1969), See You at Mao (1970), and Tout va bien (1972), all films that channeled the same Marxist overtones he had introduced in Sympathy for the Devil, but in a lot more convincing fashion.

Initially titled One + One (partially referring to the experimental structure of the film), Sympathy for the Devil is comprised of multiple chapters in which Godard follows closely a few radical political groups whose members deliver passionate speeches and prepare for action, and actress Anne Wiazemsky (Au hazard Balthazar) - but are almost always cut by Godard before they could deliver their final statement - as well as the members of The Rolling Stones, as they attempt to put together the final touches on a song they have been working on for awhile. It is this process of evolving - specifically, how political statements influence actions and random notes become music - which Sympathy for the Devil examines.

Some of the actions the audience is encouraged to compare are indeed fascinating. For example, a sympathizer of the Black Panthers is seen and heard rehearsing a passionate speech, while at the same time Mick Jagger attempts to get right a tricky passage. Elsewhere, Wiazemsky is asked a series of questions, which she answers only with simple yes and no, while Keith Richards "responds" with short solos to Jagger's singing.

There are various episodes, however, that are rather frustrating. One such episode focuses on a small bookstore selling erotic and exploitation books and magazines where a Fascist recites a puzzling speech while the customers salute its owner. In another episode, a group of black men kill a few white women for no apparent reason. Then there is the finale of Sympathy for the Devil where a group of actors and an agitated director (played by Godard) confront each other while shooting a scene from an unknown film on the beach; chaos erupts and one of the actors collapses next to two big flags - one red, the other black.

The sense of chaos that reigns in Sympathy for the Devil, however, is not too surprising. The film reflects the spirit of the dramatic events that occurred in France in 1968, Godard's radical views on Westerns intellectualism, as well as his desire to break free of conventional cinematic canons, which stretches all the way back to Le mepris (1963).

Ultimately, if approached strictly as a musical documentary examining The Rolling Stones, Sympathy for the Devil would undoubtedly prove to be a major disappointment. Other than observing the mechanics of repetition, the film does little, if anything, to successfully convey the type of creative environment the famous British rockers favored. Hence, it is probably best if one approached Sympathy for the Devil with the understanding that it is an intimate confession of sorts - not easy to fully comprehend, given its abstract nature, and most certainly not a politically correct one.

One + One | Sympathy for the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.25:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080/50i transfer, Jean-Luc Godard's Sympathy for the Devil arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Fabulous Films.

All Fabulous Films had to do to have an impressive Blu-ray release of Sympathy for the Devil for the UK market is 'borrow' the high-definition transfer French distributors Carlotta Films used for their Blu-ray release of the film a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, it appears that they were either unaware of it or unable to license it.

In addition to the fact that this high-definition transfer is interlaced (1080/50i), it also suffers from some sort of very strange stretching (the French high-definition transfer has an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, while this high-definition transfer has an aspect ratio of approximately 1.25:1). I am not entirely sure what has happened here and why, but appears that the image frame has been squeezed vertically, which is why faces, bodies and objects often look unnaturally long (see screencaptures #10 and 12). Fine object detail and clarity are also problematic. Selected scenes look distractingly soft, at times even blurry, while motion-judder is often very easy to spot. Finally, color reproduction does not impress either. While on the French Blu-ray release the greens, reds, blues, browns, and blacks look rich and well saturated, here they are quite anemic and dull. All in all, I am most definitely not impressed by Fabulous Films' treatment of Sympathy for the Devil. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

One + One | Sympathy for the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Fabulous Films have not provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

Because of the manner in which the film was shot, there are plenty of dynamic fluctuations. Additionally, as I noted in our review of the French Blu-ray release of Sympathy for the Devil, Sean Lynch's lines are also rather difficult to follow, which is why optional English subtitles should have been included. The music, however, is relatively clean and stable.

One + One | Sympathy for the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Voices - a documentary film by Richard Mordant focusing on the controversy surrounding Sympathy for the Devil, its production history, as well as the political climate in Europe at the time when the film was made. In English, not subtitled. (44 min, PAL).

• Photo Gallery - a collection of stills from the film. (1080p).

• Cast & Film Biographies - in addition to the cast and crew biographies, here there is also a a brief history of Sympathy for the Devil written by Robert Ross (in text format).

• Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for Sympathy for the Devil. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, PAL).

One + One | Sympathy for the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

French distributors Carlotta Films released Jean-Luc Godard's Sympathy for the Devil on Blu-ray a couple of years ago. It is a wonderful, very elegant package. Now the film has appeared on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom, but the presentation is problematic. Therefore, if you wish to have Sympathy for the Devil in your libraries, I strongly suggest that you consider getting the Carlotta Films Blu-ray release. SKIP IT.