Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Puzzle of a Downfall Child Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 4, 2012

Screened at the 'Classics' section of the Cannes Film Festival, Jerry Schatzberg's "Puzzle of a Downfall Child" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Carlotta Films. The supplemental features on the disc include a new theatrical trailer; video interview with French film critic Pierre Rissient; and a video interview with director Jerry Schatzberg conducted by French film critic and Positif editor Michel Ciment. In English, with optional French subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Lou Andreas Sand

A secluded beach house. A man and a woman in their early forties quietly talk about the past. She looks tired and at times somewhat confused. There is a lot she does not remember well. Next to the man there is a microphone connected to a small tape recorder.

The woman is former fashion model Lou Andreas Sand (Faye Dunaway, Bonnie and Clyde), who struggles with depression and lives alone. The man is Aaron Reinhardt (Barry Primus, Boxcar Bertha), a photographer and Lou’s former lover, who is going to direct his first film. He feels that his time has come and that Lou’s story would make a great film.

As they they begin to discuss Lou's career it quickly becomes obvious that she does not remember well how she entered the world of professional modeling. She recalls bits of important shoots, the faces of some of the powerful people who visited them, a few of the pretentious people who were always there, and some of the strange people who asked her to do strange things -- but not how things happened for her. Or why.

But Lou remembers that she had a great time on the way up, while she was being 'discovered' by various publishers. She also remembers how a lot of people around her encouraged her to dream big. Then one day, after she reached the top, she realized that she had became an object other people wanted to own or be seen with. She discovered that the top was a lonely place, which then gradually became a dark and dangerous place.

The nervous breakdown Lou suffered on the way down was terrible. A few people would show up when she called for help, but no one cared for her, no one really wanted to be with her, and she knew it. The agents, the photographers and the publishers she used to work with no longer needed her because her face had become old. It was then that she left the business and started drinking. Or was it the other way around?

It is time for Aaron to go now because he must catch the last ferry. His meeting with Lou has been illuminating, but not in the way he had hoped because he has discovered that the woman he interviewed isn’t the woman he once knew and fell in love with. Lou is a broken stranger now who has no one to love and nothing to believe in. All she has are memories, some of which are not even hers.

Former fashion photographer Jerry Schatzberg’s first feature film, Puzzle of a Downfall Child, was inspired by a series of recordings he made with his famous model Anne Saint Marie, who suffered a serious mental breakdown. A year after the film premiered in the United States (and received mixed reviews from the local critics), Schatzberg directed The Panic in Needle Park with Al Pacino and Kitty Winn, who won Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Structured as a mosaic of overlapping memory flashbacks, Puzzle of a Downfall Child is incredibly beautiful and elegant but at the same time cold and unsettling film that offers a glimpse into the highly competitive world of professional modeling. The shooting sessions, in particular, are very nicely done, allowing the viewer to get a real sense of the intense pressure models have to endure in order to be successful.

Dunaway is terrific as the ambitious model who rises to the top and suddenly discovers that she has evolved into an expensive object. She struggles to come to terms with her discovery and on the way down suffers a massive mental breakdown that irreversibly damages her life. Dunaway’s acting in the footage where the model is seen attempting to regain her composure is some of the best she has ever done.

The film is beautifully lensed by cinematographer Adam Holender, who a year earlier had collaborated with John Schlesinger on his Midnight Cowboy. The important music score -- the music essentially separates Lou's dreams and nightmares from reality -- was composed by Michael Small (Klute, The Driver).

Puzzle of a Downfall Child Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jerry Schatzberg's Puzzle of a Downfall Child arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Carlotta Films.

Recently restored and screened in the 'Classics' section of the Cannes Film Festival, Puzzle of a Downfall Child looks lovely on Blu-ray. Generally speaking, most close-ups convey very pleasing depth (see screencapture #3) and good clarity. Some of the panoramic shots, such as the ones seen in the very beginning of the film, have slightly distorted contrast levels and/or manipulated colors, but these are intended visual enhancements (see the bits with the Chinese fisherman). The flashbacks usually have fluctuating density levels as well. Some extremely light noise corrections have been applied, but the grain structure is very much intact. Unsurprisingly, the film has a pleasing organic look. Additionally, there are no traces of problematic post-production sharpening, though there are a couple of shooting sessions with plenty of bright lights that create the illusion that some sharpening might have been performed (see screencapture #13). Needless to say, the effect is created by the powerful projectors, and as the rest of the screencaptures convey edge-enhancement is not an issue of concern. There are no aliasing or banding patterns to report in this review either. To sum it all up, Puzzle of a Downfall Child is a beautiful and very elegant film that has been given a new life by French distributors Carlotta Films. (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).

Puzzle of a Downfall Child Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. For the record, Carlotta Films have provided optional French subtitles for the main feature.

Michael Small's soundtrack has a very important role in the film -- it basically separates Lou's dreams from reality. Most of the time some of the melodies also reflect specific moods and feelings. The loseless audio track allows the soundtrack to breathe, and elsewhere, where music is absent, opens up the film quite well. Its overall dynamic amplitude, however, is rather limited. The dialog is very crisp, clean, always stable and easy to follow. There are no sync issues or problematic dropouts and background hiss is not an issue of concern.

Puzzle of a Downfall Child Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Le film revele - a video interview with French film critic Pierre Rissient, who 'discovered' Jerry Schatzberg's Puzzle of a Downfall Child at the San Francisco Festival in 1970. In French, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080/50i).

• Illusion et realite - a long and very informative video interview with director Jerry Schatzberg, who recalls his transition from photography to film making, how Puzzle of a Downfall Child came to exist, the reactions of the American critics after the film's premiere, his first impressions of Faye Dunaway and later on her performance, etc. The interview is conducted by French film critic and Positif editor Michel Ciment. In English, with optional French subtitles. (52 min, 1080/50i).

• Bande-annonce 2011 - the new French trailer for Puzzle of a Downfall Child used to promote the restoration and eventual screening of the film in the 'Classics' section of the Cannes Film Festival. In English, with optional French subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

Puzzle of a Downfall Child Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

French distributors Carlotta Films deserve a lot of credit for giving Jerry Schatzberg's directorial debut, Puzzle of a Downfall Child, a new life. I loved the film. Faye Dunaway is spectacular as Lou Andreas Sand, while Adam Holender's lensing is superb. Why the film received negative reviews in America in 1970 is a real mystery. Carlotta Films' presentation of the film is very good. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.