Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Querelle Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 4, 2024

Rainer Werner Fassbinder's final film, "Querelle" (1982) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include vintage documentary by Wolf Gremm; new program with critic Michael Koresky; and original trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The handsome sailor Querelle (Brad Davis, Midnight Express) arrives in the port city of Brest looking for a client willing to a buy from him a few kilos of opium. Soon after, he ends up in a notorious brothel owned by an aging madam, Lysiane (Jeanne Moreau, Elevator to the Gallows), and her husband, Nono (Günther Kaufmann, Veronika Voss), a bisexual giant with plenty of dangerous friends. Nono promises to buy the opium from Querelle if he brings it to his place.

Several hours later, Querelle arranges with another sailor to have the opium smuggled through customs. On the shore, not too far away from the brothel, he kills his partner and then goes to see Nono. After he pays him for the delivery, the giant offers Querelle a different kind of deal: They roll the dice. If Querelle wins, he can make love to Lysaine. If the giant wins, he gets Querelle's ass. Excited by the possibilities, Querelle decides to play Nono’s game. He loses and has his first homosexual experience.

Back on the ship, Querelle’s captain, Seblon (played by the great Franco Nero, Keoma), continues to tape his most intimate desires. Having fallen madly in love with Querelle, Seblon cannot stand to see him spending time with men and women that do not deserve him. However, the more Seblon tapes himself, the more he begins to question his feelings. Is it love or lust that is driving him crazy?

Meanwhile, Querelle begins an affair with Lysaine, but quickly determines that being with her isn’t quite as exciting as being with her husband. He then meets the handsome Polish worker Gil (Hanno Poschl, Revanche), who has also killed another man. Gil steals Querelle’s heart, and he immediately panics because he has never before been in love with another man. When the police begin looking for the killer of Querelle’s partner, he decides to betray Gil so that no other man could ever be with him.

Based on Jean Genet’s novel, Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s final film is like a very intense, borderline X-rated dream in which people with inexorable desires constantly challenge fate. It is a highly stylized, stunningly beautiful film but at the same time also a seriously disturbing one. It is a film in which -- and this is the only way it could be somewhat accurately described -- there is no bottom. Everyone seems to exist in some sort of vacuum, where the only way to feel alive is to sink as low as possible in order to experience a new pain or pleasure.

It is difficult to make sense of everything that takes place in the film. Parts of it are melancholic and sad, possibly reflecting the state of mind Fassbinder was in at the time when the film was conceived. (He had lost one of his lovers, El-Hedi Ben Salem, and was already regularly taking hard drugs). Other parts overflow with nihilistic overtones. There are certain areas of the film where conventional religion is also clearly targeted.

Despite various text inserts from Genet’s novel, it is also virtually impossible to view Querelle as a faithful adaptation of it. For example, in the film, Querelle exists in a male society where women are only occasionally noticed. More often than not, they are beautiful but useless objects. They are completely incapable of influencing or redirecting a man’s life, too. In Genet’s novel, this subversive disbalance is missing.

Nevertheless, Querelle is fascinating to behold because it completely ignores conventional characterization rules and bends morality standards with admirable creativity, while all along it challenges one to think. Simply put, it is naughty entertainment for the thinking mind.

Querelle Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Querelle arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this release:

Approved by director of photography Xaver Schwarzenberger, this high-definition restoration was created from a 35mm interpositive. The original monaural soundtrack was restored by Eclair Laboratories in 2009.

Restoration: Eclair Laboratories, Epinay-sur-Seine, France."

In 2012, we reviewed this of Querelle from French label Gaumont, and in 2014, this release from British label Artificial Eye. Both releases introduced the same restoration that is described above.

I did some quick comparisons between the Criterion and Gaumont releases. Excluding select close-ups where the Criterion release produces slightly better defined visuals, the rest of Querelle looks identical on both. Delineation, clarity, depth, and density levels are the same. Obviously, this means that in some areas I could identify the same traces of minor degraining adjustments, so some darker and shadow nuances are not quite as convincing as they can be. However, there are plenty of inherited fluctuations, so it is not always easy to tell exactly how much more information should be visible. I think that color balance is good. In a few spots there should be a bit more blue, but the heavy yellow cast is definitely reproduced correctly. Image stability is excellent. The entire film looks spotless as well. All in all, despite the fluctuations, the film has a good organic appearance and looks much better than it did on DVD. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Querelle Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. English subtitles are provided for the French text inserts as well. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The audio is very healthy. However, a few actors have pretty heavy accents that may force some viewers to use the optional subtitles. The French release of Querelle has the original English track but does not have optional English subtitles. The British release has the original English track, but its English subtitles are not available for it. So, this release finally gets everything right -- optional English SDH subtitles for the English track, plus English subtitles for the French text inserts.

Querelle Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Querelle. In French, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Rainer Werner Fassbinder -- Last Works - this archival documentary takes a closer look at Rainer Werner Fassbinder's work on Querelle and his final acting role in Kamikaze '89. It was produced by Wolf Gremm in 1982. In German, with English subtitles. (60 min).

• Fassbinder in 5: Michael Koresky on an Aesthetic Revolution - in this new program, critic Michael Koresky explains how Rainer Werner Fassbinder's approach to visual storytelling evolved. Om English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Nathan Lee's essay "Erogenous Zones" and technical credits.

Querelle Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Rainer Werner Fassbinder's final film, Querelle, a remarkably bold and stylish adaptation of Jean Genet's infamous novel, is truly in a league of its own. A few of Polish director Lech Majewski's films come close to replicating its unique atmosphere, but none of them are as naughty and provocative. Querelle isn't for everyone, but if you like challenging yourself, you shouldn't miss it. (I also suggest tracking a copy of Kamikaze '89, a very, very wild film, which has Fassbinder's final performance). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.