Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Saint Laurent Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 3, 2015

Bertrand Bonello's "Saint Laurent" (2014) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment/Sony Pictures Classics. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and short featurettes with comments from the director and cast members. In French, with optional English, English SDH, and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

" I'm calling as I've decided to do your interview. I am ready."

It is easy to tell from the very beginning that Yves Saint Laurent (played wonderfully by Gaspard Ulliel, A Very Long Engagement) is an ordinary man. He is shy but ambitious, someone who despises failure and needs to know that his work is appreciated. He is surrounded by real people who can frustrate him, even make him look weak.

But as Bertrand Bonello’s biopic progresses one begins to realize that Saint Laurent also sees people differently. He sees their beauty and then designs elegant clothes that reveal and enhance it. He creates like a classical composer, only instead of writing notes he draws sketches.

Initially, Saint Laurent’s private life looks and feels empty. Then he meets Jacques de Bascher (Louis Garrel, Regular Lovers) and everything changes. He becomes obsessed with the flamboyant playboy and begins experimenting with drugs that quickly change how he sees and thinks. His business partner, Pierre Bergé (Jeremie Renier, La Promesse), reluctantly steps aside, but continues to work hard to promote the YSL brand.

The ups and downs come and go like vivid dreams -- some linger for a while and leave a strange sensation behind, some quickly disappear. Then, gradually, the real world becomes a nuisance. Saint Laurent loses his desire to create and for a while he disappears from the public eye.

The film ends with Saint Laurent’s glorious return in 1976. While his beautiful Morrocan-inspired collection is applauded, the film also quickly jumps into the 21st-century where a jaded old man (Helmut Berger, The Damned) is seen quietly pondering his life and legacy.

There were two films in 2014 about the French designer and this one understands the phenomenon he was better. It focuses only on ten years of his life, from 1967 to 1976, but when the final credits roll it feels like it has covered a lot more. To be perfectly clear, Bonello’s film isn’t loaded with more factual references and detailed recreations of key events, but it taps right into the reality in which the designer existed and as a result it makes it easier to understand his genius.

The film is quite long and does not have a consistent rhythm. It is unusually fluid and it even seems unaware that a number of big stars are contributing to it. (Léa Seydoux and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi basically have small cameos). Different segments overlap and at times it feels like everything randomly speeds up or slows down. All this of course is intentional as Bonello essentially treats the camera as a mirror reflecting Saint Laurent’s augmented reality.

Despite the fact that Bonello was not given access to Saint Laurent’s archives, the couture collections Anais Romand (Holy Motors, House of Pleasures) delivered look fantastic. During close-ups it is very easy to see that the designs are incredibly precise and the clothes immaculately tailored.

The film will appeal to viewers who understand from the get-go what it is not -- a conventional biopic that chronicles a succession of events and in the process attempts to explain how they influenced Saint Laurent’s work and impacted his legacy. Its goal is different. It is to allow viewers to temporarily immerse themselves into the designer's reality and get a sense of what might have felt like to be alone at the very top of an unpredictable industry.

Saint Laurent 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, Bertrand Bonello's Saint Laurent arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment/Sony Pictures Classics.

The technical presentation is outstanding. The film was shot with the Arricam LT and clarity and depth are superb. Also, contrast and sharpness levels are impeccable. There is plenty of footage where light is subdued, but detail and fluidity never suffer. Colors saturation and balance are equally impressive. In fact, it is again the darker footage that impresses the most because tiny details and objects remain exceptionally easy to see. There are no stability issues. Finally, there are no encoding anomalies to report in our review. (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).

Saint Laurent Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Also included is an English Audio Descriptive Service track. Optional English, English SDH, and French subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless 5.1 track isn't going to test the muscles of your audio system, but if you pay attention to small details -- such as nuanced dynamics, separation and fluidity -- it will leave an impression on you. For example, there are various seemingly casual sequences where bits of dialog or simple sounds and noises set the mood and this is where the great mixing shows. The music has primarily a supportive role, but it is worth mentioning that it is also balanced very well. The dialog is clean and easy to follow.

Saint Laurent Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Bertrand Bonello - the French quickly addresses the film's atmosphere and structure. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

• The Characters - cast members quickly address their characters. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (3 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - original trailer for Saint Laurent. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

Saint Laurent Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In 2014, France produced two films about Yves Saint Laurent. The fist was directed by Jalil Lespert and won Best Actor Award at the Cesar Awards. The second film was directed by Bertrand Bonello and was chosen to represent France in the Best Foreign Language Film category of the Academy Awards. I thought that Bonello's film was the better one. Instead of chronicling various events it allows viewers to temporarily immerse themselves into the designer's star-studded reality and see it through his eyes, but its mystique remains untouched. Sony's technical presentation of Saint Laurent is excellent, but I would have loved to see a better selection of supplemental features. Nevertheless, consider adding the Blu-ray release to your collections. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.