School for Love Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

School for Love Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 19, 2019

Marc Allégret's "School for Love" a.k.a. "Futures vedettes" (1955) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cinetrove International. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and vintage featurette. Also included with this release is a leaflet with vintage stills. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Reigon-A "locked".

Eric Walter

When Marc Allegret’s romantic melodrama School for Love was released in 1955 Brigitte Bardot was already a rising star and the only thing that was unclear was just how far she would go. However, at the time the ‘serious’ critics weren’t convinced that she could act, so they had to wait five more years until Henri-Georges Clouzot delivered La vérité and the obvious became so painfully obvious that they were left with no other option but to declare that Bardot had finally proven herself. Of course, no such thing had occurred because Bardot never had to do so in the first place. The success of La verite only made it impossible for the ‘serious’ critics to continue dismissing Bardot as a pretty but talentless actress who simply loved to show her body and retain their credibility, which is why they capitulated. This is very much worth clarifying because even today there is an entirely new generation of ‘serious’ critics that are rehashing the exact same myth about the iconic actress and the evolution of her career.

The bulk of the film takes place in and around the prestigious Conservatory in Vienna where talented students from all across Europe are trying to impress their famous teachers. But it is a difficult task because they are such perfectionists that the young performers routinely fail to meet their expectations. Nevertheless, few ever complain because they are genuinely happy to have the opportunity to take classes at the legendary Conservatory.

Some of the female students, however, are also trying to steal the hearts of their teachers. At the top of their list is Eric Walter (Jean Marais), a very direct and often unusually harsh vocalist who has staged recitals in many of Europe’s greatest cities. He is quite a bit older, and there are rumors that he might have abused his wife (Denise Noel), but no one cares because true artists are passionate people that occasionally have trouble controlling their emotions. In fact, their flawed personalities are exactly why some of the girls are attracted to men like Walter.

During a masterclass at the Conservatory, the ambitious Sophie Dimater (Bardot) accidentally makes her teacher realize that her figure is just as special as her voice and soon after their interactions become a lot longer and more entertaining. As the two become closer, however, another girl, Elis (Isabelle Pia), whose mother is slowly dying from a terrible disease, opens her heart to the teacher, but he fails to realize how much she loves him.

The progression of the melodrama is very predictable. After the masterclass, Marais gradually becomes a man torn between his desire for the younger and flirty Bardot, his affection for the emotionally brittle Pia, and his duty to preserve a marriage that no longer has any purpose in his life. The middle part of the film is where the best material is because there are still some opportunities for interesting improvisations that shift the balance of power between them. Later on, the film basically uses a few crucial misjudgments and mistakes to deliver very straightforward messages about the difference between carnal desire and love, commitment, and the responsibilities that two people in love share.

The supposedly bold performance by Bardot is actually incredibly modest by contemporary standards, so what once almost certainly gave the romance a shot of zesty flavor now seems practically irrelevant. Bardot looks great, but so does Pia and plenty of the other girls that can be seen in the halls of the Conservatory.

Roger Vadim, who was married to Bardot at the time, has a small cameo in the film, but he is very easy to miss.

School for Love Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Marc Allégret's School for Love arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cinetrove International.

School for Love is the first release from Cinetrove International to reach my desk and I like what I see a lot. The release is sourced from a recent remaster, which was probably prepared in France. (I cannot confirm that this is the case, but what I see here actually matches the quality of the good recent work that French label Gaumont has done for various older films. So, perhaps a French team that does work for Gaumont worked on this project). Clarity, delineation, and depth are very impressive. The grading is also convincing and as a result the film has very nicely balanced look. I could tell that some extremely light grain management work was done, but I actually like how it was handled a lot. As you could see from our screencaptures, there are wide ranges of wonderful nuances, and depth is usually very strong. There is a bit of light movement during the opening credits, but overall image stability is excellent. The entire film has been thoroughly cleaned up. Wonderful presentation. My score if 4.75/5.00. (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).

School for Love Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English yellow subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio has been fully remastered and as a result the lossless track sounds great. The dialog is clean, stable, and always exceptionally easy to follow. There are a few segments where Jean Wiener's music makes a noticeable entrance, but it has a secondary role in the film. There are no pops, cracks, distortions, or other conventional age-related imperfections.

School for Love Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a remastered international trailer for School of Love. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 4806/60i)..

• Brigitte Bardot: A Legend from the 1950s - this short featurette goes back in time to 1950s Paris and Cannes and highlights some of the stars that made the era special, including Brigitte Bardot. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080p)..

• Leaflet - leaflet with vintage stills. (See screenshots).

School for Love Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think that we can expect some tremendous releases from Cinetrove International in the near future. Marc Allégret's School for Love is the label's first release and I like the remaster that was used to produce it, the technical presentation, and even the design work because the packaging looks very stylish. Fans of Brigitte Bardot should pick up this title as soon as possible. (In December, Cinetrove International also released Michel Duran's caper Fric-Frac, which we will review shortly, and just announced that it is preparing for Blu-ray Georges Lacombe's classic crime drama Monsieur La Souris a.k.a. Midnight in Paris). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.