Symphony for a Massacre Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Symphony for a Massacre Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 29, 2022

It's maybe just a little ironic that the French coined the term film noir to refer to a trend in American cinema, and as a result while there are numerous French productions that more than easily fit in this particular pigeonhole, for some reason a lot of people still tend to think of stateside productions when confronted with the film noir descriptor. Of course, as mentioned, there are any number of French films fans could flock to for a great example of a film noir, but for some reason, one of the most interesting ones, Symphony for a Massacre, doesn't seem to have gained as much traction on this side of the pond as its general excellence might have been presumed to engender. Pathé did both a restoration and their own Blu-ray release several years ago, and now Cohen Media Group's Cohen Film Collection imprint is helping to remedy the lack of awareness of the film with their own release.

For those wanting a plot recap, Svet Atanasov's Symphony for a Massacre Blu-ray review of the Pathé release of several years ago should suffice more than handily enough. This release has the same supplement that Svet lists, as well. As I've mentioned countless times, different reviewers means different opinions, and so you may note that my scores differ just a little from Svet's.

Symphony for a Massacre Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Symphony for a Massacre is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cohen Film Collection, an imprint of Cohen Media Group (and the Film Collection has its own sub-imprint, Classics of French Cinema, which is listed here as well). As usual, Cohen doesn't really provide much information, though the transfer itself begins with a brief text card stating "This film was restored by Pathé in 2016", and an equally quick closing blurb which suggests to me this is the same transfer that Svet reviewed. The Pathé release Svet reviewed evidently had a bit more technical information, since Svet mentions it was sourced from an IP, as the negative has evidently been lost. This is a winning looking transfer virtually all of the way, with consistent contrast, nicely modulated gray scale and some appealing black levels, obviously something that's very important for an eponymous noir. As Svet mentions, there are some fluctuations in density and brightness, though any major signs of age related damage have been nicely ameliorated if not outright eliminated. Detail levels are typically excellent and fine detail on things like fabrics is also precise looking. The grain field is a bit on the gritty side, something that can be especially noticeable in some of the dimly lit material, but I noticed no actual resolution issues.

Symphony for a Massacre Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Symphony for a Massacre has a fine sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track in the original French. I'm frankly not sure some of the score (specifically some of the supposed diagetic music that underlies some club scenes) is completely helpful (it's kind of funny to hear a sax solo when the only instrumentalist in frame is an organ player), but the actual sound is reasonably full bodied, if maybe just a tad bright on the high end. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. This is yet another Cohen Film Collection release where the English subtitles are not optional, and are forced.

Symphony for a Massacre Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Score (HD; 28:21) has a title which may make some assume this is about the film's music, but instead this is the same supplement that Svet mentions in his review of the Pathé release, and which provides a nice overview of the film. My personal opinion is some of the subtitle translations could have been a bit more artful. Subtitled in English.


• Trailer (HD; 00:56)

Symphony for a Massacre Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Symphony for a Massacre seems like it should be ripe for reassessment and for some perhaps overdue recognition. This is tightly plotted and features some really interesting performances, and Jacques Deray directs with some subtle flair. Technical merits are solid, and the main supplement very appealing. Highly recommended.