Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Bride Wore Black Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 10, 2023

François Truffaut's "The Bride Wore Black" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include an archival audio commentary recorded by critics Julio Kirgo, Steven C. Smith, and Nick Redman as well as vintage trailer for the film. In French, with optional Engish subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

My impression is that the groups of people that like and dislike Francois Truffaut’s The Bride Wore Black are about even. However, historically those that belong to the first group have been louder and easier to spot, so those that have been disagreeing with them have had to work extra hard to make their criticisms visible.

The original material for The Bride Wore Black comes from a well-known novel written by Cornell Woolrich, which Truffaut adapted with the help of Jean-Louis Richard. (The duo had previously collaborated on The Soft Skin and Fahrenheit 451, in my opinion, both vastly superior films). However, it is far easier to link The Bride Wore Black to the work of Alfred Hitchcock, one of Truffaut’s idols, than to Woolrich’s novel. Also, I do not think that it is quite right to describe The Bride Wore Black as a classic homage either because Truffaut does enough in it to give it a distinct French identity. This appears to be where a lot of the disagreements about The Bride Wore Black emerge from, which is understandable because a film that openly wishes to associate with Hitchcock but then develops a unique identity could be extremely difficult to do right.

The narrative construction is a favorite target for critics of The Bride Wore Black. Truffaut breaks the film’s story into multiple episodes in which a beautiful middle-aged woman named Julie (Jeanne Moreau) is seen attempting and failing to commit suicide and then attempting to kill five seemingly random middle-aged men. Julie operates as a seasoned chameleon that has hunted and killed many times before, so her creativity and confidence are quite striking. But at least initially they are confusing, too. Truffaut allows Julie to roam uninterrupted and almost as if placed in a surreal dream where for some unknown reason she is fully in control. Eventually, a good reason explaining Julie’s behavior is revealed, but Truffaut pulls her back to the present where the drama is now progressing quite differently.

The overlapping of the present and the flashbacks where crucial details of Julie’s past are revealed has a Hitchcockian vibe but lacks the wit and logic of Hitchcock’s great films. As a result, the suspense is rather underwhelming. In some areas, it becomes even oddly artificial because the story that is being told does not have enough depth to produce quality twists but Truffaut’s direction remains oblivious to this fact.

The other big target for critics of The Bride Wore Black is Moreau’s performance. I must admit that it is not quite right. It gives Julie an odd personality that makes the viewer wonder how she balances anger, an inexorable desire for revenge, and mental clarity while moving through situations where no one seems capable of recognizing that she acts to deceive. A truly great chameleon, like the ones that can be discovered in Hitchcock’s films, would have looked and behaved differently, and at the right moment, the intellectual superiority of this chameleon would have become undeniable. Moreau’s performance, which frequently looks perplexingly monotonous, does not accomplish this.

The parts of The Bride Wore Black that work very well and shape its identity are the ones where Truffaut temporarily creates the impression that all the drama is inside Julie’s head. I have always thought that this would have been the perfect concept for the film. Julie’s mother fails to save her, she jumps off to her death, and moments before her body is crushed her mind produces the fluid story of The Bride Wore Black. Then the existence of all holes in the story, and there are more than a few, would have made perfect sense.

The cast also includes several renowned actors: Jean-Claude Brialy, Michael Lonsdale, Michel Bouquet, Claude Rich, Charles Denner, and Alexandra Stewart.

The Bride Wore Black Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Bride Wore Black arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from the same older master that MGM supplied to Twilight Time for this release. While there are some small limitations on this master, I like it quite a lot.

There are no traces of any problematic digital corrections, so the visuals tend to have a very fine organic appearance. Delineation, clarity, and depth are usually very good, though some minor density fluctuations are present and can affect their consistency. However, even when projected on a large screen, the visuals hold up really well. I like the color balance as well. There are a few areas where small improvements in terms of saturation can be made, but the primaries look healthy and virtually all supporting nuances are stable and nicely balanced. A few highlights could be more convincing, but this is a common limitation on older masters and here they tend to be quite good. Image stability is good. I noticed a few blemishes but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, even though the film looks a tad dated, its overall appearance is very convincing. My score is 4.25/5.00. (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).

The Bride Wore Black 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 subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio was very clear and sharp, so the dialog is extremely easy to follow. I did notice that in a few areas the audio became slightly uneven, but it could very well be that this is an inherited limitation. If the audio is fully remastered some meaningful enhancements could be made in these areas, but I do not think that its overall quality will be dramatically improved. The English translation is good.

The Bride Wore Black Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by critics Julio Kirgo, Steven C. Smith, and Nick Redman.

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for The Bride Wore Black. (2 min).

• Cover - a reversible cover with vintage poster art for The Bride Wore Black.

The Bride Wore Black Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Several parts of The Bride Wore Black have an intriguing surreal quality that most likely would have been far more appropriate for it. Julie's entire story could have been imaginary and then the existence of the various holes in it would have been quite easy to justify. Seen strictly as a Hithockikan thriller, The Bride Wore Black becomes rather easy to critique because it lacks the wit and logic of Hitchcock's great films. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release is sourced from an older but very solid master that was supplied by MGM. RECOMMENDED.