The Confession Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

The Confession Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 2, 2015

Costa-Gavras' "The Confession" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new video interview with Oscar winning film editor Francoise Bonnot; Chris Marker's documentary film "You Speak of Prague: The Second Trial of Artur London"; archival interview with Yves Montand; new video interview with writer and filmmaker John Michalczyk; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by scholar Dina Iordanova. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The spy

The film is based on the memoirs of Artur London, a Czechoslovak communist who fought with the International Brigades in Spain during the late 1930s and joined the French Resistance during the early 1940s. In the late 1940s, London became deputy minister of foreign affairs of Czechoslovakia, but was accused of being a traitor. In 1951, he was arrested and judged at the notorious "Trial of the Anti-State Conspirational Center Led by Rudolf Slansky".

The opening sequence shows London (played by the great Yves Montand) puzzled and annoyed because he is followed closely by secret agents. They don’t confront him but make sure that he is aware of their presence.

Soon after, London is arrested, blindfolded and transported to a secret facility where interrogation specialists attempt to make him confess that he is an “imperialist spy”. When he refuses to sign a pre-written confession, he is tortured and locked in a tiny cell.

A good portion of the film is dedicated to London’s struggle to come to terms with the fact that his loyalty to the Party is questioned. Initially, he is convinced that it is only a matter of time until the error that has occurred is corrected and he is allowed to return home. But as the interrogation methods become more intense -- even when he isn’t questioned London is forced to walk around his cell and allowed to sleep only a few hours per day -- he begins to realize that perhaps he never knew the system he was serving.

Meanwhile, London’s French wife, Lise (Simone Signoret, Casque d'Or, Diabolique), contacts various high-ranking communist officials to find out what has happened with her husband, but is bombarded with lies and urged to remain calm. Days after London’s arrest, their house is also confiscated by the authorities.

There are numerous flashbacks and flash-forwards and scattered descriptions that create quite a Kafka-esque atmosphere. London attempts to use logic to dismiss the accusations of the interrogation specialists, but his tired mind and exhausted body make his resistance ineffective. The cracks are then quickly exploited by the lunatics who become convinced that they were right to target one of their own.

The final act is classic communist circus orchestrated by Stalinist puppets (of the same kind that also staged massive purges in Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, and Hungary). It may look and feel surreal, but the atmosphere and the speeches are remarkably authentic.

Montand is extraordinary as the communist idealist who is pushed into a bizarre reality he cannot comprehend. During the interrogations, he truly looks and acts like a man who has suffered torture and abuse. (During the shooting of the film, Montand apparently lost 23 pounds). Signoret is very convincing as the equally perplexed wife who attempts to understand her husband's decisions as well as his captors. There are also excellent cameos by Michel Vitold and Gabriele Ferzetti.

The film was lensed by the great French cinematographer Raoul Coutard (Contempt, Band of Outsiders). It was scored by Michelangelo Antonioni’s frequent collaborator Giovanni Fusco (L'Eclisse, L'Avventura).

The Confession Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Costa-Gavras' The Confession arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new restoration was undertaken by KG Productions, under the supervision of director Costa-Gavras and with the support of the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC). For the restoration, a new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative at Eclair Laboratories in Epinay-sur-Seine, France, where the film was restored.

Transfer supervisor: Costa-Gavras.
Image restoration: Eclair Laboratories, Epinay-sur-Seine, France.
Colorist: Raymond Terrentin/Eclair Laboratories, Epinay-sur-Seine.
Audio restoration: L.E. Diapason, Epinay-sur-Seine."

The film has been recently restored and the new transfer was supervised by director Costa-Gavras. Generally speaking, detail and clarity are very pleasing throughout the entire film. Large portions of the film are shot with restricted light, but despite some minor fluctuations depth is very good as well. Grain is retained, but some extremely careful corrections have been made to tone it down. As a result, in some of the darker sequences definition suffers a bit, but overall the film still has a nice and well balanced organic appearance (traces of the mentioned corrections are visible in screencapture #13). There are no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. Colors are stable. Overall image stability is outstanding and there are no problematic transitions. Lastly, the film is spotless -- there are no debris, scratches, cuts, damage marks, or stains to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free Blu-ray player in order to access its content).

The Confession Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles have been provided for the main feature.

Depth and clarity are excellent throughout the entire film. Separation and balance are equally impressive. Giovanni Fusco's score has primarily a supporting role so do not expect to hear a variety of nuance dynamics. There are no pops, cracks, background hiss, or digital distortions to report in this review. The English translation is excellent.

The Confession Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• You Speak of Prague: The Second Trial of Artur London - presented here is an archival documentary which filmmaker Chris Marker (La Jetée/Sans Soleil) shot while working as a still photographer during the production of The Confession. Included in it are archival interviews with Yves Montand, director Costa-Gavras, and writers Artur London and Jorge Semprun. Yves Montand discusses the dilemmas his character faces and the terrible political reality in which he exists. Artur London also explains how the October Revolution changed his life and his political views and discusses the erosion of trust within the Party after the end of the war. The film originally aired on French television on March 5, 1970. In French, with optional English subtitles. (32 min, 1080p).

• Costa-Gavras at the Midnight Sun Film Festival - presented here is a filmed conversation between Costa-Gavras and film scholar Peter von Bagh which was recorded at the 1998 Midnight Sun Film Festival in Sodankyla, Finland. The acclaimed director discusses his life, career (in France), and work. In English, with optional English subtitles. 65 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Childhood/Greece
  2. Film school/Jacques Demy
  3. Rene Clair and Rene Clement
  4. The Sleeping Car Murders
  5. The thriller
  6. Early politics and communism
  7. Shock Troops
  8. Z
  9. Yves Montand
  10. The Confession
  11. State of Siege
  

• Portrait London - presented here are excerpts from the program Portrait London in which Artur London and his wife discuss their experiences as political prisoners. (Artur London was born in 1915 in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia, and joined the Young Communist League at the age of 14. In 1936, he joined the International Brigades/Brigadas Internacionales and fought in Spain. In 1940, he joined the French Resistance and a few years later deported to Mauthausen. In 1949, he became deputy minister of foreign affairs of Czechoslovakia. In 1951, he was arrested with Minister Clementis, and judged at the "Trial of the Anti-State Conspirational Center Led by Rudolf Slansky". He was sentenced to hard labor for life, and rehabilitated in 1956. His novel, The Confession, chronicles his unusual life and political activism). The program was original broadcast on January 21, 1981. In French, with optional English subtitles. (12 min, 1080i).

• Yves Montand - in this archival video interview, actor Yves Montand discusses Artur London's novel, the shooting of The Confession, and the type work he did to prepare for the character he plays in the film. The interview aired on French television on May 10, 1970. In French, with optional English subtitles. (8 min, 1080p).

• Francoise Bonnot - in this brand new video interview, Oscar-winning film editor Francoise Bonnot discusses her professional relationship with director Costa-Gavras. Francoise Bonnot edited nine Costa-Gavras films, including Z, State of Siege and The Confession, as well as Jean-Pierre Melville's Les Enfants Terribles, Bob Le Flambeur and Army of Shadows, Henri Verneuil's Any Number Can Win, Roman Polanski's The Tenant, and Volker Schlöndorff's Swann in Love, amongst others. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in Paris in January 2015. In English, not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

• John Michalczyk - in this video interview, writer and filmmaker John Michalczyk, author of Costa-Gavras: The Political Fiction Film, discusses the style and unique qualities of The Confession, the differences and similarities between The Confession and Z, Costa-Gavras' political image, and the effects of the Soviet oppression during the Stalin era. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in Boston in December 2014. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by scholar Dina Iordanova.

The Confession Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

An idealist becomes the target of a communist witch hunt in Costa-Gavras' political thriller The Confession. The film is based on the memoirs of Artur London, a Czechoslovak communist who was arrested and judged at the notorious "Trial of the Anti-State Conspirational Center Led by Rudolf Slansky" in 1951. Like State of Siege, The Confession has been recently restored, and it looks very good on Blu-ray. This month, director Costa-Gavras will be the guest of honor at the Cannes Film Festival, where a brand new 4K restoration of his masterpiece, Z, will be screened. I hope that soon we will also be able to see the restoration on Blu-ray. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.