The Early Films of Olivier Assayas Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Early Films of Olivier Assayas Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 11, 2020

Irma Vep is probably at least arguably the best known film by Olivier Assayas, but as Assayas’ IMDb listing page makes clear, he has bounteous writing and directing credits going back to the late seventies. In what might be thought of as the “halfway point” between Assayas’ first credits and 1996’s Irma Vep, Arrow Video has aggregated two of Assayas’ efforts from the 1980s in The Early Films of Olivier Assayas. Both Disorder, which came out in 1986 and was Assayas' first credit as a feature film writer and director, and Winter’s Child, his second similar dual feature film writing and directing credit from 1989, offer intimate stories of psychological intrigue and at times just the hint of danger. They’re still probably formative works, and if they’re at least intermittently viscerally compelling, they may be more of a hit or miss property for some. That said, they may be of interest to anyone who, after having seen Irma Vep, felt their appetites whetted for more from this (then?) nascent auteur.

For reviews of the two films in this release, please click on the following links:

Disorder Blu-ray review

Winter's Child Blu-ray review

The Early Films of Olivier Assayas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality of each film is assessed in the above linked reviews.

The Early Films of Olivier Assayas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality of each film is assessed in the above linked reviews.

The Early Films of Olivier Assayas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Both films are presented on one disc by Arrow. The supplements on the disc are as follows:

• Disorder Interviews:

  Olivier Assayas (1080p; 41:48). In French with English subtitles.

  
  

  Ann-Gisel Glass, Lucas Belvaux, Wadeck Stanczak, and Remi Martin (1080p; 18:02). In French with English subtitles.

• Disorder Trailer (1080i; 2:02)


• Winter's Child Trailer (1080i; 1:15)

Additionally, Arrow has provided another nicely appointed insert booklet.

The Early Films of Olivier Assayas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I wouldn't term either of the films in this set an absolute knockout, but they each have rather interesting elements at times, even if you can sense Assayas faltering a bit in both shaping a story and also defining his style. Video quality can be a little inconsistent at times, but audio is fine on both films, and the supplemental package, while not huge, is very enjoyable, for those considering a purchase.