6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 2.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
A sex comedy about a young widow, Mimi who discovers that her recently deceased husband, Franco kept a secret apartment for his kinky desires. Frustrated that he did not explore his sexual fantasies with his wife, she embarks on a quest to understand perversion and sexuality. She uses her late husband's apartment to seduce various men, each time learning more about the depths of human deprivation, as well as the extent of the sexual double standard for women. Finally, she meets the man who shares himself fully with her, appreciates her sexual daring and accepts her for whoever she is.
Starring: Catherine Spaak, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Gigi Proietti, Luigi Pistilli, Fabienne DaliForeign | 100% |
Erotic | 45% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Pasquale Festa Campanile's "The Libertine" a.k.a. "La Matriarca" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Nucleus Films. The supplemental features on the disc include new video essay by critic Rachel Nisbet; new program with critic critic Lovey Jon; numerous archival promotional materials; outtakes and alternate scenes; and a lot more. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Are we still playing?
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Libertine arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Nucleus Films.
There are two versions of the film on the disc: the slightly longer uncensored version (01.34.25) and the U.S. theatrical version (01.34:25).
I viewed the slightly longer version which is essentially a reconstruction job. This isn't surprising because the original camera negative was cut in Italy many years ago, so to get a proper uncensored version of the film a few trims had to be reinserted. Unfortunately, the surviving elements that were used to prepare the current master also reveal light to moderate deterioration that produce various weaves/bumps throughout the entire film, so there are additional source limitations that are not on the trims. This isn't surprising either because some of the weaving was also visible on the old and out-of-print R1 DVD release, which was sourced from a reconstructed but incomplete master as well. The stability issues affect delineation, density, and even clarity, but without a massive and surely enormously expensive restoration they are unavoidable. The good news is that even with all the light softness and flatness that emerges in different areas the film still has a rather pleasing organic appearance. The color scheme is convincing, but this is another area that is impacted by the source limitations -- select nuances as well as highlights are less than optimal, especially during indoor/darker footage. A few blemishes can be spotted, but there are no distracting large debris, marks, or cuts to report. All in all, given the poor treatment of the existing elements that were used to prepare the current master, I think that this is the best presentation the film could have received on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I viewed the film with the English track, which should be considered the original audio track because the overwhelming majority of the actors utter their lines in English. However, keep in mind that a lot of studio overdubbing was performed after the audio was finalized, which is the reason for some of the obvious dynamic unevenness that pops up from time to time. On the other hand, in the very beginning of the film the music struggles with light buzz in the upper register plus elsewhere some sporadic flatness can be heard as well, and these limitations are age-related, not inherited from the original soundtrack.
This release of Pasquale Festa Campanile's The Libertine is a true labor of love. The film wasn't just cut and recut numerous times over the years -- which is one of the reasons why the old U.S. DVD release was still incomplete -- for some strange reason it was simply not handled well by the people that own it. I know the film well and what is on the Blu-ray is the most complete version that I have seen to date. And yes, it is a cult film too, just as Nucleus Films' release claims, though times are different now and what once looked provocative and maybe even scandalous no longer is. (As far as I am concerned the naughty material is actually pretty darn funny). I would recommend The Libertine to folks that have seen and enjoyed Campanile's The Slave and Alain Robbe-Grillet's Trans-Europ Express, as well as admirers of Radley Metzger's stylish European projects from the same era, like Camille 2000 and Score. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
La chiave
1983
1974
1976
50th Anniversary Edition | Vintage World Cinema
1967
1977
1999
Arrow Academy
2016
2015
Le souffle au coeur / Dearest Love
1971
Young & Beautiful
2013
Ostře sledované vlaky / Closely Watched Trains / Arrow Academy
1966
BFI Flipside
1970
Dzieje grzechu / Arrow Academy
1975
El Club
2015
トパーズ / Topâzu
1992
1980
2011
Mitt liv som hund / Arrow Academy
1985
City of Women / Masters of Cinema
1980
1953