6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
On the run from pursuing soldiers, a man hides in a small European town.
Starring: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Ivan Mistrík, Zuzana Kocúriková, Sylvie Turbová, Sylvie BréalForeign | 100% |
Drama | 67% |
War | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
French: LPCM 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
After the success of “Trans-Europe Express,” director Alain Robbe-Grillet continued his exploration of the abstract with 1968’s “The Man Who Lies,” a fascinating but bloodless film interpretation exercise that’s more academic than involving. Working with the concept of the untrustworthy narrator, Robbe-Grillet invents a puzzle of deception that only he can solve, or perhaps nobody can -- either way, the helmer seems to be satisfied with the confusion he summons and the manipulation he maps out. The effort is impressively knotted and bizarre, but Robbe-Grillet treats emotional involvement like a case of the cooties, once again making viewing of his work an extended appreciation of cinematic form, not storytelling.
The AVC encoded image (1.33:1 aspect ratio) presentation does feature some minor print damage, with speckling, debris, and scratches visible throughout the movie, and there's the occasional presence of judder. These are small events, never detracting from the viewing experience, which is largely impressive with clarity, revealing fine detail on faces and locations, making the general wear and tear of interiors and the characters themselves easily surveyed, also pulling textures out of costuming and make-up. Contrast is satisfactory, while blacks are deep and true, preserving frame information and distances. Grain is managed adequately, providing a tastefully filmic look to the picture.
The 2.0 LPCM mix has a considerable amount of heavy lifting to deal with, making room for the sophisticated sound design of the picture, with its colliding elements of dialogue and sonic abstraction. Thankfully, the track favors clearness, with only a modest amount of hiss to manage. Dialogue exchanges are direct and stable, never reaching into crispy highs or overtly muddy lows (some thickness due to age remains), pleasantly balanced with heavy and varied atmospherics, which favor the odd and the unexpected, but remain smoothly integrated. Gunfire and assorted acts of violence add some snap to an otherwise dense but exploratory effort.
"The Man Who Lies" is frustrating, mischievous, and arresting, often all in the same moment. It's entirely Robbe-Grillet's vision for the art of manipulation, and while its esoteric ways do border on parody at times, at the core of the feature is a pure articulation of confusion with great cinematic style.
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