7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.6 |
Dapper Inspector Vorobechik (‘Wens’ for short) is assigned the case of a serial killer who leaves a calling card on his victims; Monsieur Durand. Wens’ mistress, struggling actress Mila Malou, determines to get publicity for herself by helping him. Learning that Durand is one of the eccentric tenants of a boarding house at No. 21 Avenue Junot, Wens takes a room in the guise of a Protestant minister; only to be followed by Mila who hardly seems like a minister’s wife! Suspects are arrested, but while each is in jail, there’s another murder…
Starring: Pierre Fresnay, Suzy Delair, Jean Tissier, Pierre Larquey, Noël RoquevertForeign | 100% |
Dark humor | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
French: LPCM 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Henri-Georges Clouzot's directorial debut "L'assassin habite... au 21" a.k.a. "The Murderer Lives at 21" (1942) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The only supplemental feature on this release is a video introduction to the film by Ginette Vincendeau, professor of French Cinema at King's College London. The release also arrives with a 280page illustrated booklet, including the words of Henri-Georges Clouzot and rare imagery. In French, with optional English subtitles. Region-B "locked".
Another murder?
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Henri-Georges Clouzot's The Murderer Lives at 21 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.
There are traces of light denoising corrections throughout the entire film. They are very similar to the ones observed on Gaumont's Blu-ray release of Jacques Becker's Les amants de Montparnasse. My guess is that they were already applied to Gaumont's master that was consequently used to source the high-definition transfer (which must have been prepared before the excellent Pialat Blu-ray releases). This being said, detail and image depth are not seriously compromised. Most close-ups look rather good (see screencaptures #1 and 12), while contrast levels remain pleasingly stable. The effects of the denoising corrections are most obvious during scenes where light is restricted. Here shadow definition very clearly suffers, while the blacks are often replaced with large blocks of gray (see screencapture #8). Fortunately, the denoising is really quite light and in motion it isn't overly distracting. Additionally, no attempts have been made to sharpen up the film. There are no large debris, damage marks, cuts, or stains. Overall image stability is also very good. All in all, my feelings for this release mirror the ones I have for Gaumont's release of Les amants de Montparnasse - the denoising corrections that have been applied are unfortunate, but in motion the film still looks quite good. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 2.0. For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The lossless track is very good. The dialog is stable, free of problematic background hiss, and easy to follow. Maurice Yvain's score also gets a decent boost - the occasional clarinet solos are quite well rounded while the percussion and brass sections are pleasingly bright. There are no pops, clicks, or audio dropouts to report in this review.
Unless Criterion bring Henri-Georges Clouzot's directorial debut, The Murderer Lives at 21, to Blu-ray in the United States, I think that this could turn out to be the only English-friendly release of the film on the market. The film is somewhat uneven, but definitely worth seeing. The technical presentation is also uneven, but the film still looks quite good on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.
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