Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Soft Skin Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 29, 2014

Nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival, François Truffaut's "La Peau Douce" a.k.a. "The Soft Skin" (1964) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; introduction by Serge Toubiana, president of Cinémathèque française; and audio commentary by scenarist Jean-Louis Richard. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"I'll take a train to Paris in the morning. Just leave me alone..."

Successful magazine publisher Pierre Lachenay (Jean Desailly, The Professional, Le Doulos) meets the beautiful stewardess Nicole Chomette (Françoise Dorléac, The Young Girls of Rochefort, Cul-De-Sac) on a flight from Paris to Lisbon. They go out for drinks and later on make love in her hotel room. A few days later they return to Paris.

Despite the fact that he is happily married, Pierre and Nicole continue their affair. Very soon, they both realize that they have fallen in love.

During a trip to Reims, where Pierre introduces a film, for the first time Nicole questions her decision to begin a relationship with a married man. She likes making love to him and the way he treats her in public, but his professional commitments and responsibilities make it almost impossible for them to be spontaneous. Then there is also Pierre’s wife, Franca (Nelly Benedetti, Fire at Will), who does not know yet that her husband is cheating on her.

Back in Paris, Nicole decides to end her affair with Pierre. Meanwhile, confronted by Franca, who has finally discovered that her husband has been seeing another woman, Pierre decides to leave his wife and tell Nicole that he is ready to marry her.

Francois Truffaut’s fourth feature film, Le Peau Douce a.k.a. The Soft Skin, has very little in common with his previous films. It was heavily influenced by Alfred Hitchcock’s work, which the French director greatly admired.

The Soft Skin is loosely divided into two uneven sections. The first has the identity of a classic romantic melodrama in which a man and a woman unexpectedly discover love but come to realize that they belong to two drastically different worlds. The film then shows how their expectations of each other gradually evolve.

The second section can best be described as a psychological mini-drama, as the romantic element is almost completely removed from it. Here the focus of attention is on a series of conflicts that indirectly question the morality standards of the main protagonists. There are some obvious political overtones as well, but the bourgeois environment the main protagonists exist in does not become a target. (Another film with a similar construction that effectively targets bourgeois lifestyle and cultural practices is Claude Chabrol's La Cérémonie).

Hitchcock’s influence is felt throughout the entire film. The specific framing of various sequences, the management of time and space, and even the lighting choices are very much inspired by Hitchcock’s craft and style. (Shortly before the film was completed, Truffaut did his legendary interview with the Master of Suspense which he later on used as the source material for his book Hitchcock: The Definitive Study of Alfred Hitchcock).

Truffatut and legendary cinematographer Raoul Coutard shot the bulk of the film on location in Paris. Even the initial encounter between Pierre and Nicole in Lisbon was shot at the Lutetia Hotel in Paris. The footage with Pierre and his wife Franca was shot in Truffaut’s own apartment.

The beautiful melancholic score that compliments the film was created by Oscar winning composer Georges Delerue (Jean Becker’s One Deadly Summer, Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist).

The Soft Skin Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, François Truffaut's The Soft Skin arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Artificial Eye.

The high-definition transfer is very good. The most significant improvements in terms of clarity and image depth are during the darker footage -- the blockiness and flatness from the R2 DVD release have been replaced by very good shadow definition and frequently impressive depth (see screencaptures #3 and 11). When there is plenty of natural light most close-ups can look quite spectacular (see screencapture #1). The blacks, whites and grays are well balanced. Sharpness levels appear to have been slightly elevated, but the film does have a very strong organic appearance. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Overall image stability is very good. (On my screener, however, I noticed one very quick frame skip). Lastly, there are no large debris, cuts, scratches, stains, or debris. The encoding is good. All in all, this is a strong presentation of The Soft Skin that should please viewers who have previously seen the film only on DVD as well as those who are going to experience it for the fist time on Blu-ray. (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).

The Soft Skin Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 2.0. For the record, Artificial Eye have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

Georges Delerue's fantastic soundtrack has a very important role in the film. Fortunately, the excellent lossless track allows it to shine in all the right places. Indeed, depth is significantly improved and the beautiful flute and clarinet solos now sound lusher and better rounded. The dialog is crisp, stable, and easy to follow. There are no cracks, pops, hiss, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review. The English translation is excellent.

The Soft Skin Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original French trailer for The Soft Skin. In French, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Introduction with Serge Toubiana - Serge Toubiana, president of Cinémathèque française, introduces The Soft Skin. In French, with optional English subtitles. (5 min).

• Commentary - scenarist Jean-Louis Richard recalls his first encounter with with Francois Truffaut (the two met during the filming of The 400 Blows) and discusses his contribution to The Soft Skin, Alfred Hitchcock's influence on the film's visual style (and specifically the framing and camera movement), the importance of Georges Delerue's score, the very precise editing of the film, etc. The commentary was recorded in 2000. In French, with optional English subtitles.

The Soft Skin Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Francois Truffaut's fourth feature film, The Soft Skin, has always been overshadowed by The 400 Blows and Jules & Jim, but I think that it is one of the French director's most complete films. It is very different -- it certainly does not have any of the unique qualities the Nouvelle Vague films popularized -- but its execution is equally impressive. Perhaps it is a lot easier to appreciate it now because its themes and context are very much part of the modern world we live in. Artificial Eye's technical presentation of The Soft Skin is very good. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.