7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A celebrated literary scholar, seemingly happily married, embarks on an affair with a gorgeous stewardess, who is captivated by his charm and reputation.
Starring: Jean Desailly, Françoise Dorléac, Nelly Benedetti, Daniel Ceccaldi, Laurence BadieForeign | 100% |
Drama | 93% |
Romance | 31% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: LPCM 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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..."
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of clarity and image depth are during the darker footage -- the blockiness and flatness from the R2 DVD release have been replaced by very good shadow definition and frequently impressive depth (see screencaptures #3 and 11).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).
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.
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.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Les deux Anglaises et le continent / Two English Girls
1971
La Femme d'à côté
1981
Jules & Jim / Jules et Jim
1962
Une belle fille comme moi / A Beautiful Girl Like Me
1972
Tirez sur le pianiste / Shoot the Piano Player
1960
Le dernier métro
1980
Baisers volés
1968
Domicile conjugal
1970
A Woman Is a Woman / Godard: The Essential Collection
1961
Summer / Le rayon vert
1986
The Earrings of Madame de...
1953
Ansiktet
1958
L'enfer
1994
1966
StudioCanal Collection
1965
Vivement dimanche! / Confidentially Yours
1983
Tystnaden
1963
ライク・サムワン・イン・ラブ / Raiku Samuwan In Rabu
2012
Såsom i en spegel
1961
La Piscine
1969