Valerie and Her Week of Wonders Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 6, 2015

Jaromil Jires' "Valerie and Her Week of Wonders" a.k.a. "Valerie a týden divu" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include archival video interviews with actors Jaroslava Schallerová and Jan Klusak; new video interview with film historian Peter Hames; alternate score for the film by the Valerie Project, a Philadelphia-based psych-folk ensemble; three short films; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring Yana Prikryl's essay "Grandmother, What Big Fangs You Have!" and technical credits. In Czech, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Valerie

Valerie (Jaroslava Schallerová The Devil's Elixir) can tell that her body is changing -- she has just had her first period -- but is the world around her changing as well? Is she supposed to see it differently now?

Initially, the young girl looks perplexed. In the country house where she resides with her grandmother (Helena Anýzová, The Cremator), the rhythm of life has evolved. At times it would come to a complete stop and strange creatures would emerge from the shadows – some obsessed with Valerie’s body, some with her soul. Then it would suddenly speed up again and Valerie would feel a ripple of heat rush through her body. There is a part of Valerie that already likes her body’s reactions and the new sensations it has given her, but there is another part that is concerned that she can’t seem to fully control them. Is this how every other girl feels? Is it normal?

As the film progresses fantasy and reality become closely intertwined and Valerie relaxes -- or so it seems. She is still bothered by the creatures and does not fully comprehend the rituals and festive events around her, but gradually begins to trust her instincts.

What makes Jaromil Jires’ film Valerie and Her Week of Wonders so fascinating to behold is its utter unpredictability and the brilliant manner in which it manipulates the mind. Indeed, it is meant to be experienced as a vivid dream that provokes a wide range of sensations, not as a conventional journey full of scripted surprises. If one allows it to flourish as such and play with one’s mind, for a short period of time the film literally ushers one into a cinematic world like no other. (All the cliched terms that have been used in years past to describe it are largely misleading because for each viewer the experience and the range of sensations it provokes are very much unique).

The film is imbued with symbolism that is deeply rooted in Slavic and East European folklore, but the surrealist novel by Czech writer Vítezslav Nezval that inspired it is only a starting point for what is essentially an unsolvable puzzle of ideas and references. A few could be deconstructed with conventional logic, but most are freely floating around the film as if to make a point that the mind is better off without it.

The film’s color scheme is equally striking. Beautiful light colors are carefully arranged to visualize the dreamy environment in which Valerie exists as well as her transition into the adult world. There is an obvious relationship between the use and movement of colors and composer Lubos Fiser’s strikingly atmospheric chamber score.

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders is largely regarded as one of the final films from the Czech New Wave. After the Soviets invaded Czechoslovakia during the so-called Prague Spring in 1968, the new hard-line communist government reorganized the film industry, clamped down on artistic freedom, and many of the prominent Czech New Wave directors were forced to flee the country.

Note: In addition to Fiser’s original score, the Blu-ray release features an alternate score for Valerie and Her Week of Wonders by the Valerie Project, a Philadelphia-based psych-folk ensemble. The score can be accessed via the supplemental features section of the disc.

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jaromil Jires' Valerie and Her Week of Wonders arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

Please note that the screencaptures included with this review appear in the following order:

1. Screencaptures #1-20: Valerie and Her Week of Wonders.
2. Screencaptures #21-24: Uncle.
3. Screencaptures #25-30: Footprints.
4. Screencaptures #31-35: The Hall of the Footsteps.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Northlight film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for small dirt, grain, noise management, and flicker. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the 35mm sound negative. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD, AudioCube's integrated workstation, and iZotope RX4.

Colorist: Lee Kline/Criterion Post, New York.
4K scanning: Universal Production Partners, Prague."

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders -- The film looks very beautiful in high-definition. Depth is outstanding and many of the dreamy sequences now look absolutely terrific (see screencapture #16). It is easier to understand and appreciate the different lighting choices as well. Clarity does fluctuate throughout the film, but these fluctuations are part of the film's very unique visual design (see screencaptures #4 and 18). Colors are very warm and light, always looking natural. In some segments color saturation fluctuates a bit, but the film looks beautifully balanced and fresh. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Image stability is outstanding. Finally, large debris, damage marks, cuts, and stains have been carefully removed.

Short Films -- Uncle, Footprints, and The Hall of the Footsteps have been restored and are presented in 1080p. Excluding a few tiny specks and some very light traces of natural wear and fading, the three shorts look excellent in high-definition. Depth and clarity are consistently very pleasing, colors (blacks/whites/grays) are well saturated and balanced, and image stability is very good in all three shorts. (Please note that the final short, The Hall of the Footsteps, has archival documentary footage with some obvious inherited limitations).

Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free Blu-ray player in order to access its content).

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Czech LPCM 1.0 and Music Dolby Digital 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is outstanding. It has terrific depth and very good range of nuanced dynamics. Lubos Fiser's atmospheric chamber score clearly benefits the most from the lossless treatment, but it is easy to tell that after the remastering the dialog is also better balanced. There are no pops, audio dropouts, background hiss, or digital distortions to report in this review.

The Valerie Project's alternate score is presented as Dolby Digital 2.0. Depth and clarity very good and separation is rather impressive. The score can be accessed via the supplemental features section of the disc.

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Resurrecting the Avant-Garde - in this new video interview, film historian Peter Hames, author of Czech and Slovak Cinema, discusses Jaromil Jires' diverse body of work and his experimentation with narrative, the novel that inspired Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, some of the key differences between the novel and the film, the symbolism in the film (and specifically the use of color), the sexual overtones, Lubos Fiser's score, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080p).

• Jaroslava Schallerova - in this archival interview, Jaroslava Schallerová recalls how she was chosen to play Valerie and quickly addresses the shooting process. The actress also mentions that she has appeared in more than 40 films, but many of them were banned during the Cold War era. The interview was conducted by Pavel Kremen in 2006. In Czech, with optional English subtitles (6 min, 1080i).

• Jan Klusak - in this archival interview, Jan Klusak remembers how he felt during the shooting of Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (apparently, he wasn't treated very well), and discusses his character (a perverted friar), Ester Krumbachová's screenplay, the long shooting process, etc. The interview was conducted by Pavel Kremen in 2006. In Czech, with optional English subtitles (6 min, 1080i).

• The Valerie Project Score - the Valerie Project is a Philadelphia-based psych-folk ensemble which created an alternate score for Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. The score was first performed in 2006 and recorded in 2007. The entire film can be seen with this alternate score.

• More Than a Soundtrack: The Valerie Project - in this brand new featurette, Joseph A. Gervasi and Greg Weeks, cofounders of the Valerie Project, explain how and why they were inspired to create the alternate score for Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, and discuss the rehearsal process, the harmonic structure of the new score, and some of the film's important qualities. The featurette was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080p).

• Short Films - presented here are three newly restored films which Jaromil Jires directed before Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. See the video section of our review for comments on the technical presentations.
  
  1. Uncle (1959) -- a thief enters an apartment but is confronted by a boy who demands that he fixes a few of his broken toys. Starring Vlastimil Brodský and Vladimír Zavázal. In Czech, with optional English subtitles. (7 min/1080p/Dolby Digital 1.0).
  
  2. Footprints (1960) -- during the war, an escaped Russian prisoner enters a small village where people no longer trust each other. Starring Václav Lohniský, Vera Tichánková, Svetla Amortova, and Vladimir Hlavaty. In Czech, with optional English subtitles. (13 min/1080p/Dolby Digital 1.0).
  
  3. The Hall of Lost Footsteps (1960) -- at a busy train station, a young woman bids farewell to her lover. Soon after, she becomes haunted by dark thoughts and images of a nuclear disaster. The short ends with a chilling summary. Starring Ladislava Nováková and Petr Trnka. In Czech, with optional English subtitles. (12 min/1080p/Dolby Digital 1.0).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring Yana Prikryl's essay "Grandmother, What Big Fangs You Have!." (The author is a senior editor at the New York Review of Books. Her essays on film and photography appear in the New York Review and The Nation, and her poems have been published in the New Yorker, the London Review of Books, the Paris Review, and elsewhere.

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A young and beautiful girl transitions into womanhood and makes a number of fascinating discoveries in Czech director Jaromil Jires' New Wave masterpiece Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. The film has been recently restored in 4K and looks simply magnificent in high-definition. Also included on this release are three very good early short films by director Jires, which have also been recently restored, as well as the Valerie Project's famous 2007 alternate score. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.