Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

Venus in Fur Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 16, 2014

Roman Polanski's "Venus in Fur" a.k.a. "La Vénus à la fourrure" (2013) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and new interviews with Roman Polanski, Emmanuelle Seigner, and Mathieu Amalric. In French, with imposed English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Am I right?

Thomas (the always terrific Mathieu Amalric, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), a very ambitious writer-director, has spent his entire day auditioning actresses for the lead part in his new play, Venus in Fur, an adaptation of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s novella, but all of them have been disappointing. Now he feels exhausted.

Moments before Thomas leaves the theater, however, a slightly agitated actress named Vanda (Emmanuelle Seigner, In The House, Essential Killing) appears. She is late because this just happens to be one of those days when Parisians do their best to complicate her life and make he feel miserable. The idiots have almost succeeded, but if Thomas allows her to audition for him, he would restore her faith in humanity.

Rather reluctantly, Thomas agrees to let Vanda get on the stage and try out the part.

He is stunned. Vanda’s transformation is simply extraordinary. In fact, she is so good that he decides to reexamine and expand a few scenes he used to think were perfect. Surely, surely his adaptation of Sacher-Masoch’s novella now will be considered the definitive one.

Vanda also likes Thomas’ transformation. The exhausted man she met at the theater’s front door has been replaced by an enthusiastic artist who has discovered something special -- her talent. The feeling of being appreciated warms her heart. As long as no one kicks them out of the theater, she is ready to show him more -- a lot more.

Roman Polanski’s latest film, Venus in Fur, is a brilliantly scripted chamber piece that finds humor in a material that most people consider seriously intimidating. Indeed, it is loosely based on the Sacher-Masoch’s legendary novella -- which produced the term masochism -- about an Austrian aristocrat who becomes obsessed with a beautiful woman and eventually chooses to become her slave.

Polanski’s film chronicles a similar obsession, but its attitude is drastically different. Instead of being cold and deadly serious, the film pokes fun at the big taboos and forces one to laugh when one least expects it. Also, in the beginning the role playing is frequently interrupted -- the entire film is essentially one giant rehearsal -- but just like in Louis Malle’s Vanya on 42nd Street there comes a point where the line that separates the play from reality suddenly disappears. The end result is a deliciously naughty, irresistibly funny and surprisingly thought-provoking film which only Polanski’s mind could have imagined.

The script for the film is from Polanski and American playwright David Ives. It is brilliant. It has style and depth that allow Seigner and Amalric to continuously surprise when it seems obvious where the film is heading. The performances are equally brilliant. Seigner’s sudden character transformations, in particular, ought to be studied by aspiring young actresses. (During the first half, where Seigner is still trying to impress Amalric, these transformations are truly remarkable).

Polanski shot Venus in Fur with Polish cinematographer Pawel Edelman. The two also collaborated on The Pianist, Oliver Twist, The Ghost Writer, and Carnage.

The soundtrack was created by acclaimed French composer Alexandre Desplat (Peter Webber’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, Jacques Audiard’s The Beat That My Heart Skipped).

Venus in Fur Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Roman Polanski's Venus in Fur arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye.

Shot with Sony's CineAlta F65 4K camera, Venus in Fur has the appropriate smooth and crisp look. Because virtually the entire film takes place inside a small theater and there are only a few small lighting adjustments, shadow definition is excellent. Clarity and depth are consistently very pleasing as well. Colors are exceptionally well saturated and very natural. Detail is simply terrific. Close-ups, in particular, literally look like digital photographs (see screencaptures #1 and 2). There are no stability issues. Lastly, there are no encoding anomalies to report in this review. All in all, this is an outstanding presentation of Venus in Fur that is guaranteed to please its fans as well as those who are going to experience the film for the first 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).

Venus in Fur Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French LPCM 2.0. For the record, Artificial Eye have provided imposed English subtitles for the main feature. They appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track and later on compared select sequences with the LPCM 2.0 track. The difference between the two is minimal at best. Because Venus in Fur is primarily a dialog driven film, dynamic intensity is virtually identical on both tracks. There are a couple of sequences where the 5.1 track opens up the film slightly better (listen to the thunders), but the LPCM 2.0 track is just as effective. Alexandre Desplat's soundtrack has a complimentary role. The dialog is exceptionally crisp, stable, and very easy to follow. The English translation is excellent.

Venus in Fur Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original French trailer for Venus in Fur. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min).

• Interview Featurette - In English, not subtitled. (13 min).
  
  1. Director Roman Polanski explains why he decided to direct Venus in Fur and cast Emmanuelle Seigner as Vanda, and discusses the film's unique sense of humor, the on-screen chemistry between Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric (the two actors also worked together in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), the challenge of making a film with only two actors, etc.
  
  2. Emmanuelle Seigner discusses her character, Mathieu Amalric's versatility as an actor, the shooting process, etc.
  
  3. Mathieu Amalric discusses the unique relationship between the two characters in Venus in Fur, Roman Polanski's directing style, etc.

Venus in Fur Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Deliciously naughty, irresistibly funny and surprisingly thought-provoking, Roman Polanski's Venus in Fur is one of the best films I have seen this summer. It is currently getting a lot of lukewarm reviews on this side of the Atlantic, but I urge you to ignore them, find the time to see it, and form your own opinion. Artificial Eye's technical presentation of Venus in Fur is outstanding. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.