6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 2.0 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Determined to collect an inheritance from a dying relative, a bourgeois couple travel across the French countryside while civilization crashes and burns around them.
Starring: Mireille Darc, Jean Yanne, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Jean-Claude Guilbert, Jean-Pierre LéaudDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 98% |
Surreal | 16% |
Dark humor | 2% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: LPCM Mono
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Nominated for Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, Jean-Luc Godard's "Week End" a.k.a. "Weekend" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; new video essay by writer and filmmaker Kent Jones; archival interviews with cinematographer Raoul Coutard, actors Mireille Darc and Jean Yanne, and assistant director Claude Miller; and excerpt from the French television program Seize millions de jeunes. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay bu critic and novelist Gary Indiana. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Would you rather be screwed by Mao or Johnson?
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jean-Luc Godard's Weekend arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:
"This new digital transfer was created on an ARRISCAN film scanner in 2K resolution from the original 35mm camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS and Pixel Farm's PFClean, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.
Transfer supervisor: Ronald Boullet/Eclair Laboratories, Epinay-sur-Seine, France.
Colorist: Giovanni Zimolo/Eclair Laboratories, Epinay-sur-Seine, France."
Having owned multiple VHS and DVD releases of Weekend from various regions, I can categorically state that the film has never looked as healthy as it does on this Blu-ray release. Detail and especially depth are very impressive. Contrast levels are stable and clarity, particularly when there is plenty of natural light, is simply terrific. There are no traces of problematic lab corrections. Unsurprisingly, the film has a very consistent, very strong organic look. Some of the longer sequences from the first half -- such as the notorious sequence where the camera follows closely Corinne and Roland's car as it passes by the long line of angry drivers on their way to the countryside -- look especially good, allowing the viewer to get a terrific sense of what Godard and Raoul Coutard were trying to accomplish in a single continuous shot. Color reproduction is also enormously satisfying. There is a variety of lush, quite thick but warm and very natural colors that look mighty impressive (see screencaptures #4 and 5). There are absolutely no traces of problematic sharpening corrections. The film's grain structure is also fully intact. Finally, it appears that a thorough cleanup has been performed as the film is virtually spotless - there are no large scratches, damage marks, dirt, or cuts. All in all, I really could not be any happier with the solid presentation as Weekend looks absolutely magnificent. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The lossless track opens up the film surprisingly well. There are sequences, such as the one where the camera follows the long line of cars and the drivers keep honking at each other, where the intensity is excellent. Elsewhere, the gunshots are also loud and crisp. The dialog is always stable and very easy to follow. Also, there are no sudden dropouts or audio distortions to report in this review. The English translation is also outstanding.
Hilarious, disturbing and enormously thought-provoking, Weekend is arguably the most effective of Jean-Luc Godard's radical films. Criterion's presentation of Weekend is fantastic. In fact, I would argue that it is easily one of the year's best releases. If you have only seen the film via the old New Yorker Video DVD release, I strongly encourage you to consider picking up the new Blu-ray release. It offers an entirely new, much more satisfying viewing experience. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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