7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Distraught over her recent breakup with her lover, Pepa prepares to overdose on a blend of gazpacho laced with sleeping pills. She is diverted from her suicide, however, by her friend Candela, a fugitive from justice seeking a place to stay. Soon, Pepa finds her life and the lives of those around her spiraling out of control.
Starring: Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, Julieta Serrano, María Barranco, Rossy de PalmaForeign | 100% |
Drama | 89% |
Dark humor | 1% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Nominated for Oscar Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Pedro Almodovar's " Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" a.k.a. "Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios" (1988) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; exclusive new video interview with the Spanish director; exclusive new video interview with actress Carmen Maura; new video interview with producer Agustin Almodovar; and more. an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Elvira Lindo. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Rejected
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Pedro Almodovar's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:
"This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner. The restoration was undertaken from the 35mm original camera negative at Deluxe, Madrid, under the supervision of director Pedro Almodovar and executive producer Agustin Almodovar. The original 2.0 surround soundtrack was remastered from a 35mm magnetic track. Additional restoration was undertaken by the Criterion Collection using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX. Please be sure to enable Dolby Pro Logic decoding on your receiver to properly play the Dolby 2.0 surround soundtrack.
Transfer supervisor: Juanjo Carretero.
Colorist: Chema Alba/Deluxe Madrid."
The film has been recently restored in 2K by French label TF1. The release is sourced from the same new master that StudioCanal accessed when they prepared their #Review of the film last year.
I have now seen seven of the recent restorations/remasters that were completed by TF1 and I have to say that every single one of them has been quite spectacular. I can state with absolutely certainty that all of these films have never looked this good before.
The improvements in terms of detail and clarity are substantial, but I think that the most impressive results are in the area of color reproduction. Indeed, Pedro Almodovar's films typically have very precise and effective color schemes and in the case of the remastered Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown saturation, nuances and overall balance are simply flawless. I also would like to mention that on a lot of the old transfers that Sony Pictures used for the Viva Pedro: The Almodóvar Collection box set shadow definition struggles with plenty of black crush that makes the DVD release look average at best when upscaled, but the remaster gives the film an all-around solid and balanced organic appearance that is very attractive. Indeed, if you project you will instantly see that the filmic quality both in terms of density and fluidity is fantastic. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Overall image stability is excellent. Lastly, there are absolutely no debris, scratches, damage marks, cuts, stains, or other annoying age-related imperfections. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) and Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I prefer the Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, but you should experiment with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track as well and decide which one you like. I think that the slightly more compact sound of the former serves better the film's 80s identity. As I mentioned in our review of the StudioCanal release, it is quite clear to me that the audio has been fully remastered because depth, fluidity and balance are excellent. There are no digital anomalies to report either.
It took a while for Pedro Almodovar's classic films to start appearing on Blu-ray, but now that they have been fully remastered and restored under his supervision I have to say that the delay was well worth it. I have seen seven that have transitioned to Blu-ray in other regions and they look absolutely stunning in high-definition. I think that after Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!) it is only a matter of time before they enter the Criterion Collection. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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