Blu-ray Review: 1917

Distributor: Universal Studios

Release Date: March 24, 2020

Region: Region A

Length: 01:58:58

Video: 1080P (MPEG-4, AVC)

Main Audio:

English Dolby Atmos

Alternate Audio:

7.1 French Dolby Digital Plus
7.1 Spanish Dolby Digital Plus

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Ratio: 2.39:1

Notes: A 4K UHD/Blu-ray Combo edition of this title is also available for purchase.

“Once I’d had the idea that it was two hours of real time, it seemed like a natural thing to lock the audience together with the central characters… It operates more like a ticking-clock thriller, in a way, and so to experience every second passing with the men seemed like a great idea.” –Sam Mendes (NPR, December 21, 2019)

It is always annoying to hear this film’s “single shot” approach described as a gimmick. It isn’t a gimmick. It is an aesthetic choice that affects the audience in a certain way. It is no more a gimmick than traditional editing practices. What’s more, it has been around since Alfred Hitchcock made Rope in 1948! It isn’t anything new. This approach is only a gimmick when it is used as such (a good example would be Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Birdman). This particular approach added a sense of urgency and an aura of mystery to the proceedings. The film would have been a very different experience if it had been shot in the traditional manner, and it wouldn’t have been nearly as powerful.

Let’s face it, the story that 1917 tells isn’t far removed from any number of war movies. The premise is actually very simple (which is part of the reason that it works): At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly ambush on hundreds of soldiers—Blake’s own brother among them.

The project was actually inspired by stories that Sam Mendes’s grandfather told him as a child:

“It wasn’t until his mid-70s that he decided he was going to tell the stories of what happened to him when he was in his teenage years… And there was one particular story he told us of being tasked to carry a single message through no man’s land in dusk in the winter of 1916. He was a small man, and they used to send him with messages because he ran 5 1/2 feet, and the mist used to hang at about 6 feet in no man’s land, so he wasn’t visible above the mist. And that stayed with me. And that was the story I found I wanted to tell.” –Sam Mendes (NPR, December 21, 2019)

The result on screen is a suspenseful addition to a very long tradition of “mission” movies. However, the director was able to set his film apart by telling it in this particular manner. This reviewer as never been a fan of “war movies,” but this particular film plays more like a suspense film. It is also worth mentioning that he chose actors who actually look like teenagers instead of thirty-somethings who pretend to be young boys. This adds to one’s empathetic devotion to the protagonists, and adds more than a little pathos to the proceedings. It is no wonder why the film earned ten Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Original Score, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Make-up and Hairstyling), and it certainly deserved the three awards that it won (Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound Mixing). It is a fantastic movie that will entertain most viewers. Sometimes, this is all that a film really needs to achieve.

The Presentation:

4 of 5 Stars

Universal protects the Blu-ray and DVD discs in a standard 2-disc Blu-ray case with a sleeve featuring artwork that was taken from one of the half-sheet designs used in the marketing for the film’s theatrical release:

It is an attractive enough cover, but one does lament their decision not to use the much more elegant art that was featured on the primary one sheets. The first pressing also includes a protective slip sleeve (or O-ring) that showcases the same artwork.

The static menu carries over the same image featured on the half sheet and is designed like other recent Universal titles. Frankly, we miss the look of their older menus as they were more elegant.

Picture Quality:

5 of 5 Stars

Roger Deakins deserved his Oscar for the cinematography in this film, and it is nice to report that it has been well served by Universal’s 1080P transfer. In fact, it is difficult to imagine that it could look any better on this format. According to Imdb, 1917 was shot in 4.5K resolution on an Arri Alexa Mini LF camera with Arri Signature prime lenses and was eventually mastered in 4K. This results in an impressive amount of fine detail and immaculate clarity. The slightly muted colors admirably represent the intentions of Mendes and Deakins, but flashes of color are all the more impacting when they make themselves known. Blacks are deep without crushing, and there aren’t notable compression issues to report. This is a remarkable high definition image.

Sound Quality:

5 of 5 Stars

The included Dolby Atmos is beyond criticism. Adjectives such as “dynamic” and “immersive” are accurate but seem like understated descriptors. This isn’t so much a soundtrack as it is an experience. It really sucks the viewer into the film’s universe without sacrificing little things such as dialogue clarity. There were actually moments when I worried for my safety. Thank goodness they saw fit to include this track on the Blu-ray instead of simply allowing it to grace their 4K UHD release.

Special Features:

3 of 5 Stars

Feature Length Audio Commentary by Sam Mendes

Sam Mendes offers a nice general commentary that rarely overlaps with the Roger Deakins commentary included on this same disc. He provides plenty of information throughout the track as he discusses the inspiration behind the film, brief historical facts about WWI, Thomas Newman’s score, the characterizations, reasoning behind story and stylistic choices, production anecdotes, set design, and much more. It touches on so many topics that it never really delves too deeply into any of these topics, but it manages to entertain and reward those who wish to listen.

Feature Length Audio Commentary by Roger Deakins

Those looking for an explanation as to how Roger Deakins was able to achieve the film’s Academy Award winning cinematography will find this not-too-technical track more than a little worthwhile. If his track has a shortcoming, it is that there is way too much information to digest in a single viewing. It adds enormous value to the disc.

Allied Forces: The Making of 1917 – (12:01)

Allied Forces: Making 1917 is more substantial than what one expects from recent studio “featurettes” as it goes a bit beyond the typical EPK promo fodder that has become the norm. It touches briefly (too briefly) on the one-shot aesthetic of the film and interviewees discuss the challenges that this approach created in general terms. The trouble is that it could have delved deeper. What’s more, some of the information contained in the other “featurettes” should have been included as part of this program instead. This habit of creating a handful of mini-featurettes that offer very little value rather than one meaty documentary isn’t fooling anyone.

Recreating History – (10:25)

The information included here should have been included as part of the previous supplement (as mentioned above), but it does offer enough information to warrant viewing as it discusses the film’s incredible production design. Again, this could and should have included a more comprehensive examination of this topic.

In the Trenches – (06:59)

In the Trenches isn’t quite as strong as the previous two supplements discussed in this review, but it is still worth viewing for the brief commentary by some of the actor’s involved. This information would have seemed less superficial if it had been included as part of one larger program instead of the six-minute promo that they created.

The Weight of the World: Sam Mendes – (04:29)

The same can be said for this piece on Sam Mendes and the inspiration behind the film. This is a better than average EPK promo, but it isn’t meaty enough to be anything more. Again, this material should have been included as a minor part of a single comprehensive program.

The Score of 1917 – (03:52)

Oddly enough, this short piece on Thomas Newman’s score for 1917 is more interesting than the short duration would suggest. Again, it isn’t terribly comprehensive and feels like it belongs to a larger program

Final Words:

1917 may not tell a unique story, but Mendes gives it a powerful sense of urgency and creates an aura of mystery that is felt throughout the duration. His style isn’t a gimmick here. It is an aesthetic choice that elevates the film. Meanwhile, Universal’s Blu-ray transfer is incredible. Highly Recommended.

Note: While we were provided with a screener for review purposes, this had no bearing on our review process. We do not feel under any obligation to hand out positive reviews. All screenshots and poster images are the property of Universal Studios.

Blu-ray Review: Richard Jewell

Distributor: Warner Brothers

Release Date: March 17, 2020

Region: Region A

Length: 02:10:55

Video: 1080P (MPEG-4, AVC)

Main Audio: 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish (Latin), French (Parisian), Portuguese

Ratio: 2.39:1

Notes: 4K UHD and DVD editions of this title is also available for purchase.

“While the government can tell you that I am an innocent man, the government’s letter cannot give me back my good name or my reputation.” –Richard Jewell

Many critics have questioned why this film was even made. Why would Hollywood want to make a film about the bombing at the 1996 Atlanta Games this long after the fact? Well, the above quote seems like adequate motivation to this reviewer. It is always a good time to immortalize any miscarriage of justice—even when said miscarriage of justice might offend the media (the same media that will inevitably cover the film’s release).

The real Richard Jewell.

Was anyone really shocked by the controversy over the screenplay’s portrayal of Kathy Scruggs (Olivia Wilde) as a hateful and obnoxious journalist who is more than willing to sleep with FBI agents for newsworthy information? One must admit that this is a clumsy bit of characterization, but we disagree with the level of absolute fury leveled at this issue. Our criticism is merely that it would have been much more interesting to present this character as a flawed human being rather than a stereotypical film-villain. Kathy Scruggs wasn’t the only undeveloped character in the film. The protagonist is an interesting and very offbeat character. One wonders what created his obsession with being “law enforcement too,” and the film could and should have delved further into this issue. He seems to feel inferior and carry the cross of resentment with him everywhere he goes. He understands that people see him as a joke, and it would make for a more interesting film if this was developed as well. His lawyer is another interesting but underdeveloped character. Eastwood (and Billy Ray’s screenplay) certainly does a good job at creating sympathy for Richard and his mother, but the plot swallows the characters that move it forward. This particular deficiency is partially camouflaged by the excellent performances. Paul Walter Hauser does a fine job in the titular role, Sam Rockwell is memorable as his attorney, and Kathy Bates certainly earned her Oscar nomination for her role as Bobi Jewell.

There was a better movie hiding somewhere in this material, but Richard Jewell it isn’t at all a bad film. It is a good movie that could have been incredible. Then again, this can be said of a great many movies.

The Presentation:

3.5 of 5 Stars

Warner Brothers protects their disc in a standard eco-case with a slip sleeve with film related artwork that resembles the original theatrical one sheet. There are several differences: the photograph has been moved down so that there isn’t as much information at the bottom, the photograph here is in full color while the original poster was desaturated, they blew out the sky so that it is simply a white background, there is a row of boxes featuring the primary actors, and textual information has been rearranged and altered. Frankly, it was unnecessary to blow out the sky and add the row of photographs as this cheapens the design considerably. The color isn’t a terrible touch even if it is unnecessary. One wishes that Warner Brothers would stop using eco-cases as they do not provide adequate protection for the disc and artwork and are much too flimsy. Luckily, the first printing of this release comes with a slip sleeve (or O-Ring) that adds further protection. This sleeve features the same artwork.

The static menu is uniform in design and showcases an adjusted version of the bottom half of the cover design. It is both attractive and easy to navigate.

Picture Quality:

4.5 of 5 Stars

This Blu-ray image is really quite strong. The film was shot in 3.4K resolution and then up-scaled to a 4K master. It has sharply rendered fine detail on display throughout, clarity is very good as the image exhibits very little noise, and the muted color palette is accurately rendered here. Flesh tones are as intended but are on the pale side at times. There will inevitably be those who do not care for this aesthetic, but it isn’t their film. Contrast is nicely handled too as blacks are deep without crushing. Whites also remain healthy (we didn’t notice any obvious clipping). There is some slight “haloing” in certain scenes, but this isn’t ever distracting. It may very well be inherent in the master as this is generally a very nice encode.

Sound Quality:

4 of 5 Stars

This is a perfectly fine 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix that represents the soundtrack accurately, but one may be a bit disappointed if they are expecting something truly dynamic or immersive. Richard Jewell offers a subtle and convincing mix with well prioritized dialogue, and the film relies heavily on conversation and interrogation. There are only a few scenes that might suggest that a more aggressive mix might have been in order, and even these scenes are competently rendered. There are some nice mixing choices during some of the film’s media attacks, where questions, camera flashes, and other relevant noises wrap around the viewer, and the concert scenes are also nicely handled. It is a subtle mix that relies primarily on the front channels, but this certainly does the job.

Special Features:

1 of 5 Stars

The Making of Richard Jewell – (06:58)

What a colossal waste of disc space! This is your standard EPK promo that features a wealth of footage from the film padding general comments from Clint Eastwood, Paul Walter Hauser, Kathy Bates, Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, and others. It is mainly praise for the story and the talent involved. There isn’t any revelatory information provided, and it certainly isn’t a proper “making of” documentary.

The Real Story of Richard Jewell – (06:39)

It is too bad that a proper documentary or discussion about “the real story of Richard Jewell” couldn’t have been included. It costs the same amount to gather quality information as it does to shoot a bunch of navel-gazing publicity statements. This is worth seeing only for the few short snippets of Bobbie Jewel talking about her son, and even these are pretty empty.

Final Words:

Richard Jewell is far from perfect but is worth seeing. It is an obvious recommendation for Clint Eastwood fans.

Note: While we were provided with a screener for review purposes, this had no bearing on our review process. We do not feel under any obligation to hand out positive reviews. All screenshots and poster images are the property of Warner Brothers.

Blu-ray Review: Quai des Orfèvres

Distributor: Kino Lorber

Release Date: February 25, 2020

Region: Region A

Length: 01:47:33

Video: 1080P (MPEG-4 AVC)

Main Audio: 2.0 French DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz, 1555 kbps, 16-bit)

Subtitles: English

Ratio: 1.37:1

Bitrate: 37.92 Mbps

Notes: Kino Lorber is also releasing a DVD edition of this film.

Henri-Georges Clouzot

“…A murder mystery is a way of communicating what you want. It’s a kind of framework into which you can put anything you want. That’s the appeal of murder mysteries. People are captivated by the suspense. You can make them swallow a lot more than in a psychological drama.” –Henri-Georges Clouzot (Au Cinéma Ce Soir, 1971)

Quai des Orfèvres is one of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s essential classics. It is the director’s first film after having been blacklisted for his so-called “collaboration” during the dark days of the German occupation of France. He had made a minor masterpiece entitled Le Corbeau for Continental Films (a production company that was financed and controlled by the Germans). To make matters worse, the film was considered critical of French society. As a result, it was labeled “anti-French” and banned from public distribution by the Free French.

Anatole Eliacheff offered to finance Clouzot’s return to filmmaking with the stipulation that the director choose a commercial project, and the director remembered reading a mystery by Stanislas-André Steeman that had mainstream potential. Steeman had written the source material for his first feature (L’Assassin habite au 21) and had also worked with him on the adaptation of that film:

“I’ll tell you what happened. I bought the rights but didn’t have the book. I had read it a few years before, but I had pretty much forgotten it. I owed a producer a film… I said I knew a pretty good story. I told him the story. He said, ‘Perfect. That’s exactly what I want. There’s a role for Jouvet. Go ahead with it. Buy the rights from Mr. Steeman.’ We cabled him, and he sold us the rights. Then I said, ‘I’d like to have a copy of the book.’ He said, ‘There aren’t any more. It’s out of print. The publisher’s bankrupt. I’ll try to find you a copy.’ By the time he did, I had written almost two-thirds of the script. When I got the book, I thought, ‘Strange. It’s not at all the same thing.’ I told Steeman, who took it lightly at first. When he saw the movie, he was furious!” –Henri-Georges Clouzot (Au Cinéma Ce Soir, 1971)

Quai des Orfèvres was released on October 03, 1947 only to become a significant commercial hit and a critic’s darling. It seemed that Clouzot was forgiven, but the importance of Quai des Orfèvres extends beyond this. It also happens to be one of his five best efforts.

The Presentation:

3.5 of 5 Stars

Kino protects their Blu-ray disc in a standard case with a sleeve featuring artwork from the film’s original one sheet. Kino sometimes offers a reversible sheet that offers fans a choice of two different designs, but this particular release is a one sided affair.

Their static menu utilizes a variation on this same design and is attractive and intuitive to navigate.

Picture Quality:

4.5 of 5 Stars

Wow. This 4K restoration doesn’t disappoint. First of all, it respects the film’s original 1.37:1 aspect ratio and exhibits a very healthy layer of grain that adds a filmic texture to the image. Armand Thirard’s cinematography comes to brilliant life here as the dark and shadowy frames are deep and inky without crushing pertinent detail. Density is surprisingly solid and intact throughout, and depth and clarity are consistently impressive. Age related blemishes are practically nonexistent, and the high bitrate ensures that there aren’t any problematic compression artifacts either. The image looks especially terrific in-motion.

Sound Quality:

4.5 of 5 Stars

The 2.0 DTS-HD mono track offers an accurate representation of the film’s original audio that is free from the sort of age related issues that often plague older titles. The lossless transfer allows the musical numbers room to breathe, and dialogue is consistently clean and clear. If the track sounds a bit flat, this is merely due to the nature of the original sound materials. This is a very good mono rendering of the original elements and sounds as good as it is reasonable to expect.

Special Features:

3 of 5 Stars

Audio Commentary by Film Critic Nick Pinkerton

Nick Pinkerton offers a lot of information here, but his delivery can make said information a bit difficult to digest. It’s a bit monotonous and moves quite quickly. It is worth a listen since there is much to learn about Clouzot and Quai des Orfèvres in particular. There is also plenty of biographical and career information offered throughout the track as well.

Interview Excerpts from Au Cinéma Ce Soir (1971) — (17:04)

The Criterion Collection included these same interview excerpts from Au Cinéma Ce Soir on their earlier DVD release, and it is a very pleasant surprise to see it carried over to Kino’s Blu-ray release of the film. An interview with Henri-Georges Clouzot is the most substantial element of this segment as he provides some background information about the production and discusses his approach to material and working with actors. Luckily, Bernard Blier, Suzy Delair, and Simone Renant are on hand to provide their perspective as well.

Theatrical Trailer — (03:33)

The film’s theatrical trailer falls in line with those created for most other French releases of the period, but it is very nice to have it available here.

La Prisonnière Theatrical Trailer

Also included (in a gallery of several French trailers) is the trailer for Henri-Georges Clouzot La Prisonnière.

Final Words:

Quai des Orfèvres is nearly certain to appeal to fans of Henri-Georges Clouzot, cinephiles with a fondness for “policiers,” and devotees of French cinema. Clouzot’s work was unfairly derided by the New Wave critics for being a part of French cinema’s old guard as they rejected the industry’s “tradition de qualité,” but Clouzot’s work always stood apart from his contemporaries. In any case, Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray release offers a solid transfer of a very nice 4K restoration along with some very worthwhile supplemental material. It comes highly recommended.

Blu-ray Review: Manon

Distributor: Arrow Academy

Release Date: February 25, 2020

Region: Region A

Length: 01:45:58

Video: 1080P (MPEG-4, AVC)

Main Audio: 1.0 French Mono Linear PCM Audio (48 kHz, 1152 kbps, 24-bit)

Subtitles: English

Ratio: 1.33:1

Bitrate: 34.82 Mbps

Notes: This is the film’s North American Blu-ray debut.

“There’s one scene which takes place in a bordello that has both humor and viciousness. It is for these aspects… that this picture received the grand prize at the Venice Film Festival.” –Bosley Crowther (New York Times, December 26, 1950)

A slightly adjusted version of this blurb from The New York Times was used in at least one marketing poster for Manon as it give the impression that it has been taken from a glowing review published in one of America’s most respected publications.

This advertisement exploits a brief portion of Crowther’s otherwise negative review.

In actuality, Bosley Crowther’s review was less than flattering:

“…Inspired, in a manner of speaking, by the French novel, “Manon Lescaut,” which the Abbe Prevost unlimbered some 200 years ago, this strikingly candid picture tells the bold tale of faith and faithlessness between two strangely restless young lovers in the vortex of postwar France. But because it is much the same story the Abbe wrote centuries ago—that is, the ageless story of a fickle woman’s corrupting influence on a man—the time and environment of the drama in this picture are of secondary account, the characters are—or at least should be—the important elements here. The characters are simply a young woman and a Resistance fighter who bravely rescues her from a mob of outraged French citizens bent upon vengeance at the war’s end, takes her off to Paris and attempts to make a decent life with her while she persistently deceives him in the most corrupt and brazen ways. Loving luxury, the young woman falls in with black marketers and has affairs which her own brother arranges, while her lover frets and fumes. Eventually she drives her man to murder and then faithfully escapes with him on a ship which carries them to Palestine, where she poignantly dies in the desert sands. As a demonstration of human nature, we’re afraid that this film Henri-Georges Clouzot has helped adapt and has directed fails to convey why a man would throw himself at the feet of an obviously no-good dame. Michel Auclair, who plays the fellow, is an apparently healthy, normal chap with no established reason for being the fool of love. And, Cecile Aubry, while attractive in a girlish and piquant way, is not the sort of woman for whom a fatal fascination seems in line. The two really carry no conviction of any more than a vigorous puppy love…” –Bosley Crowther (New York Times, December 26, 1950)

Crowther’s reductive reading of Manon is way off base. He successfully describes the plot without even trying to understand the themes and intentions behind it. For one thing, “the time and environment of the drama in this picture” are certainly not “of secondary account.” Quite the contrary, the post war setting is of paramount importance to one’s reading of this film. This becomes even more evident when one considers Clouzot’s own troubles during and directly proceeding the war, and the very seed for Manon was planted in the director’s mind while traveling during the Liberation:

“I didn’t know what it was about. I wasn’t thinking about the Abbé Prévost. One day, I was on a train at the time of the Liberation. I don’t know if you remember what trains were like at that time. I was stuck between two fat men in a corridor. There were a dozen passengers in each compartment, and I thought it would be amusing to make a film in which a man was looking for a girl in such a crowded carriage. Then—in the half-hour that followed—I decided it would be better if it was a woman looking for a man. It started from there. The first scene I wrote for Manon was the scene in the train. I had no idea where they were coming from or going to… and I started writing the story of Manon and Dégrieux without realizing what it was about.

About two months later, I was working with a co-writer called Ferry, and we had a bit of an impasse—a brick wall. And during the night, I was turning over my problems and I thought, ‘this story of Manon Lescaut is crazy. What’s missing is the brother.’ And that’s when I returned to Manon and finished the screenplay within a fortnight. At the end of the day the links between the time of the Liberation and the end of the 18th century, we only discovered them when we wrote the film. You know, when I start writing a screenplay, I rarely know how it’s going to end. It’s more fun that way.” –Henri-Georges Clouzot (Bibliothèque de poche: H.G. Clouzot, 1970)

What stands out about the film isn’t so much the details of the plot. The interest comes from the manner in which Clouzot spins his yarn. He doesn’t condemn his two young lovers. Crowther claims that Auclair has “no established reason for being the fool of love” and fails to recognize that we are all “fools of love.” Perhaps Clouzot has a stronger understanding of “human nature” than Mr. Crowther. He certainly has a firmer grasp of the cinema.

The Presentation:

4 of 5 Stars

Arrow houses their Blu-ray disc in a clear Blu-ray case with a reversible sleeve featuring the choice of new artwork and the film’s original one sheet design. The one sheet design is this reviewer’s personal preference, but it is nice that Arrow has given fans a choice.

Arrow’s reverse cover artwork.

There is also an attractive booklet that features a seven page scholarly essay (more if you count the numerous production photographs that illustrate the text) written by Ginette Vincendeau. Her essay is entitled “Manon: Misogyny and Amour Fou in the ‘Gigantic Rat-Race of the Liberation,’” and is a worthwhile read that will add to the viewer’s appreciation of Clouzot’s film. The booklet also includes a very short snippet of information about the film’s transfer along with the usual credits.

[Note: The aforementioned booklet is only included with the first pressing of this particular release.]

The animated menus utilize footage and music from the film. Those who own other Arrow Academy titles will know what to expect here.

Picture Quality:

4 of 5 Stars

Arrow Academy’s 1080p transfer of this under-valued film exhibits a decidedly filmic texture that is appropriate for a film of this vintage. It is a clean image that showcases some nice detail despite the softer nature of the original cinematography. Les Films du Jeudi provided Arrow with the transfer, and it is impossible to say what was used for the high definition scan. Whatever they used has rendered a very fine if somewhat modest Blu-ray image. Clarity tends to be fairly strong as does contrast (even if blacks aren’t as deep as they might be at times). Grain isn’t completely consistent as one imagines that multiple sources were used. Luckily, this never becomes distracting. Most people probably won’t even notice it. The encoding was handled well as there are no compression artifacts to report.

Sound Quality:

3.5 of 5 Stars

Their lossless mono track has been rendered with all of the strengths and weaknesses of the original production sound. It can be flat at times as one should expect from a foreign film from this period, and there are some moments that sound a bit stifled due to the technological limitations of the era. However, dialogue is consistently clean and clear throughout the durations and all elements are well prioritized in the mix. In addition, there doesn’t seem to be any obvious examples of age-related problems with this track.

Special Features:

3 of 5 Stars

Bibliothèque de poche: H.G. Clouzot – (46:26)

This archival television documentary is a treasure for all fans of Clouzot as it is built from seemingly casual footage taken of the director and his wife in 1970. It covers such territory as his literary interests, brief biographical history, the relationship between literature and film, the inspiration and development of some of his own projects (including Manon), and more. The primary weakness of this particular feature is that English speakers will have to read subtitles throughout the 46 minutes of relatively dense conversation.

Woman in the Dunes – (22:21)

Geoff Andrew’s video appreciation of Manon is worthwhile as it adds to the viewer’s appreciation of the film in question while providing a bit of information for those who may not be well acquainted with H.G. Clouzot’s life and work. It may not offer a deep well of information or delve too deeply into the film’s themes, but it certainly earns its place on this disc. Fans should be grateful to have it included here.

Image gallery

These sixty some-odd production photographs (and other marketing images) were interesting to scroll through. One wishes contextual information could have been provided for a few of the marketing posters, but this material was actually much more interesting than one might expect from a photo gallery.

Final Words:

On the surface, Manon doesn’t seem to fall in line with the director’s more well-known titles. It isn’t a suspense thriller or even a crime film, but it is very much in line with the director’s somewhat pessimistic world view. It is a film that deserves rediscovery (especially for fans of Henri-Georges Clouzot). Those expecting an experience that compares with The Wages of Fear or Les Diaboliques are certain to be disappointed, but those willing to accept the film on its own melodramatic terms will be rewarded.

Arrow Academy’s Blu-ray offers cinephiles a solid transfer and a few illuminating supplements. This is certainly the best way to see this rare film in the home environment.

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Blu-ray Review: When a Stranger Calls

Distributor: Mill Creek Entertainment

Release Date: February 11, 2020

Region: Region A

Length: 01:37:22

Video: 1080P (MPEG-4, AVC)

Main Audio: 2.0 English DTS-HD Master Audio

Subtitles: English SDH

Ratio: 1.85:1

Notes: Mill Creek Entertainment previously released this film on Blu-ray with Happy Birthday to Me occupying the same disc. However, this is the first time that it has received its own release on this format in North America.

“Instead of building toward a climax, Stranger strings together three awkward, vaguely related segments.” –Robert Hughes (Time, November 12, 1979)

It is telling that When a Stranger Calls was expanded from an earlier short that was co-written and directed by Fred Walton and released in 1977. The film was entitled The Sitter and was based on a famous urban legend about a babysitter who is menaced by creepy phone calls that eventually become threatening. It turns out that the calls are coming from inside the house. Those who have seen the short know that the script for The Sitter is essentially the first twenty-some-odd pages of When a Stranger Calls. The action and dialogue are practically identical (although Walton obviously learned from directing the short since his direction of this sequence is much stronger and less self conscious in the feature version).

The trouble is that—as Mr. Robert Hughes complained in Time magazine all those years ago—in expanding the story to feature length, they made the mistake of creating three very different segments that do not ultimately congeal. The real problem is a middle section that feels like a different film from the opening and closing segments. A terminally ill Tony Beckley gives a very nice portrayal of the mentally ill killer, and Charles Durning is certainly competent as the man in pursuit of the madman. The trouble is that viewers have already been promised another kind of movie by a director that simply doesn’t have the talent to pull off this kind of Hitchcockian detour.

Of course, these issues don’t seem nearly as problematic after one has seen the movie a number of times and knows what to expect, and no one can deny that the opening twenty minutes and the fairly decent (if somewhat shaky) ending has earned When a Stranger Calls a place in the pantheon of cult classics.

The Presentation:

4 of 5 Stars

Mill Creek Entertainment protects the Blu-ray disc in a standard Blu-ray case with an insert sleeve that features some rather lame home video artwork, but they hide the terrible art under a very nice O-Ring that features “Retro VHS” artwork that is meant to resemble the video rentals of a past generation. It’s a nice touch for a title such as this one. The original VHS art is happily taken from the film’s original one sheet design but has been altered slightly. The most immediately obvious difference is that the title is written in yellow lettering.

The static menu uses a horizontal alteration of the poster image with the title written in yellow as it appears on the slipcover. I must say that it is really very attractive and elegant in its simplicity. It’s aesthetically perfect and simple to navigate.

Picture Quality:

4 of 5 Stars

Having never examined Mill Creek’s earlier “double feature” Blu-ray that paired this film with Happy Birthday to Me, it is impossible to say if this new disc contains the same transfer. What can be said is that this transfer looks very good with fine detail on display, accurate colors, and fairly decent contrast. However, one does wonder if they might have pushed the blacks a bit too far at times. The image sometimes looks as if it is too dark as detail looks like it may have been crushed a bit. (It would be nice to compare this to a good film print or even another video transfer for comparison.) There may be some dirt and debris on display, but it is a rare occurrence that never becomes distracting. It seems to have been taken from a very clean print. Compression artifacts are also never an issue here.

Sound Quality:

3 of 5 Stars

Mill Creek Entertainment’s 2.0 DTS-HD master audio track is essentially a transfer of the film’s original mono sound elements, and the result is as good as anyone really has any right to expect when one considers the film’s low budget origins. Dialogue is consistently clear and sounds unprocessed throughout the duration of the film, and the other elements are reasonably well prioritized within the confines of the mono mix. Dynamic range is certainly decent but won’t compare favorably to any of the tracks for larger budgeted movies of this period. It is what it is and could never have been anything else.

Special Features:

0 of 5 Stars

This release does not include any supplementary material.

Final Words:

When a Stranger Calls isn’t one of the strongest genre titles from the seventies, but those who enjoy a good thriller will find plenty to appreciate. Mill Creek Entertainment’s “no frills” Blu-ray contains a reasonably strong high definition transfer that should satisfy collectors who are watching their pennies. It really is a terrific value for the price.

Blu-ray Review: Vibes

Distributor: Mill Creek Entertainment

Release Date: February 11, 2020

Region: Region A

Length: 01:39:35

Video: 1080P (MPEG-4, AVC)

Main Audio: 2.0 English DTS-HD Master Audio

Subtitles: English SDH

Ratio: 1.85:1

Notes: This release marks the Blu-ray debut of this title.

Those of you with ESP already know that Vibes isn’t a very good film. Pitched as “Romancing the Ghostbusters in the Temple of Doom,” the flimsy narrative follows a pair of psychics named Sylvia Pickel (Cyndi Lauper) and Nick Deezy (Jeff Goldblum) who meet at a laboratory for testing psychic phenomena. They initially dislike one another but eventually come together when a shady but amusing man named Harry Buscafusco (Peter Falk) hires them to find an ancient treasure in Ecuador. Their supernatural skills lead them straight into the arms of danger, disaster, and eventually one another.

Cyndi Lauper was a pop superstar when Vibes was produced. Her first two albums were extremely successful and yielded a number of hit singles. In fact, “She’s So Unusual” almost sounds like a “Greatest Hits” record.

The far out narrative isn’t very original or clever—you don’t need to be psychic to know where the plot is going to take you—but this would be forgivable if so many other elements hadn’t been so incredibly miscalculated. The screenplay needed a few extra drafts, the direction was painfully misconceived, and the acting was competent but without any “chemistry” between the two leads. Jokes land with a thud. The most interesting aspect of the entire production is the eccentric presence of Cyndi Lauper. Her eccentric qualities might have actually worked in this film if they had been better served by the material. The high point of the film is the credit scroll, because we get to hear Cyndi rock out to “Hole in My Heart” (the film’s obligatory Lauper-helmed theme song).

I’ve often wondered if the failure of Vibes wasn’t also responsible for her decline in popularity. A Night to Remember, Lauper’s third record, didn’t sell nearly as well as the two enormously successful albums that proceeded the film (She’s So Unusual and True Colors). In retrospect, the film seems to have precipitated something of a decline in her popularity.

Lauper’s third album, “A Night to Remember,” was released after the failure of Vibes on May 09, 1989. Unfortunately, it wasn’t commercially successful, and only one of the singles could be realistically described as a “hit.”

The Presentation:

3.5 of 5 Stars

Mill Creek Entertainment protects their disc in a standard Blu-ray case with an insert sleeve that features one of the film’s original marketing poster designs (which is reasonably attractive and much better than most home video art):

However, they hide this art under an O-Ring that features “Retro VHS” artwork that is meant to resemble the video rentals of a past generation (the generation that would have seen this film in theaters). This is a nice touch, but the original VHS art was fairly awful.

The static menu uses a horizontal alteration one of the film’s other marketing poster designs. The artwork is certainly on the cheesy side, but this is probably appropriate considering the film in question.

Picture Quality:

4 of 5 Stars

Mill Creek’s 1080p transfer of Vibes easily bests previous DVD editions of the film. Clarity sees a marked improvement as does depth and fine detail. Colors are sometimes incredibly bright and vivid and always seems to be timed accurately. What’s more, the print must have been pretty clean as there isn’t much in the way of dirt or debris to report. The disc’s encode also seems to have been well managed as we didn’t notice any compression artifacts. Fans who are looking to upgrade can rest assured that this disc is a significant improvement over their DVD discs.

Sound Quality:

4 of 5 Stars

The 2.0 English DTS-HD master audio transfer is also decent as it is a fairly good transfer of the film’s original audio elements. Dialogue is always intelligible and never sounds processed. Ambience, sound effects, and music are given room to breathe and were well prioritized within the mix. It isn’t a terribly dynamic mix, but it is a good rendering of the film’s original mix (which is really all that matters).

Special Features:

0 of 5 Stars

This release does not include any supplementary material.

Final Words:

Cyndi Lauper devotees and fans of eighties cheese will probably find something to enjoy in Vibes, but it doesn’t have much to offer anyone else. However, those who wish to add the film to their collections will be happy to learn that Mill Creek Entertainment’s Blu-ray release is actually quite solid.

Blu-ray Review: Parasite

Distributor: Universal Studios

Release Date: January 28th, 2020

Region: Region A

Length: 02:12:04

Video: 1080P (MPEG-4, AVC)

Main Audio: 5.1 Korean DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz, 1949 kbps, 24-bit)

Subtitles: English

Ratio: 2.39:1

Bitrate: 27.99 Mbps

Notes: This package includes a Digital Copy of the film. A DVD edition of the film is also available for purchase.

“I’m particularly happy with the ‘Best Editing’ and ‘Best Production Design’ nominations for the film — for the film to be acknowledged for its craft and below-the-line work… For Korean cinema, a lot of people in the international community only know the auteurs, the directors, but we have so many great technicians and masters working in the industry. And for the first time now, these amazing technicians are recognized.” -Bong Joon Ho (The Wrap, January 30, 2020)

Parasite may very well be Bong Joon-ho’s strongest work to date, but it was still something of a surprise to discover that it had earned so many coveted Academy Awards nominations. It is the first South Korean film to be nominated in each of the categories that it is competing: Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Production Design. It is only the eleventh non-English film to earn a Best Picture nod and the sixth to earn nominations in both the Best Picture and the Best International Feature Film categories. Of course, the Academy is merely the most recent organization to honor the film as it has already racked up over 100 award nominations to date. In fact, it has already taken home a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film.

These accolades are well deserved as it is truly one of the year’s most engaging and most relevant releases. Bong Joon-ho has created a satirical comic thriller that stands alone in nearly every respect. It shares certain themes with Chang-dong Lee’s Burning—another recent South Korean import—but that feature lacked the dark humor of Parasite. Song Kang Ho (Snowpiercer, The Host), Lee Sun Kyun (A Hard Day, Paju), Cho Yeo Jeong (The Servant, Obsessed), Choi Woo Shik (Okja, Train to Busan), Park So Dam (The Priests, The Silenced), Lee Jung Eun (Okja, The Wailing) and Chang Hyae Jin (Marine Boy, If It Snows on Christmas) each give terrific performances in the film, and one wishes that the Academy had remembered some of these excellent actors while choosing the acting nominees.

Parasite follows two families. The Kim family struggles for all of life’s necessities as they struggle to find employment while the Parks are “the picture of aspirational wealth.” After the Parks hire Ki-woo as a tutor, the Kim’s sense a golden opportunity. Soon all four members are employed by the Park family. To say much more than this would be to deprive the viewer, because this is a film that is best entered into without knowing anything beforehand. It is enough to say that the narrative’s twists and turns will keep viewer’s glued to their seats.

The Presentation:

4 of 5 Stars

Universal houses their disc in a standard Blu-ray case with artwork that is an alteration of their original one sheet design. The case is protected by a slipcover that features this same image.

The animated menus feature footage and music from the film. They are attractive and easy to navigate.

Picture Quality:

5 of 5 Stars

Parasite was shot on Arri Alexa 65 cameras with Hasselblad Prime DNA lenses at a resolution of 6.5K and was eventually mastered in 4K. Universal’s 1080p transfer was taken directly from that master, and the resulting image is nothing short of incredible. Fine detail is impressive throughout and colors are accurately rendered. Contrast is also expertly handled as rich blacks never crush pertinent detail in darker moments of the film. Noise is evident during a few of the darker scenes, but this minor flaw never becomes distracting and may even go unnoticed. Clarity is otherwise immaculate here and depth is strong as well. There are no compression or encoding artifacts to report either. Fans will be more than pleased.

Sound Quality:

4 of 5 Stars

Some may complain that the Dolby Atmos mix hasn’t been included with this release. One wonders if they are holding onto the Atmos track for a future 4K UHD release. We don’t agree with this strategy, but we see this happening quite a bit lately. Luckily, the 5.1 DTS-HD master audio is a strong one. The film is driven by dialogue and this particular element is well prioritized and always clear and intelligible (although judging this aspect of the mix is challenging to my native English ears). Music and effects are also well prioritized and the mix makes terrific use of these elements throughout the film. In fact, the mix is ore immersive than one might expect from a film like Parasite. If a Dolby Atmos track didn’t also exist, these audio elements would have easily earned five stars.

Special Features:

2 of 5 Stars

Parasite: 2019 Fantastic Fest Q+A with Director Bong Joon Ho – (19:05)

This Q&A from a screening of Parasite at Fantastic Fest is only hindered by language. Bong Joon Ho is very forthcoming and generously answers questions in some depth, but his answers have to be translated from Korean to English. It is sometimes a challenge to sit through as a result of this, but the viewer’s patience is rewarded. The information discussed concerns such pertinent topics as the film’s themes, symbolism, biographical information, and much more. It is a terrific and worthwhile addition to the disc.

Theatrical Trailer #1 – (02:22)

Theatrical Trailer #2 – (02:03)

It is also nice to have the film’s theatrical trailers included. It is interesting to see how the film has been marketed to US audiences.

Final Words:

Parasite is a unique and thrilling cinematic experience that deserves the critical praise and awards that it has earned since its release, and Universal’s Blu-ray is currently the best way to enjoy the film in one’s home environment.

Note: While we were provided with a screener for review purposes, this had no bearing on our review process. We do not feel under any obligation to hand out positive reviews. All screenshots and poster images are the property of Universal Studios.