Sparrow

If anyone has the disc and can provide a mini review, that would be great.

Also, can someone point me to a review of the upcoming disc from any review site?

My search has come up empty.

Thanks!

jeyi

Hey, did anyone see this classic movie "Purple Noon" ?

It is played by the most handsome movie star Alain Delon and the story is the same as "The Talented Mr. Ripley."


Being the biggest fan of Alain Delon, I really want to buy this dvd and I would also like to know more about the quality of this dvd before I purchase it.



Thanks!

jeyi

Anybody ?

Richard Malloy

Sparrow, jeyi, I watched this DVD last night, and most of my comments regarding Miramax's BELLE DE JOUR dvd also apply to this release:

(See my review of Belle de jour in this thread:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=174425)

The disc boasts nearly the same features and quality as Belle de jour: non-anamorphic, 1.66:1 image, removeable subs for English and English for the hearing-impaired, the original French language track plus a decent English dub track. The fidelity is actually quite good on the dub - better than the one on Belle de jour - but it is certainly NOT the preferred track and I do not recommmend it (at least for the first viewing). Still, it's of sufficient quality to make it well worth including. However, just as with the Belle de jour dvd, you cannot change audio on-the-fly and the disc defaults to the English track (stupid, stupid, stupid).

I don't know if the transfer is recycled, but the print condition is actually a tad better than the one used for Belle de jour, and occasionally looks quite good. On the other hand, it does have its share of speckles and flecks, is occasionally quite soft, and exhibits a fair amount of artifacting and the occasional hallowing effect. This is a sumptiously photographed film, and could look so much better.

Unlike Belle de jour, there is no commentary track for Plein soleil.

Finally, it's a wonderful film with gorgeous cinematography and some really fine performances. I'm a big fan of The Talented Mr. Ripley, and it's quite clear that Minghella's quite familiar with Clement's version of Highsmith's novel. But Clement's is a somewhat different take on the Ripley character, and the overall narrative is streamlined quite a bit. And it doesn't delve quite so deeply into the questions of class and identity that Ripley tackles head-on, and likewise the homosexual aspects remain only as undercurrents. But if you liked Ripley, chances are you'll like Purple Noon. And if you didn't like Ripley, you'll probably still like Purple Noon!

(I actually somewhat prefer Minghella's version, but I think they're both fantastic films.)

I'm still disappointed that Miramax didn't give these "Martin Scorsese Presents" discs better transfers, particularly because these are likely the only versions we'll get. But the films are so good that if you're a fan, then I do recommend them. We're certainly not talking Madacy quality, but you won't be mistaking them for Criterions either. Recommended with caveats.

Sparrow

Thanks Richard for the review. I saw Purple Noon a few years back on VHS and loved the movie and Alain Delon's performance. I plan to pick it up soon.

Tony Block

That's why I went ahead and got these DVDs. I love the films. However it really, really sucks that Miramax/Buena Vista/Disney/Mickey whoever let all the DVD retailers list these as anamorphic transfers, when they WERE NOT, and I'm sure this didn't hurt sales.

cheers, Tony Block

jeyi

Richard,
Thanks for the review. I have never seen the Purple Noon but I am going to buy it now.

So nice of you!

Tony Block

Richard I received the Canadian version of Purple Noon from my etailer and the subtitles are white and burnt in. Just checking to verify that the Buena Vista Purple Noon does have yellow removable subtitles before i return the Canadian version.

Thanks, Tony Block