Belle De Jour: Reviews wanted
01-14-02, 08:41 PM
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Belle De Jour: Reviews wanted
Has anyone seen the forthcoming Belle De Jour R1 disc? I have yet to see a review of it, and I'd like to read about how Miramax did before I preorder it.
01-14-02, 09:26 PM
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Re: Belle De Jour: Reviews wanted
Originally posted by dave955
Has anyone seen the forthcoming Belle De Jour R1 disc? I have yet to see a review of it, and I'd like to read about how Miramax did before I preorder it.
Has anyone seen the forthcoming Belle De Jour R1 disc? I have yet to see a review of it, and I'd like to read about how Miramax did before I preorder it.
http://secure01.entertainme.com/serv...PageName=index
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technical Information
Release Information:
Studio: Buena Vista Home Vid
Theatrical Release Date: April 10, 1968
DVD Release Date: January 22, 2002
Run Time: 100 minutes
Production Company: Buena Vista Home Vid
Package Type: Keep Case
Aspect Ratio(s):
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.66:1
Discographic Information:
DVD Encoding: Region 1
Layers: Dual
Available Audio Tracks: French, English
Available subtitles: English
Edition Details:
• Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
• Color
• Commentary by Bunuel Scholar Julie Jones
• Interview with Catherine Deneuve
• Original U.S. Theatrical Trailer & 1995 Re-Release Trailer
• Widescreen anamorphic format
• ASIN: B00005JKP9
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
cheers, Tony Block
P.S. I have't seen an online review of the disc yet though I'd check DVDbasen every couple of days cuz there should be a review up soon, hopefully.
http://www.dvd-basen.dk/uk/home.php3
01-19-02, 07:54 PM
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Originally posted by pro-bassoonist
Could anyone actually explain the ending of this movie to me? I have a really hard time trying to grasp the "plot".
Could anyone actually explain the ending of this movie to me? I have a really hard time trying to grasp the "plot".
Here's some reviews for Belle de jour.
http://www.mrqe.com/lookup?belle+de+jour
The thing to remember about Bunuel, is that he's a lot like David Lynch, in that he doesn't like to talk to much about what his films are exactly about. Belle de jour has lots of fantasy sequences and by the end of the film, reality & fantasy have blurred into each other so much that it's dificult to tell which is which.
In fact, some folks were upset with Miramax for their theatrical and VHS release of the film, because Miramax decided which sequences were "dreams/fantasy" and those subtitles were in italics, and those Miramax decided were reality had regular non-italicized subtitles.
Most people agree that Bunuel would have wanted the subtitles to be standardized throughout the film, without simplistic cues like italicized subtitles to "clue you in."
Unfortunately, my gut feeling is that Miramax is going to release the DVD with same subtitles they used on their theatrical & VHS releases.
cheers, MCB
P.S. here's the pretty Catherine Deneuve
http://hometown.aol.com/fatamorgana1...elledejour.jpg
Last edited by Tony Block; 01-19-02 at 07:58 PM.
01-20-02, 03:04 AM
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Thank you so much.......I too was a bit confused as what exactly happened at the end. This movie left me with sort of a feeling that I could not explain....perhaps a bit empty or something like that. I really had a tough time following the plot!!
01-23-02, 01:40 AM
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I've been to almost 10 stores and can't find this disc anywhere!
From Tower to Borders to Virgin even to Ken Crane's. They all have it as releasing today, yet none of them have it in.
The same with Children of Paradise. No one has it!
This is what you get for liking non-mainstream stuff.
What sucks, though, it that neither Belle De Jour or Children of Paradise are that obscure. Yet, I sitll can't find them anywhere.
And before you suggest getting them on-line - I want them NOW!!
From Tower to Borders to Virgin even to Ken Crane's. They all have it as releasing today, yet none of them have it in.
The same with Children of Paradise. No one has it!
This is what you get for liking non-mainstream stuff.
What sucks, though, it that neither Belle De Jour or Children of Paradise are that obscure. Yet, I sitll can't find them anywhere.
And before you suggest getting them on-line - I want them NOW!!
01-23-02, 09:37 AM
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Almost every store around here has it(Indiana University-Bloomington). I did check CC and BORDERS and they had plenty of copies.
One of the places even had a poster on the front.
Where do you live?
One of the places even had a poster on the front.
Where do you live?
01-23-02, 11:43 AM
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Trying to get non-Hollywood product near Hollywood? Maybe it is a conspiracy? 
Someone must have this disc by now and be able to comment on its quality / lack thereof.
Someone must have this disc by now and be able to comment on its quality / lack thereof.
01-23-02, 11:48 AM
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I hate to be the bearer of bad focking news, but the early word is that this is a recycled, non anamorphic transfer. Go here:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=40994
(I'm "Al Brown" over there - where one is allowed to use words like "focking" and "ossholes" and the like. There are times when that sort of vulgarity just seems appropriate.)
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=40994
(I'm "Al Brown" over there - where one is allowed to use words like "focking" and "ossholes" and the like. There are times when that sort of vulgarity just seems appropriate.)
01-28-02, 11:43 AM
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I've checked with every store around me and none of them have gotten it in.
They all show that it was released on the 22nd, but they never even got it in and don't know when they're supposed to get it.
What's going on?
They all show that it was released on the 22nd, but they never even got it in and don't know when they're supposed to get it.
What's going on?
01-28-02, 12:57 PM
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Originally posted by slop101
I've checked with every store around me and none of them have gotten it in.
They all show that it was released on the 22nd, but they never even got it in and don't know when they're supposed to get it.
What's going on?
I've checked with every store around me and none of them have gotten it in.
They all show that it was released on the 22nd, but they never even got it in and don't know when they're supposed to get it.
What's going on?
All I know is that I'm unhappy about Disney/Buena Vista releasing Belle de jour & Purple Noon without anamorphic transfers.
Tres BUSH LEAGUE!
cheers, Tony Block
01-30-02, 12:51 PM
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Somebody posted at HTF that they were told that Miramax is delaying the copies that haven't yet been sent to stores because of some issues with the transfer. Could this possibly mean that the disc was non-anamorphic by accident? I just sent Miramax an e-mail asking about this.
01-30-02, 12:59 PM
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I hadn't heard about the delay, but as fate would have it my preorder of Belle de jour finally arrived yesterday. I didn't have time to do more than sample it, but let me give you some of my initial impressions.
I've never seen the LD, but I think there can be no doubt that this is a recycled transfer. One thing is clear: this film has all the production values of any of Bunuel's latter-era work, and *should* look absolutely gorgeous. Indeed, every bit as good as "Diary" or "Discreet Charm" or "Obscure Object". But of course it doesn't look anywhere near that good.
The colors appear somewhat more muted than they should, though Bunuel certainly doesn't oversaturate his color-schemes. It appears a tad too soft and there's all manner of nicks, speckles and scratches. It also appears too bright and washed-out, even though there are some deeper blacks apparent. I didn't alter my video calibration, but I wanted to and likely will when I sit down to watch it all the way through. Non-anamorphic, of course. By way of comparison, it does not look as good as Fox Lorber's recycled LD transfer of NOSTALGHIA, nor as good as their recycled transfer of LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD. It also doesn't look quite as good as Image's dvds of JULIET OF THE SPIRITS and RED DESERT. Needless to say, it doesn't even approach the quality of the Criterion Bunuels.
The French audio track is serviceable with decent dynamic range. I'll need to watch the whole thing to let you know whether any annoying pops, scratches, or hissing becomes troublesome, but it seems adequate so far. The English track lacks much of the fidelity of the French one, but it's actually not a bad dub. I queued up a dialog scene between Severine and Pierre to see how it would play. Severine seems to come off as slightly less mysterious with a sorta middle-American housewife affect, while Pierre's constant infantilizing and patronizing of her seems even more pronounced... perhaps even a bit overdone. Certainly not the preferred track, but well worth including.
The subs are removeable and include both a regular English sub track and an English sub track for the hearing impaired which also describes ambient sounds (car horns, knocks on doors, and the like). Importantly, the subs are not italicized during the dream sequences.
I listened very briefly to the commentary (Julie Jones?). She identifies herself as a member of the French language department at some school in New Orleans, but she also claims to be a Bunuel scholar. From the very brief snippet I listened to, she does seem fairly knowledgeable, capable of identifying all those recurrent visual motifs that crop up in Bunuel's work, and does a fine job of describing them. You might find her thick and syrupy Southern/Noo'awlins accent a bit distracting at first. And when she attempts a French accent, it's really only good for a giggle ("pawnchahnt" - that is, "penchant" - earned a big guffaw from my wife). And she does sound as though she's reading a dissertation. At one point, she referred to Polanski's "REPULSION" as "REPRESSION", but that's an honest mistake (and sorta Freudian-accurate anyway). Of course, I'll have to listen to more than 5 minutes of it before providing a real appraisal, but I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to hearing it.
The two trailers are interesting, though not particularly in a good way. The original North American trailer really pushes the erotic angle, selling it like the second coming of "I Am Curious (Yellow)". Nothing at all, of course, about how the film marks a great leap forward in Bunuel's surrealism and the manner in which he depicted dreamstates. The Miramax re-release trailer (from 1995) isn't any better - maybe worse - and seems to want to cover up Bunuel's naturalistic, non time-compressed style by simply utilizing still pictures with that typical, movie-trailer, male baritone voiceover. I think I understand why this was done - Bunuel's style is very naturalistic and rarely draws attention to itself (aside from the early anarchist/surrealist masterpieces), and is often dismissed by those who can't quickly and easily discern it's brilliance before arriving at the end of their attention spans. But it clearly presumes a lack of sophistication even among the arthouse audience to which it's pitched. To be honest, it would be difficult to reveal Bunuel's brilliance in clips - there simply isn't that "WOW" factor that comes from breathless editing or highly-stylized photography, etc. But these trailers, as usual, say more about the way the distributors viewed the audience than the film itself.
Upshot: I should probably reserve judgment until viewing the entire disc, but on the basis of my brief sampling, I would recommend it to Bunuel fans. It's a disappointment, to be sure... but it's still Belle de jour in an adequate DVD presentation. At least worth a rental.
Now, about this recall...?
I've never seen the LD, but I think there can be no doubt that this is a recycled transfer. One thing is clear: this film has all the production values of any of Bunuel's latter-era work, and *should* look absolutely gorgeous. Indeed, every bit as good as "Diary" or "Discreet Charm" or "Obscure Object". But of course it doesn't look anywhere near that good.
The colors appear somewhat more muted than they should, though Bunuel certainly doesn't oversaturate his color-schemes. It appears a tad too soft and there's all manner of nicks, speckles and scratches. It also appears too bright and washed-out, even though there are some deeper blacks apparent. I didn't alter my video calibration, but I wanted to and likely will when I sit down to watch it all the way through. Non-anamorphic, of course. By way of comparison, it does not look as good as Fox Lorber's recycled LD transfer of NOSTALGHIA, nor as good as their recycled transfer of LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD. It also doesn't look quite as good as Image's dvds of JULIET OF THE SPIRITS and RED DESERT. Needless to say, it doesn't even approach the quality of the Criterion Bunuels.
The French audio track is serviceable with decent dynamic range. I'll need to watch the whole thing to let you know whether any annoying pops, scratches, or hissing becomes troublesome, but it seems adequate so far. The English track lacks much of the fidelity of the French one, but it's actually not a bad dub. I queued up a dialog scene between Severine and Pierre to see how it would play. Severine seems to come off as slightly less mysterious with a sorta middle-American housewife affect, while Pierre's constant infantilizing and patronizing of her seems even more pronounced... perhaps even a bit overdone. Certainly not the preferred track, but well worth including.
The subs are removeable and include both a regular English sub track and an English sub track for the hearing impaired which also describes ambient sounds (car horns, knocks on doors, and the like). Importantly, the subs are not italicized during the dream sequences.
I listened very briefly to the commentary (Julie Jones?). She identifies herself as a member of the French language department at some school in New Orleans, but she also claims to be a Bunuel scholar. From the very brief snippet I listened to, she does seem fairly knowledgeable, capable of identifying all those recurrent visual motifs that crop up in Bunuel's work, and does a fine job of describing them. You might find her thick and syrupy Southern/Noo'awlins accent a bit distracting at first. And when she attempts a French accent, it's really only good for a giggle ("pawnchahnt" - that is, "penchant" - earned a big guffaw from my wife). And she does sound as though she's reading a dissertation. At one point, she referred to Polanski's "REPULSION" as "REPRESSION", but that's an honest mistake (and sorta Freudian-accurate anyway). Of course, I'll have to listen to more than 5 minutes of it before providing a real appraisal, but I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to hearing it.
The two trailers are interesting, though not particularly in a good way. The original North American trailer really pushes the erotic angle, selling it like the second coming of "I Am Curious (Yellow)". Nothing at all, of course, about how the film marks a great leap forward in Bunuel's surrealism and the manner in which he depicted dreamstates. The Miramax re-release trailer (from 1995) isn't any better - maybe worse - and seems to want to cover up Bunuel's naturalistic, non time-compressed style by simply utilizing still pictures with that typical, movie-trailer, male baritone voiceover. I think I understand why this was done - Bunuel's style is very naturalistic and rarely draws attention to itself (aside from the early anarchist/surrealist masterpieces), and is often dismissed by those who can't quickly and easily discern it's brilliance before arriving at the end of their attention spans. But it clearly presumes a lack of sophistication even among the arthouse audience to which it's pitched. To be honest, it would be difficult to reveal Bunuel's brilliance in clips - there simply isn't that "WOW" factor that comes from breathless editing or highly-stylized photography, etc. But these trailers, as usual, say more about the way the distributors viewed the audience than the film itself.
Upshot: I should probably reserve judgment until viewing the entire disc, but on the basis of my brief sampling, I would recommend it to Bunuel fans. It's a disappointment, to be sure... but it's still Belle de jour in an adequate DVD presentation. At least worth a rental.
Now, about this recall...?
Last edited by Richard Malloy; 01-30-02 at 01:29 PM.
01-31-02, 03:49 PM
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Originally posted by slop101
Malloy,
Thanks for that review.
I'm glad that we've still got you here.
Malloy,
Thanks for that review.
I'm glad that we've still got you here.
I wonder if the commentary was originally recorded for the laserdisc and then not used? Seems strange that Miramax would go to the trouble of recording a new one for a release they seemingly care little about.
02-01-02, 11:48 AM
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Originally posted by slop101
Malloy,
Thanks for that review.
I'm glad that we've still got you here.
Malloy,
Thanks for that review.
I'm glad that we've still got you here.
02-12-02, 02:24 PM
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Deneuve interview?
I was just curious if your disc actually has the promised interview with Catherine Deneuve? I just got my copy today, after a long delay from DVDBoxOffice, and was surprised to discover I had received some kind of Canadian pressing (it has text in both English *and* French on the back). I want to make sure I got pretty much the same disc as the regular United States release.
Thanks for any help.
jamie
Thanks for any help.
jamie
03-21-02, 04:53 PM
#25
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Bump for more info.
Is this disk so bad that it's not worth buying? The reviews on Amazon are very negative. I've been waiting for the DVD release since I bought a player last year.
Is this disk so bad that it's not worth buying? The reviews on Amazon are very negative. I've been waiting for the DVD release since I bought a player last year.