Éric Rohmer on DVD and BD

[tenia]

These French releases actually are quite a mixed bag. I've gone through almost 10 films and there are transfers that are wonderful and transfers that are very clearly DNR-ed. And it shows. The image is actually very flat and, predictably, smeary. This has absolutely nothing to do with 16mm, softness, or Rohmer's style. When done right, 16mm films actually look fabulous on Blu-ray. There are plenty of examples.

Could you tell which ones are the most problematic ? So far, I've only heard of La boulangère de Monceau being obviously DNRed.

[zedz]

As far as 16mm is concerned, there are some modern releases that have set the bar so high that by now this should not even be discussed as a limitation (and 16mm never was to begin with). Take a look at Chris Nolan's Following. It is one of the all-time greatest looking Blu-ray releases.

I agree. The resolution of 16mm and BluRay is so close that a good digital transfer can go a very long way to replicating the look and feel of the original. (Of course, it can still be screwed up very easily.)

[dfzp]

MoC's Le Pont du Nord looks incredible, I didn't expect a cheaply shot 16mm film look that good.

On topic, I've checked the four feature-lenght Moral Tales as well as the six Comedies et Proverbes (can't do bluray captures):

Ma nuit chez Maud (the only one of those four being 25p) looks slightly DNR-ed, but it's not too bad.
The other three (La collectionneuse, Le genou de Claire, L'amour l'après-midi) look really great.

The Comedies et Proverbes is kind of a mixed bag.
La femme de l'aviateur and Le rayon vert (both 16mm) are 1.66, which is definitely NOT the AR of the former. I'm not too sure about the latter, according to my (Spanish) sources, 1.66 IS the actual OAR, though I have a hard time believing that.
Pauline à la plage is 25p AND 1.37 (should be 1.66 according to Almendros). Looks almost video-like to me (denoisening+sharpening), the image doesn't have "texture". Le beau marriage looks similar.
On the other hand, Les nuits de la pleine lune and L'ami de mon amie look genuinely great (especially the former, I had always seen it in kinda fuzzy prints).

[PGW]

Good lord, be gentle man! You've got to treat this set let the emotionally fragile heroine of the Green Ray. Just push down with your finger in the middle ring, and they should pop right out.

I have the big box. There is no middle ring to press down on. The discs rest on two plastic levers which act like springs, so if you press down on the top of the disc you can free it from two plastic tabs on either side which hold it in place. This works most of the time for the double-disc sets (even though I'm sure those brittle plastic levers are going to break eventually), but the triple disc cases seem to be very, very difficult to get the discs in and out of.

There's a picture of these on the dvdbeaver reviews.

[furbicide]

For anyone who's had a look, what's the Rosette series like? This is the first I've heard of it (and I'm a big Rohmer fan—seen all his features except for Catherine de Heilbronn. Can someone confirm if that's included?).

I'm also curious about his last two shorts (Le Canapé Rouge and La Nue a la Terrasse), neither of which I can find much about on the Internet. The latter appears to be the last thing he ever made, so I'd be keen to read more about it.

[Zot!]

For anyone who's had a look, what's the Rosette series like? This is the first I've heard of it (and I'm a big Rohmer fan—seen all his features except for Catherine de Heilbronn. Can someone confirm if that's included?).

I'm also curious about his last two shorts (Le Canapé Rouge and La Nue a la Terrasse), neither of which I can find much about on the Internet. The latter appears to be the last thing he ever made, so I'd be keen to read more about it.

Sadly no subs on the Rosette disc. Which is a real shame, because it seems to be a great deal of fun. It's the written by the actress Rosette, and directed by Rohmer and shot on Super-8. It seems to be short story trifles in the same vein as Reinette & Mirabelle, which I like a great deal.

[PGW]

The films you mention, "Le Canapé Rouge" and "La Nue a la Terrasse" are on the "Workshop of Eric Rohmer" DVD, but his role on those films was just as an editor, and none of the films on that disc are English friendly (unfortunately).

[furbicide]

Ah, a bit like that odd (and rather lame) short on the Criterion Moral Tales boxset, The Curve? Strangely, IMDb lists Rohmer as director of Le Canapé Rouge. Anyhow, I'd be interested to hear general observations about these short films, even if viewed sans subtitles.

Thanks for all the info guys, by the way. If I were bilingual and/or had $300 to spare, I think I know what I'd be spending it on...

[Oedipax]

Finally got my box set today, miraculously intact considering the condition of the package it was in. #1830/5000.

Lovely artwork on all the discs with original posters featured on the interior of the digipacks. You also get a nice original poster of Le genou de Claire, a set of large postcards, and a couple Rohmer-branded tea bags!

As mentioned above, the actual disc hubs are unnecessarily difficult to get the movies in and out of without fear of breaking them, but I think I've kinda got the hang of it now.

All in all, very satisfied with the box. I'm sure some of these will have superior transfers in the coming years but you could spend a lifetime waiting for all these films to trickle out in region A, very glad to have them all right now.

[cinemartin]

Can anyone give a report of the early shorts Berenice and kreutzer sonata? I've been wanting to see these for a very long time and had pretty much given up on them.

[Oedipax]

I'll post my impressions once I've viewed them, although my French is still far from perfect (though I am learning) so I won't be able to say too much. One of the postcards is made up stills from Kreutzer, including Godard and André Bazin.

[cinemartin]

Awesome - thanks!

[Michael Kerpan]

If I win a lottery -- I am SO buying this set!

[domino harvey]

No, if you win the lottery, license its contents for American release and subtitle the extras

[Michael Kerpan]

Well, I was thinking about winning just a _modest_ lottery. ;~}

[furbicide]

I was just having a look at the contents, and wow... it really does have everything, doesn't it?

http://media.potemkine.fr/film/dossierp ... 4light.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A fully English-subtitled edition cannot come soon enough. Does anyone think it is very likely? Or is France (and the international Francophone community) really the only viable market for a set like this?

[knives]

I imagine the rights situation would make an english friendly duplication difficult to say the least. At best I imagine AE could do a some of it, but there's no hope of redoing the whole kit and caboodle.

[Zot!]

Like zedz mentioned some posts back, there is very little chance that anybody is going to subtitle the 40 hours of extras.

[domino harvey]

Well, not with that attitude

[Zot!]

Pauline à la plage is 25p AND 1.37 (should be 1.66 according to Almendros). Looks almost video-like to me (denoisening+sharpening), the image doesn't have "texture". Le beau marriage looks similar.)

There is definitely deterimental digital tinkering going on with Pauline à la plage, though it still retains a high level of detail. It's the worst transfer I have come across in the box. However, I completely disagree regarding Le beau marriage. It is among the best transfers I have seen, to the point where one could understandably get suspicious. The level of detail is really very impressive.

As far as 16mm is concerned, there are some modern releases that have set the bar so high that by now this should not even be discussed as a limitation (and 16mm never was to begin with). Take a look at Chris Nolan's Following. It is one of the all-time greatest looking Blu-ray releases.

This is an unrealistic expectation. Something like Rayon Vert is extremely grainy, and appears to have been shot almost entirely with available light, to the point where sharp focus was impossible. But this is indeed a limitation of the production or aesthetic, and certainly not of the transfer. I will be interested to hear your full comments on the set, are you reviewing this?

[PGW]

What bothered you about "Pauline"? I watched it and thought it looked terrific.

[manicsounds]

From the DVDBeaver reviews, a few of the titles from the French BD box are in 1080i, and matching the 25 fps PAL runtimes rather than transfering them in 24fps. Wonder why they did that.

[shaky]

Moreover, something definitely looks off to me about the LE BEAU MARIAGE blu-ray, at least from the dvdbeaver screencaps.

[shaky]

Maybe I'm absolutely losing it, David. Does that second screencap of the woman walking up the stairs(I've yet to see this one) not have that kind of digitalized quality found in the Criterion and Gaumont blu-rays of MADAME DE?

[Zot!]

What bothered you about "Pauline"? I watched it and thought it looked terrific.

I haven't watched it completely, so don't take my word for it. But to my eyes, as someone else has mentioned, there is some kind of artificial sharpening and filter/noise reduction being applied. The detail is still good, and some shots look outstanding. I still find it perfectly watchable, just compromised.