Bardot Godard Contempt

(aka "Contempt" or "Il Disprezzo" or "Die Verachtung" or "Il Desprecio" )

France / Italy 1963

I can remember how puzzled Iwas by this gorgeous film as an undergraduate. Though it was Godard's sixth feature, it was only the third to be released in the United States, preceded by Breathless in 1961 and by Vivre sa vie in 1963. The first of these was a cheap American-style thriller in black and white, the second a cheap French-style art film in black and white; Contempt, in glorious Technicolor and 'Scope, clearly didn't belong to either category. A big international coproduction (starring Brigitte Bardot and Jack Palance) that even played in my hometown in Alabama, it virtually began with a scene in which Bardot was stretched out nude on a bed beside a fully clothed, then-unknown Michel Piccoli while they engaged in a curious romantic dialogue about how much he loved her various parts; a seemingly unmotivated use of red and blue filters punctuated the full-color shots. Coproduced by the vulgar American showman Joseph E. Levine--best known at the time for his distribution of Italian-made Hercules movies with Steve Reeves and his subsequent involvement with Federico Fellini--Contempt could only seem the grotesque marriage of crass exploitation and high art. (In fact, all the nude shots of Bardot were ordered by Levine after Godard considered the film done; acceding to the producer's request as literally as possible, he even clarified the commodification process in the opening evaluation of Bardot's body.)

Excerpt from Jonathan Rosenbaum's review at the Chicago Reader located HERE

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Theatrical Release: 29 October 1963

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DVD Comparison:

The Criterion Collection (US) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Momentum Pictures (UK) - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman and Pavel Borodin for the Screen Caps!

(The Criterion Collection (US) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Momentum Pictures (UK) - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	The Criterion Collection (US) Region 0 - NTSC	Momentum Pictures (UK) Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:43:20	1:38:29 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.31 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.29 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: The Criterion Collection (US)
Bitrate: Momentum Pictures (UK)
Audio	French, English Dolby Digital 1.0	French, English, German Dolby Digital 1.0
Subtitles	English, none	English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: The Criterion Collection (US) Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Edition Details: • New high-definition digital transfer, supervised by cinematographer Raoul Coutard and enhanced for widescreen televisions • Audio commentary by film scholar Robert Stam • The Dinosaur and the Baby (1967): a conversation between Jean-Luc Godard and Fritz Lang (61 minutes) • 2 documentaries: Bardot et Godard (8 mins) and Paparazzi (22 mins) • Jean-Luc Godard interview excerpt (1964) • A new video interview with legendary cinematographer Raoul Coutard • Original theatrical trailer DVD Release Date: December 10, 2002 Keep Case Chapters 12	Release Information: Studio: Momentum Pictures (UK) Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Edition Details: • Regions 2, 8 • 'Paparazzi' Documentary (21 mins) • 'Bardot & Godard' Documentary (8 mins) • Original theatrical trailer DVD Release Date: January 26, 2004 Keep Case Chapters 21

Comments:

Both have the same level of sharpness that I can tell. Both are HD-sourced. The only real difference that I can see is in the brightness levels; hence altering some of the color schemes. The framing is exact in both, so if I am being forced to guess - I would say the Criterion manipulated their brightness down a notch or two. Often this improves the perception of contrast (black levels), and can bring up sharpness. In capture #5 the walls seem cream-colored in the Momentum release and bright white in the Criterion. I have no way of knowing which is more accurate. This is very tough and you usually can't go wrong buying Criterion.

The Momentum seems a little more vibrant (even beyond the brightness) so I am giving them the slight edge in image quality. I think the yellowish tinge may be intentional or at least on the original print. I am willing to accept that I could be wrong, but that is how I am going. In the end it looks like the best NTSC DVD production competing with original PAL. The Momentum is brighter, but doesn't seem saturated to me. Very tough to be sure indeed. For the film alone, I don't think you'll be disappointed with either version.

Gary W Tooze

Recommended Reading in French Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)


The Films in My Life by Francois Truffaut, Leonard Mayhew	French Cinema: A Student's Guide by Philip Powrie, Keith Reader	Agnes Varda by Alison Smith	Godard on Godard : Critical Writings by Jean-Luc Godard	Robert Bresson (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs, No. 2) by James Quandt	French New Wave by Jean Douchet, Robert Bonnono, Cedric Anger, Robert Bononno	French Cinema: From Its Beginnings to the Present by Remi Fournier Lanzoni	Truffaut: A Biography by Antoine do Baecque and Serge Toubiana

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(The Criterion Collection (US) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Momentum Pictures (UK) - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

Screen Captures

(The Criterion Collection (US) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. Momentum Pictures (UK) - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

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Extras:	Criterion
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Distribution

The Criterion Collection (US)

Region 0 - NTSC

Momentum Pictures (UK)
Region 2 - PAL