|
Firstly, a massive thank you to our Patreon supporters. Your generosity touches me deeply. These supporters have become the single biggest contributing factor to the survival of DVDBeaver. Your assistance has become essential.
What do Patrons receive, that you don't?
1)
Our
weekly
Newsletter
sent to your Inbox every
Monday morning!
Please consider keeping us in existence with a couple of dollars or more each month (your pocket change!) so we can continue to do our best in giving you timely, thorough reviews, calendar updates and detailed comparisons. Thank you very much.
|
|
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka 'A Judgement in Stone' or 'Biester')
France 1995
The 2023 Criterion Blu-ray of Chabrol's La Ceremonie is reviewed/compared HERE
|
Claude Chabrol’s forty-ninth feature stands as the crowning achievement of his prolific career—a coolly riveting study of class dynamics, the psychology of crime, and the sordid secrets lurking beneath the veneer of everyday life. A fascinatingly enigmatic, César Award–winning Isabelle Huppert is the chaotic yin to Sandrine Bonnaire’s tightly coiled yang. They are, respectively, a small-town postal worker and a maid to a wealthy family, a pair of outsiders who form a mysterious alliance that gradually, almost imperceptibly, goes haywire. With a master’s control of sound, editing, and suspense, Chabrol constructs a tour de force of sustained tension that delivers each brilliant shock with ice-pick precision. *** Sophie, a quiet and shy maid working for an upper-class French family, finds a friend in the energetic and uncompromising postmaster Jeanne, who encourages her to stand up against her bourgeois employers. |
Theatrical Release: August 30th, 1995
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
Home Vision - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Home Vision - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray RIGHT
| Box Cover |
|
Coming to Blu-ray by Criterion in the US in November 2023:
|
| Distribution | Home Vision Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC | Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
| Runtime | 1:51:16 | 1:51:45.156 |
| Video | 1.72:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.94 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
1.66:1
1080P Single-layered
Blu-ray Disc Size: 23,037,842,300 bytes Feature: 22,263,054,336 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 22.99 Mbps |
|
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
||
| Bitrate: |
|
|
| Bitrate: Blu-ray |
|
|
| Audio | French (Dolby Digital 2.0) | LPCM Audio French 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit |
| Subtitles | English, None | English, None |
| Features |
Release Information:
Edition Details: • The
Making of La Cérémonie; a 20-minute documentary featuring Claude Chabrol,
Isabelle Huppert, and Sandrine Bonnaire (optional English subtitles) |
Release Information: Disc Size: 23,037,842,300 bytes Feature: 22,263,054,336 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 22.99 Mbps Edition Details: • Trailer
(1:00) |
| Comments: |
The 2023 Criterion Blu-ray of Chabrol's La Ceremonie is reviewed/compared HERE NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - July 12': 8-years on since the Home Vision release and the new 1080P transfer shows significant upgrade - notably via information in the 1.66:1 frame that shows the US DVD to be cropped on all 4 sides and possibly vertically stretched. Colors tighten on the Blu-ray while contrast and detail rise. The SD looks video-like beside the hi-def which, while less-flat, doesn't showcase a lot of depth. The Artificial Eye edition offers lossless 2.0 channel sound, optional subtitles but only a trailer as an extra. This remains a very strong film - with an unpleasantness in the story that makes it unforgettable.***
On the DVD: Seems like a decent representation of the film with a progressive transfer at 1.72 (listed at 1.66:1), bright, good colors, excellent subtitles. The 10 minute short featurette is fabulous with interviews with all the principals including Chabrol. Include in this Rosenbaum liner notes and we have a DVD package that must have almost made it to the Criterion label. So far all the Home Vision Chabrol titles are great purchases and this may be the top of the heap. |
Menus
Home Vision - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Artificial Eye - Region 'B' -
Blu-ray RIGHT
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Subtitle Sample
Home Vision - Region 1 - NTSC TOP vs. Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
 |
 |
Screen Captures
Home Vision - Region 1 - NTSC TOP vs. Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
 |
 |
Home Vision - Region 1 - NTSC TOP vs. Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
 |
 |
Home Vision - Region 1 - NTSC TOP vs. Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
 |
 |
Home Vision - Region 1 - NTSC TOP vs. Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
 |
 |
 |
 |
More Blu-ray Captures
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Recommended Reading in French Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
The Films in My Life |
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 |
Claude Chabrol (French Film Directors)
by Guy Austin |
Robert Bresson (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs, No.
2) by James Quandt |
The Art of Cinema by Jean Cocteau |
French New Wave
by Jean Douchet, Robert Bonnono, Cedric Anger, Robert Bononno |
French Cinema: From Its Beginnings to the Present by Remi Fournier Lanzoni |
Check out more in "The Library"
| Box Cover |
|
Coming to Blu-ray by Criterion in the US in November 2023:
|
| Distribution | Home Vision Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC | Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray |
CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
|
Gary Tooze |
|
Thank You!
