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(aka 'La Belle ensorceleuse')

Directed by René Clair
USA 19
41

 

From René Clair, the acclaimed director of Le Million, Ŕ Nous la Liberté, And Then There Were None and I Married a Witch, comes this romantic comedy starring screen icon Marlene Dietrich (The Blue Angel, Desire, Witness for the Prosecution). In the mid-18th century, the impoverished Countess Claire Ledoux (Dietrich) arrives in New Orleans with only one thing on her mind—to marry a man of means. And with her engagement to gentleman Charles Giraud (Roland Young, The Young at Heart, Topper), it appears to be smooth seas ahead… until dashing Captain Robert Latour (Bruce Cabot, King Kong, Dodge City) storms into town and takes the wind out of her sails and leaves her heart fluttering. Though it takes fainting spells and double identities to delay and disguise the truth, the Countess soon discovers that the greatest treasure of all—a heart of gold—is worth more than a pot of it. Beautifully shot by Rudolph Maté (Foreign Correspondent, Gilda) and wonderfully written by Norman Krasna (White Christmas, Let’s Make Love) with a stellar supporting cast that includes Mischa Auer (My Man Godfrey), Andy Devine (A Star is Born) and legendary Stooge Shemp Howard (Scrambled Brains). Oscar nominee for Art Direction-Interior Decoration (Black-and-White).

***

Dietrich without mystery, in a 1941 vehicle typical of her Universal (Europe) period. After Sternberg, her scripts got heavier and her costumes skimpier, and Dietrich turned from a teasingly complex femme fatale into a leggy pinup girl with a penchant for sailors. Here it's a steamboat captain (Bruce Cabot) whose he-manliness distracts Dietrich from her gold-digging efforts with fey Roland Young. Exiled Frenchman Rene Clair directed, although the continental charm the producers must have hoped for didn't materialize.

Excerpt from Dave Kehr's capsule at the Chicago Reader located HERE.

 

Dietrich is the premier good-time girl of 19th-century New Orleans, who just can't help falling in love with - and destroying - the men who cross her path. This time, however, she can't make her mind up between Young's sweetly feckless moneybags and Cabot's rough-and-ready ship captain. So, Marlene being Marlene, she has them both. Clair - making his first Hollywood film - tries valiantly to inject some weight into this fluffy material, but it's a losing battle. The star blazes brightly enough, but there's very little for her to do except flit between partners and procrastinate about who to dump.

Excerpt from Channel 4 located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: April 24th, 1941

Reviews                                                                                                       More Reviews                                                                                       DVD Reviews

 

Comparison:

Universal (Europe) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL vs. Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

   

  

Bonus Captures:

Distribution Universal (Europe) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:16:00 (4% PAL Speed-ip) 1:19:30.891 
Video 1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 7.6 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 27,527,074,232 bytes

Feature: 24,899,684,352 bytes

Video Bitrate: 37.89 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio English (Dolby Digital mono)

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1553 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1553 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Subtitles English, German, French, Dutch, Hungarian, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Danish, None English, None
Features

Release Information:
Studio: Universal (Europe) Home Video

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1

Edition Details:

• none

DVD Release Date: December 6th, 2005

Keep Case
Chapters: 18

 

Release Information:
Studio:
Kino

 

1.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 27,527,074,232 bytes

Feature: 24,899,684,352 bytes

Video Bitrate: 37.89 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• Audio commentary by Author/Film Historian Lee Gambin and Actress/Film Historian Rutanya Alda
-Theatrical Trailer (2:08)


Blu-ray Release Date:
March 31st, 2020
Standard Blu-ray Case

Chapters 10

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (March 2020): Kino have transferred another Marlene Dietrich film; René Clair's The Flame of New Orleans to Blu-ray. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. The 1080P shows significantly more information in the frame - notably on the left edge, top and bottom. It varies from scenes to scenes but surprising how much was lost on the SD transfer. Grain textures are well supported - its has the same damage marks as the SD but the higher resolution. The black and white image is a shade 'lighter' but has more layered contrast. Overall it looks very pleasing in-motion.

NOTE: We have added 28 large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel mono track (16-bit) in the original English language. It is another advancement in the film's audio and score by Frank Skinner (Naked Alibi, The Appaloosa, Madame X, Magnificent Obsession, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, All That Heaven Allows, Thunder Bay, and The Naked City). This is augmented by What's the Matter with Father played during the opening credits reprised at the 'Oyster Bed Cafe'. AS well as Charles Previn and Samuel Lerner Salt o' the Sea sung by Andy Devine, Frank Jenks, Eddie Quillan and Joe Devlin and Sweet Is the Blush of May played on piano and sung by Marlene Dietrich. It sounds clean - not an abundance of depth but jovial and suits the film experience. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray has an audio commentary by author/film historian Lee Gambin and actress/film historian Rutanya Alda. Her acting credits, impressively, include The Deer Hunter, Garrett & Billy the Kid, The Long Goodbye, The Panic in Needle Park, and Rosemary's Baby among others. Lee discusses the delightful Frank Skinner score, cinematographer Rudolph Maté, writer Norman Krasna, director René Clair and the iconic Marlene Dietrich. About 1/4 hour in Rutanya has some comments about 1800's Nawlins', René Hubert's costume design lavish gowns, Dietrich's appearance, her Max Factor make-up, gold flecks sprinkled in her hair, how she was notorious for going to be with her leading men (and three Kennedys!), and her magnetizing personality. Rutanya talks about the comedic timing and many of the bit players. Lee returns at the 1/2 hour mark... and Rutanya takes over later.  All very interesting and revealing. There is also a trailer for The Flame of New Orleans, and for a handful of other films.

The Flame of New Orleans is grandiose production cinema that vintage-era film fans relish. René Clair's genre mixture of musical, comedy, romance and adventure has a lot to love - primarily, for many, Dietrich adorned in some breathtaking costumes. She may not be at her most intense here but her hypnotic allure is in full gear. It's a fun 'old' film - great to watch on a Sunday afternoon - I am very happy to own on Blu-ray... with the commentary. Absolutely recommended to the right crowd.

Gary Tooze

ON THE DVD: This is a shade grainer than most others in the collection and still looks exceptional considering the age of the film and its single layered DVD transfer production. Clear audio and plenty of optional subtitles give this a universality to be shared with many. This is a reasonably priced DVD (as are all in the collection) and is a must-own for the patient fans who have anticipated these releases.     

Gary W. Toozz

 


Universal (Europe) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL

 

Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

1) Universal (Europe) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL  TOP

2) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


1) Universal (Europe) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL  TOP

2) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


1) Universal (Europe) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL  TOP

2) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


1) Universal (Europe) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL  TOP

2) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


1) Universal (Europe) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL  TOP

2) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


1) Universal (Europe) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL  TOP

2) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


1) Universal (Europe) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL  TOP

2) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE

 

 

 
Box Cover

   

  

Bonus Captures:

Distribution Universal (Europe) - Region 2,4,5 - PAL Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray


 


 

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Gary Tooze

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