Sex and Lucia Blu-ray Paz Vega

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

( aka "Sex and Lucia" )

directed by Julio Medem
Spain 2001

From acclaimed Spanish director Julio Medem (Lovers of the Arctic Circle) comes one of the sexiest and most provocative films of the year. Sex and Lucía is an intensely erotic, daring and hypnotic tale of love and lust. After the loss of her boyfriend, Lucía (Paz Vega) escapes to a quiet Mediterranean island where she meets a new man and discovers the dark secrets of her past relationship. Audiences worldwide have embraced the film s sexual explosiveness and passionate storytelling. Dramatic, challenging and deeply romantic, Sex and Lucía has garnered much critical acclaim for its sensual bravery.

***

The plot essentially revolves around the females who have interacted in one (fortunate in one sense, unfortunate in another) man's life... an unrevealed daughter, passionate lovers, an unforgettable one-night-stand. Drifting back and forward in a non-linear timeframe, you may have confusion in regards to the events transpiring, but you always have the sense that all will be revealed and woven together in the conclusion. Julio Medem's "Sex and Lucia" is a fantastic ride of ecstasy, love, juxtaposition and coincidence. Gary W. Tooze

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Release Date: 13 September 2001 (Toronto Film Festival)

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Comparison:

Sogepaq (Spain) - Region 2- PAL vs. Palm Pictures / Lion's Gate (UNRATED) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL vs. Palm Pictures - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

All PAL DVD screen captures courtesy of Pavel Borodin Thanks Pavel!

1) Sogepaq - Region 2- PAL - LEFT

2) Palm Pictures / Lion's Gate (UNRATED) - Region 1 - NTSC-SECOND

3) Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - THIRD)

4) Palm Pictures - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - RIGHT

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Sogepaq Region 2- PAL	Lion's Gate Region 1 - NTSC	Tartan Region 2 - PAL	Palm Pictures Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	2:02:32 (4% PAL speedup)	2:07:44	2:02:28 (4% PAL speedup)	2:07:51.705
Video	2.35:1.00 Letterboxed WideScreen 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.68 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	2.35:1.00 Letterboxed WideScreen 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.52 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 3.95 PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,814,787,108 bytes Feature: 31,609,804,800 bytes Video Bitrate: 26.00 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Sogepaq
Bitrate: MGM
Bitrate: MGM-SE
Bitrate: Blu-ray
Audio	Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround)	Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround)	Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)	DTS-HD Master Audio Spanish 3498 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3498 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) LPCM Audio Spanish 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Subtitles	Spanish, English, French or none	English, French or none	English or none	English or none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Sogepaq Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Extras: • 'Photo gallery • Making of (25,5 min) • Trailers • Filmographies DVD Release Date: Oct 2, 2002 Keep Case Chapters: 19	Release Information: Studio: Palm Pictures Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Extras: • 'Behind the Scenes of Sex and Lucia': Non-anamorphic widescreen (25:28) • Bonus Interviews: 9 Cast and crew ( 4:3 Removable English subs) including Paz Vega, Tristan Ulloa, Elena Anaya, Najwa Nimri, Javier Camara, Daniel Freire, Montse Sanz, Kiko de la Rica and Julio Medem (3:36) • 3 Tracks from the Original Soundtrack (accompanied by Behind the Scenes Footage): 'Me Voy a Morir de Tanto Amor' by Alberto Iglesias 'Bajo La Isa' by Alberto Iglesias 'Yo Marco El Minuto' by Mala Roderiguez • Photo Gallery (30 static shots in click-through slide show ) • Biographies of 6 cast crew: Paz Vega, Tristan Ulloa, Elena Anaya, Najwa Nimri, Javier Camara and Julio Medem • 2 Non-anamorphic widescreen trailer - 2:23, 1:39 • 3 Palm Pictures Previews • 3 website weblinks DVD Release Date: March 25, 2003 Transparent Keep Case Chapters: 20	Release Information: Studio: Tartan Video Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1 Extras: Single sided, single layer Special Features: • Star and director filmographies • Robert Stone film notes • Original theatrical trailer • Julio Medem trailer reel DVD Release Date: 2002 Transparent Keep Case Chapters 16	Release Information: Studio: Palm Pictures 1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,814,787,108 bytes Feature: 31,609,804,800 bytes Video Bitrate: 26.00 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Extras: • 'Behind the Scenes of Sex and Lucia': (25:28 in HD) • Bonus Interviews: 9 Cast and crew ( 4:3 Removable English subs) including Paz Vega, Tristan Ulloa, Elena Anaya, Najwa Nimri, Javier Camara, Daniel Freire, Montse Sanz, Kiko de la Rica and Julio Medem (3:36 in HD) • 3 Tracks from the Original Soundtrack (accompanied by Behind the Scenes Footage): 'Me Voy a Morir de Tanto Amor' by Alberto Iglesias 'Bajo La Isa' by Alberto Iglesias 'Yo Marco El Minuto' by Mala Roderiguez • Photo Gallery (30 static shots in click-through slide show in HD!) • Biographies of 6 cast crew: Paz Vega, Tristan Ulloa, Elena Anaya, Najwa Nimri, Javier Camara and Julio Medem • HD trailer - 2:23, 1:39 • 2 Palm Pictures Previews Blu-ray Release Date: October 12th, 2010 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters: 20

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Palm Pictures - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - October 2010: The video quality improvement is more subtle than I was anticipating... but it is still there. What looks like noise is mostly grain in the new 1080P transfer. Palm Pictures original DVD was strong but this goes another step forward with increased depth and improved detail. I suspect that this is a strong representation of the film on this dual-layered Blu-ray. I doubt it could look significantly better than this. The film is over 2-hours and the bitrate is at the higher end - the feature taking up over 31 Gig of space.

The music of the film is specifically chosen ('Me Voy a Morir de Tanto Amor' by Alberto Iglesias, 'Bajo La Isa' by Alberto Iglesias, 'Yo Marco El Minuto' by Mala Roderiguez) and sounds brilliant on the DTS-HD Master 5.1 track at 3498 kbps offered in original Spanish. Separations are not abundant but can surprise occasionally exporting from the rear speakers. This is healthy mix that sounds gentle and crisp in the appropriate scenes of the film. There are optional English subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.

Supplements duplicate the 2003 Palm Pictures DVD but the video portions are almost exclusively in HD. The bonuses interviews are short but the soundtrack selections are beautiful.

Sex and Lucia is a stunning film - which just happens to be FILLED with sex and nudity. Medem is a director that I am continually impressed with - another reason I enjoy world cinema so much. I LOVED this film and seeing it again after a few years has increased its emotional impact. I really want to watch it all over again this evening. At it's core I think it is about human interaction - the only thing worth existing for. This is a great Blu-ray that we strongly recommend - especially to those fortunate enough to be seeing it for the first time. I'd like to use the word 'masterpiece'... and I think I will.

***

ADDITION (MAY 2004) - Sogepaq - The Sogepaq Region 2 DVD has had some manipulation. Skin tones are a shade redder and brightness is boosted (most prominent in the last screen captures). Sharpness is about the same as the Palm Pictures, which you won't get the PAL speedup if you are sensitive to that. The Palm Extras are overflowing, but the Sogepaq has a short "Making of" featurette. The Palm gives the option of Mono sound as well as 5.1. I would stick with the Palm Pictures / Lions Gate release.

There is not much difference in the video quality of these two releases. I think the Tartan may be slightly softer and it seems to have redder skin tones, but both are highly negligible. One of the ratios is off slightly. It looks like the Tartan is compressed, but again not enough to make an issue over. The Extras are in the Lion's Gate's favor in a big way as are the menus. I would say get the Lion's Gate/ Palm Pictures version.

- Gary W. Tooze

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(Sogepaq - Region 2- PAL - LEFT vs. Palm Pictures / Lion's Gate (UNRATED) - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Tartan - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)