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

ADDITION: Fun City Editions Blu-ray (March 2022): Fun City Editions have transferred David Hamilton's Bilitis to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "4K restoration from its 35mm original camera negative". Director David Hamilton would be known for his signature soft focus style, sometimes called the "Hamilton Blur", which is utilized in Bilitis, his first feature. I think it is fairly passive from what would come in his later films will the presumption of Vaseline coating the lens. Colors are somewhat dull but consistent and there is no damage. Detail can look pleasing in close-ups if contrast and black levels are never pitch. The softer lens doesn't hide the film textures that are exported evenly in the 1080P transfer. I expect this is the best the film has looked on digital thanks to the 4K restoration.  

NOTE: We have added 46 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Fun City Editions offer DTS-HD Master dual-mono tracks (24-bit) in both the original French and an English language DUB option. Bilitis has no aggressive moments - dialogue can be a bit scattered in spots. The DUB is modestly synced with the obvious limitations. The score by composer Francis Lai (And Hope to Die, Rider on the Rain, Love Story, A Man and a Woman) is delightful sounding romantic and majestic, heightening senses, via the lossless transfer. All good. Fun City Editions offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Fun City Editions Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Australians Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (author of Rape-Revenge Films: A Critical Study) and Joshua Nelson academic and film critic based in New York. They provide a great overview of the film and participants; Hamilton, D'Arbanville, Catherine Breillat, Mona Kristensen and others. I appreciate their take on Bilitis because it is so open to interpretation spanning art to exploitation. The two commentarists work well with each other and provide a vast amount of detail on the production. It has a lot of value in this package. Fun City also include a 20-minute camera operator Noël Very (son of writer Pierre Very) who discusses what he recall about the film including the diffusion lenses used including a silk scarf. The package has a 12-page booklet with photos and a new essay by Samm Deighan entitled "Paradise Lost: The Agony and Sexual Awakening in Bilitis".  

David Hamilton's Bilitis seems a unique take from the list of 70's French erotic features including the Emmanuelle series and Just Jaeckin's Story of O. This has a good story about maturity, romance, 'crushes', adventurous sexual preferences, hesitancy - all in the realm of budding love affairs. There is a curiosity about D'Arbanville's character of Bilitis as she experiments with her femininity, desirability and allure to both men and women. It's a film I was happy to view via the 4K-restoration of Fun City Editions' Blu-ray. I was surprised by the film's depth (thanks to the commentary) and I enjoyed more than I was anticipating.

Gary Tooze