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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (October 2022): Criterion have transferred Kasi Lemmons's Eve’s Bayou to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New 4K digital restoration of the director’s cut, supervised by director Kasi Lemmons and cinematographer Amy Vincent". The package offers both the "Director's Cut" and, the 7-minute shorter, "Theatrical Cut" on two separate dual-layered Blu-ray discs. Firstly, both versions have very similar image quality - which, btw, is excellent. There are hints of consistent grain textures, sublime contrast and beautifully rendered, authentic colors. There is some minor teal but I did find it egregious. A wonderful visual HD presentation.   

NOTE: We have added 60 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a robust DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the original English language (some French.) Eve’s Bayou has sneaky Bayou sounds that come through discreetly separated. It adds significant atmosphere. The score was by Terence Blanchard (Summer of Sam, Love and Basketball, Bamboozled, 25th Hour, Miracle at St. Anna, Inside Man, Dark Blue.) He's one of my favorite modern film composers. There is other music in the film; Curtis Mayfield's A Child With The Blues performed by Erykah Badu and
Jimmy Radcliffe's I Pretend I'm Loving You and Sit Down Sunshine. It all sounds pristinely clean and carries resonance. Criterion offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' / 'B' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offers a commentary on the director’s cut, recorded in 2002, and features director Kasi Lemmons, producer Caldecot Chubb, cinematographer Amy Vincent, and editor Terilyn A. Shropshire. Also included is Lemmons' 20-minute short film, Dr. Hugo. It was shot by Amy Vincent and produced by Caldecot Chubb, was a proof-of-concept piece for Eve's Bayou. Dr. Hugo stars Vondie Curtis Hall as the titular 1950s doctor, who makes house calls to the beautiful but lonely housewives in his town. It is presented here in a new 4K transfer created by the Criterion Collection from the film's original elements. There is also an hour-long 'reunion' conversation, recorded in February 2021 at the New Orleans Film Festival and moderated by filmmaker Zandashe Brown, with director Kasi Lemmons; actors Lynn Whitfield, Meagan Good, and Jurnee Smollett; and composer Terence Blanchard discuss the profound impact that working on Eve's Bayou has had on their careers. There is also a new 36-minute interview, recorded in New York in June 2022, with director Kasi Lemmons discussing her background, creative process, and key collaborations, along with the path that led her to making Eve's Bayou, her first feature film. Included are interviews recorded in June 2022, with director Kasi Lemmons and composer Terence Blanchard discuss their friendship and their work together on the soundtrack for Eve's Bayou, which was the first of five collaborations to date, including four films and an opera. Lastly, are two new programs that present never-before-seen photographs from the production of Eve's Bayou in 1996. The first features black-and-white Polaroids were taken by cinematographer Amy Vincent to test the lighting before each shoot. The second features color photos taken by William Eggleston during a set visit organized by producer Caldecot Chubb. The package has a lner notes booklet with an essay by film scholar Kara Keeling. 

Kasi Lemmons' directorial debut Eve’s Bayou is quite a brilliant Southern Gothic drama. It was selected by the Library of Congress in 2018 for preservation in the National Film Registry citing it as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Debbi Morgan's portrayal of Mozelle Batiste Delacroix, aunt and Hoodoo Practitioner, was noted on a 100 Essential Female Film Performances list in Time magazine. It was wonderful to see Diahann Carroll's, witch-like, 'Elzora' steeped in spooky Southern mysticism. Samuel L. Jackson has a fairly minor role but served as a producer on the film. There are themes of infidelity, childhood perceptions, future-sight premonition, a voodoo spell with a fatal curse, and a jealous-rage murder exported via a stunning image with an exceptional soundtrack. I thought it was a fabulous choice for Criterion to bring to one of their desirable Blu-rays which has both "Director's" and "Theatrical " cuts, both looking gorgeous (4K-restored) and sounding equally as strong, a commentary, director short, new interviews and booklet. Wow. It has our highest recommendation! Watch this. 

Gary Tooze