The Aviator's Wife Blu-ray

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

(aka "The Aviator's Wife " or "La Femme de l'aviateur ou 'on ne saurait penser à rien")

The inaugural film of Eric Rohmer’s sparkling “Comedies and Proverbs” cycle, The Aviator’s Wife is a fleecy farce of romantic overanalysis that finds the director exploring the possibilities of handheld camerawork as he seeks a narrative expression of the opening epigraph: “It is impossible to think of nothing.” A young man sees his girlfriend’s ex leaving her apartment one early morning, and his imagination is off to the races, as stars Philippe Marlaud and Marie Rivière (The Green Ray) introduce a younger, less perfectly articulate type of Rohmer character than those of the “Moral Tales.”

Posters

Theatrical Release: March 4th, 1981 - France

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Review: Metrograph Pictures - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Metrograph Pictures - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:46:22.291
Video	1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 35,085,959,174 bytes Feature: 34,568,663,040 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio French 1975 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1975 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Metrograph Pictures 1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 35,085,959,174 bytes Feature: 34,568,663,040 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Audio commentary by film historian Adrian Martin • 'Summer of Rohmer' Trailer (0:47) Blu-ray Release Date: November 14th, 2023 Standard Transparent Blu-ray Case inside slipcase Chapters 10

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Metrograph Pictures Blu-ray (November 2023): Metrograph Pictures have transferred Eric Rohmer's The Aviator's Wife to Blu-ray. It was originally shot in 16mm and blown up to 35mm - so it is very grainy. The Potemkine Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray, compared with older DVDs HERE, from 2012 was a 1080i/50 disc (still in PAL running time.) This is the first time we have the film in theatrical running time. I can't really speak to the visual differences and which is more correct. This Metrograph 1080P has a green tinge to it. There is movement in the frame - cropping on both BD editions - and I only know that I enjoyed the HD presentation.

NOTE: We have added 44 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Metrograph Pictures use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original French language. The Aviator's Wife is dialogue driven but does have some external sound in sounds via a bus and a stroll through the park. There is no score (diegetic) and the natural sounds of the story inhabit the film experience. Metrograph Pictures offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

The Metrograph Pictures Blu-ray offers a new commentary by, one of my favorites, Adrian Martin. He discusses the film's chorological removal (very late) from the Nouvelle Vague but how it remains a prevalent connection. He talks about the interplay of characters who have opportunities missed and chances taken. Adrian tells us about Rohmer's influences on director's like Hong Sang-soo (On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate) and Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car), the existential story, a lot about Rohmer, Jean-Claude Brisseau, the director's own life, Anne-Laure Meury, the character's ages, even the very term "Aviator" etc. He mentions information in Pascal Bonitzer's book "Eric Rohmer (Cahiers Du Cinema)". It's excellent and a worthy supplement for a director who's work that doesn't have a lot of digital format examination extras. I enjoyed his observations very much. There is also a 'Summer of Rohmer' trailer.

As with much of Rohmer's oeuvre, The Aviator’s Wife focuses on the sparring love lives of a young Parisians and is the first of the director's "Comedies & Proverbs" series. I credit the bus ride sequences to significantly advancing my understanding of film language. It is probably one of the reasons I started this website. The narrative has such a universal texture to it. While it's wonderful to finally have The Aviator’s Wife on digital in its theatrical running time, the Metrograph Pictures Blu-ray has the essential Adrian Martin commentary. I love the film and am so pleased to revisit it in this package. A huge keeper for me. Cinema gold, imo.

Gary Tooze