The Most Important Thing Love

(aka "Nachtblende" or "The Importance of Love" or "That Most Important Thing: Love" or "The Important Thing is to Love" )

directed by Andrzej Zulawski
France/Germany/Italy 1975

Sure it comes across as an arthouse melodrama but Zulawski's L'IMPORTANT C'EST D'AIMER is one of the most moving and agonizingly emotional statements of a theme that runs through much of Zulawski's work (up to his most recent LA FIDELITE) that, as the title states, the most important thing is to love. For Zulawski, love is more important than bourgeousis concerns of honor and fidelity which is illustrated in the love triangle of actress (Romy Schneider in what she considered her finest performance for which she won a César award) torn between her moral obligation to husband (Jacques Dutronc) and her growing love for a photographer (Fabio Testi). Sparsely but beautifully scored by Georges Delerue with the same sensitivity evident in his score for Godard's CONTEMPT, Zulawski depicts a world of actors, pornographers, drugs, and violence in which love can be the only saving grace (note the change in Schneider's character between the mirrored opening and closing scenes).

Eric Cotenas

Posters

Theatrical Release: 12 February 1975

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DVD Comparison:

Universal - Region 2 - PAL vs. New Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for all the Screen Caps!

(Universal - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. New Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	Universal Region 2 - PAL	New Entertainment Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:48:32 (4% PAL speedup)	1:48:12 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.69:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 8.27 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.78:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.48 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Universal
Bitrate: New Entertainment
Audio	French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono; Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 mono; English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono	German Dolby Digital 2.0; English Dolby Digital 2.0; French Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles	English, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, none	German, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Universal Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.69:1 Edition Details: • Photo Gallery • Menus in English, Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese DVD Release Date: 10 September 2008 Amaray Chapters 10	Release Information: Studio: New Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Still Gallery • Uber NACHTBLENDE (scrolling liner notes in German) • French Trailer (2:58) • German Trailer (2:44) • Soundtrack (5 tracks - 8:13) • Trailer: The Infernal Trio (2:55) • Trailer: Iguana with the Tongue of Fire (4:08) • Trailer: Caroline Cheri (3:48) • DVD-ROM weblink • DVD-ROM Spanish and German lobby card galleries • DVD-ROM Poster Gallery • DVD-ROM Ipod .mp4 version of the film in German (320x240 - 668 MB - 29.97 fps - 1:48:18 - 4:3 LBX). DVD Release Date: Clamshell Chapters 24

Comments

New Entertainment's anamorphic widescreen transfer is not OAR. It is cropped to 1.78:1 from 1.66:1. The soundtrack extra includes five tracks on five separate screens running roughly 8 1/2 minutes. French and German trailers are included in rather rough shape along with a still gallery and trailers for three other New Entertainment DVD releases (THE INFERNAL TRIO - also with Romy Schneider, the Italian thriller IGUANA WITH THE TONGUE OF FIRE, and the Elke Sommer film CAROLINE CHERIE). The scrolling liner notes are in German only. Most interesting are the DVD-ROM supplements which include a folder of TIFF images of the Spanish and German lobby cards, five posters for the film (they are all featured in the DVD's still gallery but the ROM versions are higher resolution TIFF files), AND a video folder containing an .mp4 of the German language version of the film for Ipod.

The Spanish disc runs 20 seconds longer than the German due to the Studio Canal logo. Although scant on extras, the Spanish DVD provides a dual-layer, anamorphic presentation in its original aspect ratio. Grain is a little more noticeable but the greater bitrate on the Spanish transfer also allows for sharper detail.

There is one caveat, however:

L'IMPORTANT C'EST D'AIMER has been announced as the next release from Mondo Vision - following their fantastic release of LA FEMME PUBLIQUE - with audio commentary, interview, remastering featurette, and trailer. Judging by early caps from that new transfer, I would say it bests both the German and French releases. The new transfer has greater saturation than the German release (with the Spanish release looking the most pale) and is also sharper than the Spanish release (with the German release looking the softest).

*NOTE that this DVD is also available from New Entertainment with two alternate covers (one marked as limited edition which is the only one to feature the French poster - the other two have German poster art - but the contents of all are the same). Amazon.de lists two other DVDs of the film as NACHTBLENDE from AVU but they do not have English audio or subtitles. Those DVDs are rated 16 and list a 108 minute running time. New Entertainment's DVD also lists a 108 minute running time but is rated 18 and billed as "uncut edition" but I am not sure what was cut from the original German version. That the New Entertainment DVD is rated 18 means that it cannot be sold at Amazon.de.

- Eric Cotenas

DVD Menus
(Universal - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. New Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)