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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

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

 

directed by Andrzej Zulawski
France/Italy/Germany 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 bourgeous 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:

Mondo Vision (Limited 2-disc Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. New Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL vs. Universal - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for all the Screen Caps!

(Mondo Vision (Limited 2-disc Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. New Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Universal - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers

 

 

 

 

Distribution

Mondo Vision

Region 1 - NTSC

New Entertainment
Region 2 - PAL
Universal
Region 2 - PAL
Runtime 1:52:51 1:48:12 (4% PAL speedup) 1:48:32 (4% PAL speedup)
Video

1.66:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 7.81 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.48 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.66:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 8.27 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:

 

Mondo Vision (Limited 2-disc Edition)

 

Bitrate:

 

New Entertainment

 

Bitrate:

 

Universal

 

Audio French (Dolby Digital 1.0 mono); English (Dolby Digital 1.0 mono); German (Dolby Digital 1.0 mono)

German Dolby Digital 2.0; English Dolby Digital 2.0; French Dolby Digital 2.0

French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono; Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 mono; English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono

Subtitles English (white), English (yellow), none German, none English, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Mondo Vision

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.66:1

Edition Details:
• Audio commentary by Andrzej Zulawski moderated by Daniel Bird
• Video Interview with Andrzej Zulawski
• Pre-release Trailer
• Remastering: Before & After
• Image Gallery
• DISC TWO:
• Soundtrack by Georges Delerue (30 tracks)
• 46-page insert booklet
• 3 lobby cards (French, Italian, and German)
• Certificate of Authenticity

DVD Release Date: 16 June 2009
Fold Out Digipack

Chapters 30

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

Release Information:
Studio: Universal

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.66:1

Edition Details:
• Photo Gallery
• Menus in English, Dutch, Spanish, and Portuguese

 

DVD Release Date: 10 September 2008
Amaray

Chapters 10

 

Comments

NOTE: DVDBeaver's Open Response to Mondo Vision is HERE!

Like their previous definitive release of Zulawski's LA FEMME PUBLIQUE, Mondo Vision's L'IMPORTANT C'EST D'AIMER would appear to be the one to own. The dual-layer, anamorphic 1.66:1 presentation has the best sharpness, contrast, and saturation of the three (although the transfer was licensed from Studio Canal who also provided the Universal Spain edition, the master underwent extensive remastering under the direction of Zulawski himself). Additionally, the French 1.0 mono and 2.0 commentary track are encoded at 192 kbps but the English and German 1.0 tracks are encoded at 96 kbps for a higher maximum video bitrate. Zulawski provides another commentary track moderated by Daniel Bird in which he reveals that American producer Leo Fuchs originally approached him with the source material (Christopher Frank's "La Nuit Americaine" whose title had to be changed for the film since Truffaut had already used the title) to work on the adaptation as a script doctor. Zulawski also appears in a video interview and an older interview is reprinted as part of the set's 46-page booklet. A theatrical trailer, photo gallery, and remastering featurette round out disc 1. Disc 2 consists of 30 restored tracks from Georges Delerue's score (the German disc only offered 5 tracks in the extras menu). Also included in the boxed set are French, German, and Italian lobby card reproductions and a certificate of authenticity. The set is limited to 2000 and is enclosed in a thick, boolike fold-out digipack with magnetic clasps like the limited edition of LA FEMME PUBLIQUE. A single disc digipack edition is also available.

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.

*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
(
Mondo Vision (Limited 2-disc Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. New Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Universal - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)


 

 

 

 


 

Screen Captures

(Mondo Vision (Limited 2-disc Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. New Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Universal - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
Subtitle sample

 

 


(Mondo Vision (Limited 2-disc Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. New Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Universal - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

 

 


(Mondo Vision (Limited 2-disc Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. New Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Universal - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

 

 


(Mondo Vision (Limited 2-disc Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. New Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Universal - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

 

 


(Mondo Vision (Limited 2-disc Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. New Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Universal - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

 

 


(Mondo Vision (Limited 2-disc Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. New Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Universal - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

 

 


(Mondo Vision (Limited 2-disc Edition) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. New Entertainment - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Universal - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)

 

 


 

Report Card:
 

Image:

Mondo Vision

Sound:

Mondo Vision

Extras: Mondo Vision
Menu: New Entertainment

 
DVD Box Covers

 

 

 

 

 

Distribution

Mondo Vision

Region 1 - NTSC

New Entertainment
Region 2 - PAL
Universal
Region 2 - PAL




 

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