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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (December 2019): "Camille Claudel" surfaces on a dual-layered Blu-ray from Kino Lorber. The 2.35:1 1080p image easily bests the previous SD releases while the colors show a significant amount of depth and variety, even within the film's given muted palette (without any saturation visible). This admirable picture quality is no doubt thanks to one of the more impressive contrast ratios I have seen on a Blu-ray disc this year. To be fair, there are some moments that seem to show an overexposed natural lighting (most notably during the lunch scene around the 57-minute mark) though these are most likely stylistic choices made during production, not a fault of the transfer. The same can be said about the few scenes featuring a somewhat blurry, vaseline-lensed (soap opera look) look. These scenes are few and far between, but their conspicuous look is a testament to how strong the level of detail is in every other scene of this transfer. The images captured below should speak for themselves. The film is maintained by a high bitrate, which is also somewhat of a miracle, given the film's 173-minute runtime.

NOTE: This Blu-ray is the full version of the film where the MGM DVD was the 159-minute US cut and the Optimum UK DVD had 4% PAL Speedup.

NOTE: 30 more full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray captures for Patrons are available HERE.

"Camille Claudel"s superb picture quality is accompanied by a fine audio transfer; in 24-bit DTS-HD Master audio. While this 2.0 track can be rather modest at times, one can't help but get swept up by the score from Gabriel Yared (Yared would later win an Oscar for his "English Patient" score. The Region 'A' Blu-ray from Kino has optional English subtitles.

First off, we are treated to yet another in-depth commentary from film historian Samm Deighan. Whether covering the intricate history behind the film and filmmakers, or the actual history being portrayed on screen, Deighan is a fountain of knowledge. Not content to solely provide contextual factoids, Deighan is one of a small number of great commentators that are not afraid to be analytical of the work in question, which is refreshing and honest. A perfect example appears around the 57-minute mark, where the historian states that, "the central problem of this film shows up again and again and films and books about female artists, many of whom--not that there really were many at this point--were involved in relationships with male artists. Those relationships often end up having a really negative effect on the female artists' lives." Deighan goes on to describe the troublesome portrayal of such artists like Virginia Woolf, Frida Kahlo, George Sand, and the like. Many of these 20th and early 21st century female artists were usurped by their often less talented male counterparts or lovers, sometimes even being institutionalized in mental hospitals in the process. Deighan explains that in these depictions of said female artists, "to some degree they suffer and are punished by society because they choose to lead these independent, unusual lives not typically afforded to women". Deighan then implies that there is a unique tension set up during the courtship phase of the romance in this picture, given the dramatic irony that we know exactly where these women end up. This invisible foreshadowing of overshadowing is just as fascinating as it is heartbreaking. This is an indispensable commentary which has given me the desire to revisit the film again. Also included in the accompanying 8-page booklet is the essay, "Sculpting With Time: Camille Claudel" by Abbey Bender, which is also worth checking out. The film's theatrical trailer is also on the Blu-ray disc, along with trailers for "Camille Claudel 1915" and "Buffet Froid".

It's hard to get overwhelmed by Kino's bountiful Blu-ray releases this year, but please don't let this one slip by. The press release and notes for this Blu-ray of "Camille Claudel" seem to omit any mention of the source used in this transfer (2K? 4K? Original Negative?) but one can rest assured that this release is going to please fans, and create new ones. The commentary from Deighan is the icing on the cake. Highly recommended. 

Colin Zavitz

ON THE DVDs: Not too much to compare here! The MGM R1 disc from 2001 is incredibly weak beside the Optimum disc from 2007. Where Optimum shows details and depth, the picture in the MGM is blocked, with visible artifacts, looking almost like a VHS cassettes. The non-anamorphic MGM doesn't only have a bad image, the transfer is from a butchered US version of the film, that omits approx. 16 minutes of the running time. Many of the cuts are made in the last 40 minutes. There are not only missing some shots here and there, they also have edited in some long scenes from the end, that I felt were very important.

The Optimum disc is brightened to fit home viewing and there's extensive visible grain, but also some compression artifacts. The original film copy seems to be quite dark.

The only extra material on the Optimum disc is a trailer. The MGM doesn't even have that. A strong film, that deserves to be seen... in it's original cut! Buy the Optimum!

 - Per-Olof Strandberg