Oscilloscope Laboratories are becoming a favorite new DVD producer with releases like Kent MacKenzie' The Exiles (with Milestone), Sebastián Silva's intimate The Maid, Michael Gondry's personal The Thorn in the Heart, the Danish mystery/thriller Terribly Happy, the 1977 documentary Word is Out and, most recently - Bradley Rust Gray's restrained The Exploding Girl. But many cinephiles may regard this, Jules Dassin's The Law, as Oscilloscope's very best DVD package - giving availability to a clandestine film by a highly respected director.

The dual-layered, progressive transfer is very strong - obviously coming from an excellent, restored, source. It's a shade thick and heavy but extremely clean, and may have some form of digital clean-up, beyond an advertised film restoration. It is devoid of, even, frame-specific speckles. The image is smooth and a shade glossy but there is no digital noise and close-ups can export some impressive detail. Contrast is appealing - maybe a little muddy but - consistent throughout. This looks excellent - not appearing, very much, like a 50-year old film.

Audio is clean in the French language, at times, it seems, awkwardly dubbed from a few actor's speaking Italian, but without disruptive flaws like excessive hiss or noticeable pops. There are optional English subtitles in a smallish font (see below) and the cardboard package is similar to Oscilloscope's other releases (see above). BTW, the menus are very impressive!

Disc one features the 2-hour film which includes an optional commentary, described as 'informative and irreverent' in the menu. It's by critic David Fear, editor of Time Out - recorded in May 2010. There is a second, single-layered disc that has some highly relevant vintage material including a 5.5-minute alternate ending called Mariette`s Revenge - the title explaining the plot alternation from the original story. Cinepanorama is a 13.5-minute excerpt from the French Television program of the same name from 1958 -filmed on the set of The Law - shot in Carpino, Italy on the coast of the Adriatic. The programme features director Jules Dassin, Gina Lollobrigida, Melina Mercouri and Yves Montand giving a minute or two to the camera. Like all the video supplements there are optional English subtitles. Lectures Pour Tous is another vintage French TV show and we get a dozen minutes with the author of the highly acclaimed book La Loi, Roger Vailland - published in 1957. He discusses his novel that inspired Dassin's film. L'Ůltima Osteria is a 40-minute mini-film by Alfredo De Giuseppe that documents the ritual drinking game "The Law" that has lived on for generations in Southern Italy. There is an original theatrical trailer and in the handsome eco-friendly cardboard multi-fold-out case there is a two page essay by John Francis Lane.

Criterion seemed to have had a strangle-hold on definitive DVD editions of Jules Dassin films - herded possessively into their vast stable containing Rififi and other strong Noirs; Night and the City, Thieves' Highway, The Naked City and the brilliant Brute Force. The Law doesn't really fit into the same category as it is unfortunately less focused but has some great scenes. Gina Lollobrigida plays the most interesting character - the devilish and desirable Marietta while Montand's scarred Matteo Brigante gets some aura-establishing, machismo screen time. This is enjoyable... but not quite a masterpiece - still, fans of the director may wish to indulge if only for the style and star cast. Oscilloscope's package isn't cheap but has Criterion-level supplements - purchase with extreme confidence.   

Gary W. Tooze