Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Les Films du Losange

Video: Eureka - Masters of Cinema - Spine #62 / Kino Lorber

 

Disc:

Region: 'B'-locked / Region 'A'-locked (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 2:08:39.712 / 2:08:47.720

Disc Size: 37,624,054,555 bytes / 42,563,250,555 bytes

Feature Size: 37,616,527,104 bytes / 38,691,354,624 bytes

Video Bitrate: 34.91 Mbps / 35.98 Mbps

Chapters: 17 / 10

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: July 29th, 2013 / February 17th, 2015

 

Video (both):

Aspect ratio: 1.37:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

LPCM Audio French 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit

 

DTS-HD Master Audio French 2060 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2060 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

 

Subtitles (both):

English (SDH), none

 

Extras:

• A lengthy booklet with writing about the film by Arthur Mas, Andy Rector, Serge Daney, and Caroline Champetier; writing from the original press - book by Jacques Rivette, and Jean Narboni; rare archival imagery

 

• Mapping LE PONT DU NORD, an image-essay by Roland-Francois Lack (11:44)
• COMPOSITES, a video-essay by Gina Telaroli (13:41)
• Booklet with Original Press Notes and essay by Dennis Lim

 

Bitrate:

1) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray  - TOP 2) Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

Description: The culmination of New Wave master Jacques Rivette ' s legendary middle period (which ranged from L' Amour fou through Out 1, Céline and Julie Go Boating, Duelle, Noroît, and Merry - Go - Round), Le Pont du Nord envisions Paris as a sprawling game - board marked off with tucked - away conspiracies, where imagination and paranoia intermingle; where the hinted - at stakes are sanity, life, and death.

Regular Rivette actress Bulle Ogier stars as Marie, a claustrophobic ex - con who, shortly after wandering into Paris, encounters the wild and potentially troubled young woman Baptiste (Pascale Ogier, Bulle's actual 22 - year - old daughter). Baptiste, a knife - wielding, self - proclaimed kung - fu expert with a drive to slash the eyes from faces in adverts (including, in one instance, those on a placard for Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha), accompanies Marie on her quest to solve the mystery behind the contents of her former lover's (Pierre Clémenti's) suitcase: an amalgam of clippings, patterns, and maps of Paris that points to a vastly unsettling labyrinth replete with signs and intimations whose menacing endgame remains all too unclear.

Gorgeously shot by the master cinematographer William Lubtchansky, Le Pont du Nord is a free - wheeling, powerful experience whose hypnotic rhythm and ominous undercurrents resolve into a frightening and exhilarating portrait of post - revolutionary, early - ' 80s Paris - and in turn form a prime example of Rivette's uncanny, occult cinema. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Jacques Rivette ' s rare and essential feature Le Pont du Nord on Blu-ray for the first time anywhere in the world.

 

 

The Film:

A movie that pushes the conspiratorial playfulness of Rivette's Céline and Julie in directions both maddening and magical. Ogier and her daughter Pascale are here the crossed-paths comrades impulsively taking up the silent challenge of the city's codes: hopscotching the map of Paris' arrondissements and turning it into a life-size outdoor board game. As ever in Rivette's labyrinthine re-imaginings of the urban obstacle course, the rules and goals are obscure while the allusive clues, keys and signposts multiply alarmingly. Underworld and wonderland merge in the open air; joyous whimsy blurs with justified worry; and Rivette risks exploring the scarifying powers of fantasy and paranoia with a panning, punning documentary eye. With so many oblique strategies, a little irritation is inevitable...but if you could possibly imagine a pre-micro Tron, the leaps of faith needed here shouldn't be difficult.

Excerpt from TimezOut Film Guide located HERE

Mother and daughter performers Bulle and Pascale Ogier star as an appropriately mismatched duo in Jacques Rivette's inventive outdoor fantasy Le Pont du Nord. Much like Bulle's claustrophobic character Marie, Rivette's film can't bear to enter enclosed spaces: in one of its best scenes (captured in a single, breathless long take) Marie swoons and sways her way through an extended elevated train ride, and the film seems to share in her heady mindset, never quite knowing if its setting (a Paris slowly but surely succumbing to modernization) is a paradise or an inferno. It's an intentionally amateur production through and through—even the boom mic intrudes now and again, perversely heightening the sense of fantasy while simultaneously demolishing an already tenuous fourth wall.

Excerpt from Slant Magazine located HERE

 

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

Le pont du Nord appears true to the source on Blu-ray from The Masters of Cinema arm of Eureka Cinema in the UK.  The image quality shows distinct textured grain and colors are bright and true. The film itself is just gorgeous and the 1080P exports that hypnotic quality.  It is neither glossy nor pristinely sharp and the luscious grain may be the most distinct feature. It is transferred in the original 1.37:1 aspect ratio and it appears as though the dual-layered transfer, with very high bitrate, is a strong replication of the theatrical appearance now over 30-years ago. This Blu-ray has a very realistic film-like feel. Visually this is about as ravishingly rich and appealing as it gets.

 

The video is - as close as my eyes can determine - the exact same. Max'ed out bitrate and from the same source. It holds the same vérité edge. Rich, film-like - perfect.

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

1) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray  - TOP 2) Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray  - TOP 2) Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray  - TOP 2) Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

More Blu-ray Captures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

The audio is transferred via a linear PCM mono track at 1152 kbps in the original French language. The film is punctuated by many long-ish pauses but dialogue, when delivered, is clear and even. Background sounds of their walk are not remarkable. There is no score but we do get to hear Astor Piazzolla performing his own Libertango and Violentango which sounds clean but flat. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'B'-locked.

 

As opposed to a linear PCM, Kino-Lorber got with a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel mono at 2060 kbps. It's a shade more robust, but I can't imagine anyone noticing or making issue. The Region 'A'-locked Kino has optional English subtitles.

 

 

Extras :

The only supplement is a standard MoC lavish, liner notes, booklet with writing about the film by Arthur Mas, Andy Rector, Serge Daney, and Caroline Champetier; writing from the original press - book by Jacques Rivette, and Jean Narboni and rare archival imagery.

 

Kino actually add some digital supplements - Mapping LE PONT DU NORD is an unusual 12-minute image-essay by Roland-Francois Lack with some camera techniques overlaying visuals. COMPOSITES is another different video-essay by Gina Telaroli running about 14-minutes. I watched it twice and it was interesting. Kino-Lorber's package comes with their own liner notes booklet with original press notes and essay by Dennis Lim.

 

Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

 

 

Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Le pont du Nord is intriguing and unconventional. I can see this note quite satiating those addicted to Rivette. I recall the daughter, Pascale Ogier, from Rohmer's Full Moon in Paris. She unfortunately died at age 25. A lot of this film is an ode to the lesser seen areas of Paris. I don't think it's Rivette's best work but it has an appealing intangible that gives it worthy substance.  I think this was a great choice for MoC to release on Blu-ray. I thoroughly enjoyed the 1080P presentation and the booklet. Fans of the director or French cinema will probably want to indulge.

 

Rivette fans, who are region 'A'-locked, will definitely appreciate the effort that Kino-Lorber have put into their Blu-ray release. It's as good as its UK counterpart in every area. 

Gary Tooze

July 26th, 2013

February 5th, 2015