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A view on Blu-ray by Gary W. Tooze

Lady Chatterley's Lover [Blu-ray]

 

(Just Jaeckin, 1981)

 

 

Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Cine Artist Film GmbH

Video: Olive Films

 

Disc:

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

Runtime: 1:44:18.293

Disc Size: 23,095,452,072 bytes

Feature Size: 23,000,801,280 bytes

Video Bitrate: 26.00 Mbps

Chapters: 8

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: February 17th, 2015

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1848 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1848 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

 

Subtitles:

None

 

Extras:

• None

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: This adaptation of D. H. Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover stars Sylvia Kristel as Constance Chatterley, the young wife of an emotionally distant aristocrat in 1910's England, who becomes only less accessible to his spouse when he loses the use of his legs in World War I. He gives her leave to take up a lover, but when Constance turns to the bed of the low-born groundskeeper, Mellors Nicholas Clay, she not only discovers what passionate lovemaking is really like, but also experiences actual intimacy and love for the first time, leading to a dramatic love triangle, and a bevy of subtext about classism and emotional freedom.

 

 

The Film:

A vapid adaptation of D.H. Lawrence's scorching novel that fizzles into nothingness on the screen. The director and star of the adult classic EMMANUELLE, Jaeckin and Kristel, combine their debatable talents, with the latter playing the role of Lady Chatterley. Stuck with a husband who's paralyzed from the waist down, Kristel is encouraged to socialize. She vents her energies with gamekeeper Clay, and together they display their prowess like peacocks their feathers. The kindest thing to say is that the production is attractive. Also released at 141 minutes. (In English.)

Excerpt from TV Guide located HERE

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

Lady Chatterley's Lover gets the standard Olive Films Blu-ray transfer. This is 1080P, only single-layered but actually looks quite competent. The film has a substantial amount of soft-focus sequences but also some tight close-ups. The HD exports them well with reasonable contrast. The Blu-ray improved the presentation over an SD rendering and looks about as good as it ever will on digital.

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

Olive's DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track at 1848 kbps seems to do its job well. The score is by the team of Richard Harvey (Chatterley his first - and he is still working today!) and Stanley Myers who has Cimino's The Deer Hunter and Nicolas Roeg's amusing Insignificance on his resume as well as Pete Walker film's House of Mortal Sin and Frightmare, among others. The music works well with film's 'classic' aura. There are no subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.

 

Extras :

No supplements - not even a trailer although I suppose someone could have referenced the classic novel or something... or maybe interviews with the principals would suffice some unusual curiosity.

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Well, it was classier than I was expecting, but still Jaeckin's Lady Chatterley's Lover is really no better than a 'Red Shoes Diaries-style', IMO. Those seeking anything beyond that will be dissatisfied. Sylvia Kristel has an interesting look - often simple but intriguing. It doesn't carry the film though. The Olive Blu-ray again suffers from 'lack of value'. For those really keen, they - at least - have the option and it does have competent a/v., but we can't give our endorsement for a purchase. 

Gary Tooze

February 8th, 2015

About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 5000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.

Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction.

Gary's Home Theatre:

60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD

Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD Player
Momitsu - BDP-899 Region FREE Blu-ray player
Marantz SA8001 Super Audio CD Player
Marantz SR7002 THX Select2 Surround Receiver
Tannoy DC6-T (fronts) + Energy (centre, rear, subwoofer) speakers (5.1)

APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V

Gary W. Tooze

 

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