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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "La mia droga si chiama Julie" or "Mississippi Mermaid")
Initially poorly received in the U.S. (largely due to a missing 13 minute
butcher cut) and lightly regarded, François Truffaut's Mississippi Mermaid
(La Sirène du Mississippi) deserves reappraisal. An economical director
without peer for storytelling, Truffaut demonstrates his ability to venture
into Hitchcock's suspense/thriller territory while simultaneously delving into
Buñuel's patented themes of sexual obsession. And it all starts with Catherine
Deneuve—literally. Following the financial success of
Stolen Kisses, producers
Robert and Raymond Hakim offered to finance Truffaut's next film as long as he
cast Deneuve, who was then working in Buñuel's
Belle de Jour. After a lunch meeting,
Truffaut was “sold” on the beautiful actress and vice-versa (the beginnings of
another of the director's discreet extramarital affairs), and the project
began to take shape. Excerpt of John Nesbitt's review on CultureDose.net located HERE |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: June 18, 1969
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
MGM (US) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. MGM (Europe) - Region 2,4 - PAL vs. Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Big thanks to Kevin T and Pavel Borodin for the DVD Screen Caps!
Box Covers |
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Bonus Captures: |
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Distribution |
MGM (US) Region 1 - NTSC |
MGM
(Europe) Region 2,4 - PAL |
Twilight Time Region FREE - Blu-ray |
Kino Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 2:03:08 | 1:57:28 (4% PAL speedup) | 2:03:19.225 | 2:03:30.861 |
Video |
2:35:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
2.30:1 Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
2.35:1 Disc Size: 34,202,368,475 bytes Feature Size: 33,449,084,928 bytes Total Bitrate: 29.98 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC |
2.35:1 Disc Size: 42,785,238,246 bytes Feature Size: 38,758,680,576 bytes Total Bitrate: 37.93 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
MGM (US)
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Bitrate:
MGM (Europe)
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Bitrate:
Twilight Time Blu-ray
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Bitrate:
Kino Blu-ray
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Audio | French Mono (Dolby Digital 2.0) |
French (Dolby Digital 2.0) |
DTS-HD Master Audio French
1063 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1063 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz /
768 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1145 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1145 kbps / 24-bit
(DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit) DTS-HD Master Audio English 1799 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1799 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) |
DTS-HD
Master Audio French 1586 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1586 kbps / 24-bit (DTS
Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB |
Subtitles | English, French, Spanish, none | English, French, Dutch, Danish, Greek, none | Burned-in English (yellow font) | English, none |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: MGM (US) Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
Chapters 16 |
Release Information: Studio: MGM (Europe) Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: August 4, 2003 Chapters 16 |
Release Information: Studio: Twilight Time
2.35:1 Disc Size: 34,202,368,475 bytes Feature Size: 33,449,084,928 bytes Total Bitrate: 29.98 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC
Edition Details: 8-page liner notes by Julie Kirgo
Limited to 3,000 units
Blu-ray
Release Date: May, 2015 Chapters 24 |
Release Information: Studio: Kino
2.35:1 Disc Size: 42,785,238,246 bytes Feature Size: 38,758,680,576 bytes Total Bitrate: 37.93 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC
Edition Details: Reversible Cover Art o
Blu-ray
Release Date: February 14th, 2023 Chapters 9 |
Comments |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray captures were
obtained directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
NOTE: We have added 60 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
(in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE
On their
Blu-ray,
Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono channel track (24-bit) in the
original French language. The score is by
Antoine Duhamel (The
Cop,
Frank
and Eva,
Godard's
Weekend) supporting
the film well. I could distinguish no significant differences from the
Twilight Time in terms of the feature's audio. Kino offer optional English
subtitles (where the Twilight Time were burned-in) on their Region 'A'
Blu-ray. Same extras; commentary with film historians Nick Redman and Julie Kirgo plus a trailer. The Twilight Time Blu-ray offered their usual isolated score and liner notes where the Kino does not. The Kino Blu-ray has the slipcase and a reversible sleeve cover (see below.)Truffaut's Mississippi Mermaid was adapted from a Cornell Woolrich novel; Waltz into Darkness. So Belmondo (as tobacco plantation owner Louis Mahé) becomes engaged through the mail - via the personals column) - to a girl who has sent a false photo and instead of who is expecting it is... a ravishing Catherine Deneuve (as 'Julie Roussel' or, later we find 'Marion Vergano'.) While she had no disclosed her obvious beauty - he, likewise, had not been forthcoming about his vast wealth. I'm sure he thought he had won the lottery, but things are more complex than he could have anticipated. What ensues is the revelation of her past prison sentence and damaged psychological ice-princess status, a confidence game, potential poison, murder, blind adoration and more. A curious unconventional romance. In recent years it has become one of my favorite from Truffaut. I wouldn't double-dip here, but for the money the Kino Blu-ray is strongly recommended!* **ADDITION: Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray June 15': Mississippi Mermaid is another problematic title in regards to bringing it to digital - reminding me of Twilight Time's transfer of Truffaut's The Bride Wore Black. The Twilight Time 1080P transfer is blameless in that it is dual-layered with a high out bitrate and seems to have been at the mercy of the source provided. Historically, they never seem to do manipulations and looking positively, it does look significantly superior to the SD renderings of more than a decade ago. The grain textures are somewhat inconsistent (but not as clunky as we have seen) but over-all, in-motion, the image quality is certainly better than just 'watchable'. Colors, in particular, regain some normalcy. It is heavy with very little depth. There is, mostly, much more information in the frame of the 1080P - notable on the side edges. Perhaps this is the best HD video we will see for this title? Twilight Time utilize an authentic DTS-HD Master mono track in the original French at 1063 kbps. No aggressive effects per-se but the score by Antoine Duhamel (Godard's Weekend) carries some weight not heard in my European SD. Unfortunately, it has burned-in yellow font subtitles (that I assume were on the D1 source provided?) Like all Twilight Time Blu-ray it is region FREE. We get a new audio commentary with film historians Nick Redman + Julie Kirgo. Julie takes the lead but I find this an unusual film for discussion although the educated pair do impart some interesting value. Twilight Time add their usual isolated score track, there is a theatrical trailer and some liner notes with essay by Julie Kirgo. This release is limited to 3,000 units. *** ON THE DVD (2003): Overall both look very weak. The anamorphic PAL edition appears to have better image quality. It is marginally sharper with superior contrast levels. Skin tones in the non-16X9 NTSC look a little unnatural and orange to me... and that edition is slightly cropped. It seems the Region 1 may have some contrast boosting. It is very difficult to know for sure, but I lean toward the PAL edition and its anamorphicity. All else is the same (extras, audio, menu).- Gary Tooze |
DVD Menus
(MGM (US) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT
vs. MGM (Europe) - Region 2,4 - PAL - RIGHT)
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Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray
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Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Subtitle Samples (NOTE Twilight Time's are burned-in)
1) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - TOP2) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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Screen Captures
1) MGM (US) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP2) MGM (Europe) - Region 2,4 - PAL SECOND3) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - THIRD 4) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) MGM (US) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP2) MGM (Europe) - Region 2,4 - PAL SECOND3) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - THIRD 4) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) MGM (US) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP2) MGM (Europe) - Region 2,4 - PAL SECOND3) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - THIRD 4) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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1) MGM (US) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP2) MGM (Europe) - Region 2,4 - PAL SECOND3) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - THIRD 4) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM
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Recommended Reading on Truffaut / French Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
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The Films in My Life |
François Truffaut by Annette Insdorf |
HITCHCOCK (REVISED EDITION)
by Helen G. Scott, Francois Truffaut |
The French New Wave: An Artistic School by Michel Marie, Richard John Neupert, Richard Neupert |
A History of the French New Wave Cinema by Richard Neupert |
French New Wave
by Jean Douchet, Robert Bonnono, Cedric Anger, Robert Bononno |
French Cinema: From Its Beginnings to the Present by Remi Fournier Lanzoni |
Truffaut: A Biography by Antoine do Baecque and Serge Toubiana |
Check out more in "The Library"
Report Card:
Image: |
Kino Blu-ray |
Sound: |
Blu-rays |
Extras: |
TT (marginal)Blu-ray |
Box Covers |
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Bonus Captures: |
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Distribution |
MGM (US) Region 1 - NTSC |
MGM
(Europe) Region 2,4 - PAL |
Twilight Time Region FREE - Blu-ray |
Kino Region 'A' - Blu-ray |