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(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
Big thanks to Kevin T and Pavel Borodin for the DVD Screen Caps!
1) MGM (US) - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT2) MGM (Europe) - Region 2,4 - PAL MIDDLE 3) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT
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Distribution |
MGM (US) Region 1 - NTSC |
MGM
(Europe) Region 2,4 - PAL |
Twilight Time Region FREE - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 2:03:08 | 1:57:28 (4% PAL speedup) | 2:03:19.225 |
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 |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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MGM (US)
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Bitrate:
MGM (Europe)
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Bitrate:
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) |
Subtitles | English, French, Spanish, none | English, French, Dutch, Danish, Greek, none | Burned-in English (yellow font) |
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 |
Comments |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray captures were
obtained directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
ADDITION: Twilight Time - Region FREE -
Blu-ray
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. This is not my favorite Truffaut although I did appreciate the film more via the 1080P presentation, along with the commentary than ever before. I still find it an oddball, but there are some features about it that are intriguing in a filmmaking sense. For those keen, or who have not seen Mississippi Mermaid, this is the best way for your home theater consumption. *** 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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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray
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Screen Captures
1) MGM (US) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP2) MGM (Europe) - Region 2,4 - PAL MIDDLE 3) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1) MGM (US) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP2) MGM (Europe) - Region 2,4 - PAL MIDDLE 3) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1) MGM (US) - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP2) MGM (Europe) - Region 2,4 - PAL MIDDLE 3) Twilight Time - Region FREE - 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: |
Blu-ray |
Sound: |
Blu-ray |
Extras: | Blu-ray |
Box Covers |
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Distribution |
MGM (US) Region 1 - NTSC |
MGM
(Europe) Region 2,4 - PAL |
Twilight Time Region FREE - Blu-ray |