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The Confession aka L'aveu [Blu-ray]
(Costa-Gavras, 1970)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Les Films Pomereu Video: Criterion Collection Spine #759
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 2:18:59.539 Disc Size: 47,730,967,013 bytes Feature Size: 28,796,805,120 bytes Video Bitrate: 24.00 Mbps Chapters: 14 Case: Transparent Blu-ray case Release date: May 26th, 2015
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.66:1 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
Subtitles: English, none
Extras:
• You Speak of Prague: The Second Trial of Artur London,
a 1970 on-set documentary by set photographer Chris Marker,
featuring Costa-Gavras, source book coauthor Artur London,
actors Yves Montand and Simone Signoret, and screenwriter
Jorge Semprún (31:04)
Bitrate:
Description: The master of the political thriller, Costa-Gavras became an instant phenomenon after the mammoth success of Z, and he quickly followed it with the equally riveting The Confession. Based on a harrowing true story from the era of Soviet bloc show trials, the film stars Yves Montand as a Czechoslovak Communist Party official who, in the early fifties, is abducted, imprisoned, and interrogated over a frighteningly long period, and left in the dark about his captors’ motives. Also starring Simone Signoret and Gabriele Ferzetti, the film is an unflinching, intimate depiction of one of the twentieth century’s darkest chapters, told from one bewildered man’s point of view.
The Film: This Costa-Gavras thriller stars Yves Montand as an East European government functionary, inexplicably imprisoned by his Communist superiors. He is not told why he has been arrested, nor has his wife (Simone Signoret) been informed of his fate. Undergoing psychological torture, Montand is grilled about his wartime activities. At the end of his rope, Montand agrees to sign several papers that are thrust before him. He eventually discovers that he's to be a defendant in a "show trial" conducted by his government. He never knows the whys and wherefores of the whole affair -- nor does the audience. The Confession was based on the true story of loyal Communist Arthur London's unjustified purge trial of 1951. Despite the film's confusion, Costa-Gavras' Kafkaesque view of the world, in which the individual is overwhelmed by events that he can't possibly begin to understand, struck a responsive chord in the chaotic early '70s. Excerpt from MRQE located HERE
"The Confession" is the real-life story of Artur London, a loyal
Communist who certified his credentials by serving with the
International Brigade in Spain and with the Communist anti-Nazi
underground in France, and by a long term in a Nazi concentration camp.
In 1949, Mr. London returned to his native Czechoslovakia from France to
become Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs in the Communist Government
of President Klement Gottwald. Two years later, along with 13 other
leading Czech Communists (11 of whom were Jewish), Mr. London was
arrested for treason and espionage and found guilty in what became known
as .the "Slansky trial." Excerpt from The NY Times located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. The Confession looks excellent on Blu-ray from Criterion. The image has some very minor teal-leaning but the textures are abundant and consistent - looking very film-like and thick. This is dual-layered but a middling bitrate and we can still presume that it is a solid representation of the film. The frequent darker scenes showed no noise. It is in the original 1.66:1 aspect ratio and contrast and detail, in close-ups, are impressive. They are a few examples of depth. This Blu-ray has no discernable flaws and supplies a wonderfully rich presentation.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :The audio is via a linear PCM mono track at 1152 kbps. The score is by Giovanni Fusco (L'Avventura, The Red Desert, L'Eclisse, Hiroshima Mon Amour, Il Grido) and subtly portrays the grim, dour, circumstance throughout the film. It sounds clean and clear. There are optional English subtitles on the region 'A'-locked Blu-ray disc.
Extras : Criterion stack the extras again. You Speak of Prague: The Second Trial of Artur London, is a 1/2 hour, 1970, on-set documentary by set photographer Chris Marker, featuring Costa-Gavras, source book coauthor Artur London, actors Yves Montand and Simone Signoret, and screenwriter Jorge Semprún. The production icnludes footage from the film and it originally aired on French television on March 5th, 1970. Portrait London, is a, 12-minutes of excerpts, January 1981 (it coincided with the release of American hostages in Iran) broadcast on French television featuring Artur and Lise London discussing their experiences as political prisoners, life after being freed and their current political views. We also get a 7-minute interview with Montand from 1970 - when it aired on French television - where he discusses the making of The Confession and how he prepared for the role of Artur London. Criterion have produced a new interview with editor Françoise Bonnot running 17-minutes. Bonnot was the editor of nine Costa-Gavras films, including Z, The Confession and State of Siege. She describes her working process with the director. Included is a one-hour conversation between Costa-Gavras and film scholar Peter von Bagh from the 1998 Midnight Sun Film Festival in Finland. The 2 discuss the director's life and career. Criterion have also produced a 7.5-minute new (December 2014) interview with John Michalczyk, author of Costa-Gavras: The Political Fiction Film. The package contains a liner notes booklet with an essay by film scholar Dina Iordanova.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze April 21st, 2015
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Gary Tooze
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