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L'Inhumaine aka The Inhuman Woman [Blu-ray]
(Marcel l'Herbier, 1924)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Cinégraphic Video: Flicker Alley
Disc: Region: 'A'-locked (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 2:03:11.583 Disc Size: 35,788,149,606 bytes Feature Size: 28,646,965,248 bytes Video Bitrate: 26.07 Mbps Chapters: 13 Case: Transparent Blu-ray case Release date: March 1st, 2016
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.33:1 Resolution: 1080p / 24 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: Aidje Tafial:
LPCM Audio French 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps /
16-bit
LPCM Audio French 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps /
16-bit
Subtitles: English, none
Extras:
• “Behind the Scenes of L’Inhumaine”: A 15-minute
featurette about the original production and making of
L’Inhumaine (15:09)
Bitrate:
Description: Flicker Alley and Lobster Films are proud to
present this groundbreaking landmark of artistic
collaboration and avant-garde design, newly-restored with
two original scores from Aidje Tafial and the Alloy
Orchestra, in its North American
Blu-ray premiere.
The Film: Part-financed by American singer Georgette Leblanc, who also stars, this was designed as a sort of showcase for contemporary French arts. So, decorating a tolerably camp story about a heartless woman (Leblanc) who is poisoned by one disappointed lover (Hériat) and scientifically resuscitated into new humanity by another (Catelain), it boasts extravagant Cubist settings (by Fernand Léger, Robert Mallet-Stevens, Claude Autant-Lara and Alberto Cavalcanti), features costumes by Paul Poiret, incorporates a Jean Borlin ballet, makes coy reference to radio and TV, and was originally accompanied by a Darius Milhaud score. The result, resolutely chic, brought instant sneers about aesthetic dilettantism which L'Herbier was subsequently never quite able to shake off. But despite the wretched acting and daft script (by Pierre Mac Orlan), the last third of the film, in which L'Herbier's attempt to apply a different mood and rhythm to each setting begins to pay dividends, is often remarkable in the way it manipulates space as an autonomous element in the drama. Excerpt from TimeOut located HEREA 1924 avant-garde feature by Marcel L'Herbier, featuring art deco and cubist set design by Fernand Leger and architects Robert Mallet-Stevens and Alberto Cavalcanti, among others. Treated as an object of ridicule by most critics when it came out—partly because of the improbable SF/thriller/love-story plot, and partly because the much sought-after heroine was played by a diva (American singer Georgette Leblanc) who helped to produce the film and was getting a bit long in the tooth—it actually registers today as a fascinating piece of period avant-garde chic with a fine sense of rhythm (though the original score by Darius Milhaud is apparently lost). Excerpt from Dave Kehr at the Chicago Reader located HEREImage : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Firstly, L'Inhumaine is a beautiful and mesmerizing film. This is from the 2015 4K restoration and the Flicker Alley Blu-ray looks stunningly attractive. The 2-hour film is on a dual-layered disc with a supportive bitrate. The quality is remarkably consistent and the gratuitously rich color tinting is scrumptious establishing lighting and mood changes. There are some minimal surface scratches and almost imperceptible damage that was so secondary to the film's visual eye-candy. This Blu-ray is extremely pleasing in its in-motion appearance (24 fps) despite less-apparent imperfections. I was blown away and I think most will be very appreciative of the rewarding video presentation. The initial screen gives you the option of English or French-language menus.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :We are given the option to listen to the unique but addictive Aidje Tafial (2012-2015) on Percussion, more modern, score with accordion, vibraphone, electronic cues etc. sound engineer Remi Parguel or a more standard Silent Era, Alloy Orchestra, score - both in linear PCM 2.0 at 1536 kbps (16-bit). I enjoyed both and they give different experiences - and I appreciated the variation when re-watching the film. The uncompressed quality is excellent. There are optional English subtitles (for the French intertitles and text screen - samples below.) The back cover of the package indicates the Blu-ray is region 'A'-locked.
Extras : There are some supplements - both in French with optional English subtitles. We get a 1/4 hour “Behind the Scenes of L’Inhumaine” featurette about the original production and making of L’Inhumaine and a lengthier piece entitled "About the Recording of Aidje Tafial’s Music”: a look into the creation of the original score. The package also contains a liner notes booklet featuring rare, behind-the-scenes photographs and information about the film.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze February 16th, 2016 |
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.
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