Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Disc:

Video:

Audio:

Subtitles:

• Brand-new interview with actor Rutger Hauer, recorded exclusively for this release (9:20)
• Interview with screenwriter Tullio Kezich (25:47)
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: New writing on the film by Helen Chambers, author of Joseph Roth in Retrospect: Co-existent Contradictionse

Bitrate:

 

Description: Winner of the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival, The Legend of the Holy Drinker is another classic from the great Italian director Ermanno Olmi (Il posto, The Tree of Wooden Clogs).

Adapted from the novella by Joseph Roth, the film tells the story of Andreas Kartack, a homeless man living under the bridges of Paris. Lent 200 francs by an anonymous stranger, he is determined to pay back his debt but circumstances and his alcoholism forever intervene.

Working with professional actors for the first time in more than 20 years, Olmi cast Ruger Hauer as Andreas and was rewarded with an astonishing performance of subtlety and depth. Hauer is joined by a superb supporting cast, including Anthony Quayle (Lawrence of Arabia), Sandrine Dumas (The Double Life of Veronique) and Dominique Pinon (Delicatessen).

 

 

The Film:

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

This is the another Arrow Blu-ray release that is being simultaneously released in both region 'A' (US) and 'B' (UK). It is the exact same package on both continents with a few minor cosmetic differences. As Michael Brooke informs us on Facebook in regards to Day of Anger: 'As the producer of Arrow's release, I can confirm first hand that the UK and US discs are absolutely identical: we only paid for one master, so there's no doubt about this at all! Which means that no matter which package you buy, the discs will play in any Region A or B setup (or Region 1 or 2 for DVD - and in the latter case the video standard is NTSC, to maximise compatibility). The booklets are also identical, but there are minor cosmetic differences on the disc labels and sleeve to do with differing copyright info and barcodes, and the US release doesn't have BBFC logos.' Olmi's Legend of the Holy Drinker Blu-ray is the same situation.

Legend of the Holy Drinker gets an impressive transfer to Blu-ray from Arrow cited as being from a "Brand-new 4K restoration from the original negative, produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release".  It is dual-layered with a max'ed out bitrate for the 2 hour feature. This is one of my favorite 1080P transfer of the year, although it may have a tinge of blue-leaning. The image is rich with consistent and addictive grain texture. Even passive pastels colors export tightness. The contrast is beautifully layered with some pleasing depth in the 1.85:1 frame.  It's very clean with not a hint of damage or speckles. This Blu-ray is a textbook example of a film-like HD transfer. I wish they all looked this good.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio is transferred via the option of a DTS-HD Master surround (bump?) - that is robust - or faithful linear PCM mono track at 1152 kbps in both English and Italian (all three are 24-bit). There are a few instances of minor out-of-sync post dubbing from the Italian language actors, but generally the English was the track I chose. Italian-language option. There are very minor demonstrative effects - mostly the audio is represented via the score by Spanish composer José Padilla.  Like the film, it is subtle supporting gentle emotional expressions that reflect the circumstance and what Andreas is witnessing. The uncompressed does a great job and I found it added to the protagonist's characterization. There are optional English subtitles for both Italian and English (in SDH) audio versions. My Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A' + 'B'.

Extras :

Arrow provide a brand-new, 9-minute, interview with actor Rutger Hauer, recorded exclusively for this release. He talks, philosophically, about the film and the character of Andreas Kartak, with it's playing in the background. There is also a 26-minute interview with screenwriter Tullio Kezich that covers the story and adapting the novel to the screen. Quite rewarding. For the first pressing of this Blu-ray there are new writings on the film by Helen Chambers, author of Joseph Roth in Retrospect: Co-existent Contradictionse. A DVD is also included (NTSC for both packages) signifying it as 'Dual-Format'.

 

BOTTOM LINE:
I was blown away by Legend of the Holy Drinker! It reminded me so much of Olmi's I Fidanzati - which is one of my favorite films of all time. Hardly relying on dialogue at all - we feel the pain and minor triumphs of one human life. So much is expressed through Hauer's expressions - memory, regret, sexual attraction, pity and a range of universal, and recognizable, emotions. Wow.  The Arrow Blu-ray provides a brilliant a/v presentation and the film is a definite keeper. Olmi is a true master storyteller. I suggest this is a must-own for fans familiar with his unique brand of cinema. I can't say enough about Legend of the Holy Drinker or this transfer. Our highest recommendation!

NOTE:  Steen says in our Facebook Group HERE: "His use of flashbacks in this one and I Fidanzati is just out of this world. Holy Drinker is probably my favourite movie of all time. I've owned the VHS, I own the Italian DVD, and now I'm just waiting for Amazon to send me this one.

According to my notes I've watched the film more than 20 times. Looking forward to another 20 in HD."  

Gary Tooze

September 19th, 2016