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The Lure aka "Córki dancingu" [Blu-ray]
(Agnieszka Smoczynska, 2015)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych (WFDiF) Video: Criterion Collection Spine #8 96
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:32:28.334 Disc Size: 49,075,869,746 bytes Feature Size: 29,100,582,912 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.91 Mbps Chapters: 17 Case: Transparent Blu-ray case Release date: October 10th, 2017
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio Polish 3979 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3979 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles: English, none
Extras: • "Off the Hook" - a new program about the making of the film, featuring interviews with director Agnieszka Smoczyńska, actors Marta Mazurek and Michalina Olszańska, screenwriter Robert Bolesto, Kijowski, composers Barbara and Zuzanna Wrońskie, sound designer Marcin Lenarczyk, and choreographer Kaya Kołodziejczyk (40:21) • Six Deleted scenes • Aria Diva (2007 - 31:21) and Viva Maria! (2010 - 17:10), two short films by Smoczyńska • Trailer (2:07) • PLUS: An essay by novelist, playwright, and storyteller Angela Lovell
Bitrate:
Description: This genre-defying horror-musical mash-up the bold debut of Polish director Agnieszka Smoczynska follows a pair of carnivorous mermaid sisters drawn ashore to explore life on land in an alternate 1980s Poland. Their tantalizing siren songs and otherworldly auras make them overnight sensations as nightclub singers in the half-glam, half-decrepit world of Smoczynska's imagining. The director gives fierce teeth to her viscerally sensual, darkly feminist twist on Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Little Mermaid,' in which the girls' bond is tested and their survival threatened after one sister falls for a human. A coming-of-age fairy tale with a catchy synth-fueled soundtrack, outrageous song-and-dance numbers, and lavishly grimy sets, The Lure explores its themes of emerging female sexuality, exploitation, and the compromises of adulthood with savage energy and originality.
The Film:
For one reason or another, Hollywood has caught a serious case of
mermaid fever. In addition to Chris Bouchard and Blake Harris's upcoming
live-action rendition of The Little Mermaid, set for release this
year and starring Shirley MacLaine (although not, sadly, as the title
character), Disney is planning a Lin-Manuel Miranda revamp of its
animated musical and Universal was also mulling a Sofia Coppola version,
once upon a time.
As folkloric Polish musical sex-comedy horror movies go, “The Lure”
is pretty interesting. The first feature directed by Agnieszka
Smoczynska, the film follows two mermaid sisters onto land, where they
look for love, feast on human flesh and find work singing and stripping
at a nightclub that might have come from an early David Lynch movie or a
vintage-’80s music video.
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. The Lure looks excellent on Blu-ray from Criterion and is cited as a "High-definition digital master, supervised by director of photography Kuba Kijowski". It was shot using the versatile 'Arri Alexa XT' camera and dynamically shows the benefits of the process on the Blu-ray with a strikingly crisp and clean image, plenty of depth an a high level of detail in the many close-ups. There is a green/blue leaning in some interior shots which we presume to be accurate. It's on a dual-layered Blu-ray, with max'ed out bitrate, in a 2.39:1 ratio that reproduces very strong 1080P visuals that closely replicates the original theatrical presentation.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :Criterion transfer in a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track at 3979 kbps (24-bit) in the original Polish language - that has plenty of depth and strength to handle the film's aggressive effects and amusing musical numbers; ballads etc. - Dywany, Czary Mary, Byłaś serca biciem, Prorok, Mucha and many more. The film's effects are exported with abundant intensity and there is a lighter edge to much of the on screen activity. There are optional English subtitles (as well as for the song lyrics!) and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A' (in North America) and Region 'B' in Europe.
Extras : Criterion add some supplements. "Off the Hook" is a new 40-minute program about the making of the film, featuring interviews with director Agnieszka Smoczyńska, actors Marta Mazurek and Michalina Olszańska, screenwriter Robert Bolesto, Kijowski, composers Barbara and Zuzanna Wrońskie, sound designer Marcin Lenarczyk, and choreographer Kaya Kołodziejczyk. It is in Polish with English subtitles. There are six deleted scenes, running a couple of minutes or more each, entitled "Alternate opening", "Drunk", "Contortionist", "Loop", "Policewoman", "and an "Alternate Ending". They are kinda cute, perhaps more risqué... but essentially fun for the curious fans of the film. Aria Diva is a 2007 1/2 hour film directed by Agnieszka Smoczyńska while she was a student at the Wajda School in Warsaw, a housewife falls under the spell of her new upstairs neighbor, an opera diva. Viva Maria! was made in 2010 running 17-minutes about opera singer Maria Foltyn and was also directed by Smoczyńska at the Wajda School. There is a trailer and the package has a booklet with an essay by novelist, playwright, and storyteller Angela Lovell.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze September 14th, 2017
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Gary Tooze
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