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

ADDITION: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray (March 2021): The Criterion 2 Blu-ray package of Jacques Rivette's Céline and Julie Go Boating is wonderful - advancing demonstratively over BFI's 2017Blu-ray.

Firstly, Criterion have made this a two-disc set with the entire 3 1/4-hour film, and commentary, on one dual-layered Blu-ray with the second housing a slew of supplements. The feature has a marginally higher bitrate than the BFI and this possibly shows in the transfer's deeper colors, more consistent grain and better contrast support which brings out more detail. You can even see the superiority in the smaller captures, but it is extremely evident in the full 1080P resolution. The 16mm usage is exemplified in the HD presentation's rich grain textures. This looks wonderful and a full notch ahead of the BFI in terms of appearance.  

NOTE: We have added 38 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion also use a linear PCM (24-bit) track in the original French language, but theirs is a straight 1.0 channel mono. Jean-Marie Sénia's (A Summer in La Goulette) score is authentically flat. Criterion also offer optional English subtitles - with slightly different translations (see samples)  on their Region 'A' -locked Blu-ray.

Thankfully Criterion use the same 2017 commentary from Adrian Martin as found on the BFI. It is one of the best... ever. He makes comparisons to Lynch's Mulholland Drive, how the gals seems reduced to children, playing with toys, dolls, the emphasis on clothing, takes from Rosenbaum and Robin Woods, the importance of the film Daisies on Céline and Julie Go Boating, Hitchcock-ian editing, para-ellipses and so much more. I LOVED indulging in it again. I think if I made a list of my top 10 favorite commentaries - Adrian Martin would be on more than half. I think his commentary here is absolutely essential.

On the second Blu-ray Criterion include Claire Denis's portrait of the director entitled Jacques Rivette: Le veilleur. It is a 1994 two-part feature documentary featuring an extensive interview with Rivette by film critic Serge Daney. Both parts run over 2-hours in total. In the first, Le jour, filmed during the day, Rivette discusses the history of the French New Wave. In the second, nighttime sequence, La nuit, Rivette discusses his own films. Both parts were originally broadcast on French television on February 28th,1994. There is a new 10-minute interview, recorded remotely by the Criterion Collection in 2020, with actor Bulle Ogier who reflects on making Céline and Julie Go Boating. Barbet Schroeder fulfilled two functions in Céline and Julie Go Boating: he both produced the film and acted in it, in the role of Olivier, one of the figures in the mysterious house. Included is a 12-minute interview, recorded remotely by the Criterion Collection in 2020 where, Schroeder considers both aspects of his contribution. We also get a new conversation between critic Pacôme Thiellement and Hélène Frappat, author of Jacques Rivette, secret compris. It runs shy of 35-minutes. There is an archival interview from 2004 where director Jacques Rivette revisits the making of Céline and Julie Go Boating, as well as archival interviews with Ogier, and actors Juliet Berto, Dominique Labourier, and Marie-France Pisier that run over 1/2 hour in total. There is a Couleurs Festival De Cannes from 1974 for 6-minutes and and a dozen minutes of Pour le Cinema also from 74'. The package has a liner notes booklet with an essay by critic Beatrice Loayza and a 1974 piece by Berto.  

Many cinephiles see Céline and Julie Go Boating, and much of Rivette's oevure, as part of cinema's holy grail - a magical surrealist adventure - and with the essential Martin commentary, improved 1080P appearance and full second Blu-ray of extras make this the definitive package. It has our absolute highest recommendation!

***

ADDITION: BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray (October 2017): The new BFI transfer is easily in advance of their 2006 DVD. Colors shift and are richer, contrast superior and there is more information in the frame. Film texture is fine and lush - looking extremely film-like. The resulting HD, 1080P image is gorgeous in-motion. 

For the audio BFI use a linear PCM advancing the score by Jean-Marie Sénia - his first of almost 200 film compositions. The uncompressed sound has more depth - there are optional English subtitles on the Region 'B'-locked Blu-ray.

The Adrian Martin commentary is extensive discussing a wide range of topics including content represented as a pretext or an alibi, Commedia dell'arte, surrealism, Vera Chytilová's Daisies, the extensive 'child's play' of the film, Lynch's Mulholland Drive referencing the relationships of Celine and Julie Go Boating, what other critics thought; Robin Wood, Jonathan Rosenbaum etc. It's excellent and, personally, a highly important part in further appreciating Rivette's film. The rest of the supplements are duplicated from BFI's DVD - the 20-minute introduction by Jonathan Romney on Rivette and Celine and Julie Go Boating, Resnais' Toute la memoire du monde and R W Paul's silent The Haunted Curiosity Shop. The package has a fully illustrated booklet with an essay by Jonathan Rosenbaum, a review by Tom Milne; interviews with Dominique Labourier, Juliet Berto and Jacques Rivette; and Susan Seidelman's reflections on her Rivette-inspired Desperately Seeking Susan; and full film credits.

***

ON THE DVD: Following its release on a new print by BFI Distribution in May 2006, during the major Jacques Rivette retrospective at the NFT, BFI Video have released his magical 70s favorite Céline and Julie Go Boating onto a dual layered, progressive DVD with a 2nd disc of extras. It looks better than I was anticipating. Sharpness is as good as the restored source as are colors which are a shade dull. Certainly for a limited production (although his greatest commercial success) made over 30 years ago - this looks very good. Subtitles are competently rendered and audio, although understandably weaker than state-of-the-art, is clear and consistent enough to enjoy the magic.

BFI have added a 2nd disc (single-layered - only 2.66 Gig - less than 45 minutes) which was a nice gesture, but content is slightly lacking. The, roughly, 18 minutes of Jonathan Romney - called an 'Introduction' - is quite good. He discusses how Rivette is so un-categorize-able as well as giving a brief history of his work and personal tastes and how his cinema relates to art. It really is just an 'introduction' of such an interesting and enigmatic director. He also begins an explanation of Celine and Julie...   I enjoyed his voice (British accent flawlessly pronouncing occasional French) and his rather brisk pace. With the film being over 3 hours this isn't a bad replacement for a commentary - although I'd have preferred his comments to go on much longer. Also included is Resnais' 20-minute short Toute la memoire du monde (All the World's Memory) which I had never seen - very intense and artsy, but genuinely enjoyable. There is a 2 minute silent film from 1901 - called The Haunted Curiosity Shop - keeping pace with the enchanting mystery element of Celine and Julie... The included liner notes booklet has been bound with care - there are a lot of color photos and an essay by Tom Milne and interview with Rivette.

Overall, BFI should be commended for bringing this film to the digital light as fans have waited for years. Outside of Criterion, this is as good as it was going to get. I think they did a great job and the DVD ranks among the 'essential' for cinema fans everywhere. 

Gary W. Tooze