The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum Blu-ray

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Die Verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum oder: Wie Gewalt entstehen und wohin sie führen kann"

or "The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum" or "The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum")

Directed by Volker Schlöndorff, Margarethe von Trotta
West Germany 1975

When a young woman spends the night with an alleged terrorist, her quiet, ordered life falls into ruins. The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum portrays an anxious era in West Germany amid a crumbling postwar political consensus. Katharina, though apparently innocent, suddenly becomes a suspect, falling prey to a vicious smear campaign by the police and a ruthless tabloid journalist that tests the limits of her dignity and her sanity. Crafting one of the most accessible and direct works of 1970s political filmmaking, Volker Schlöndorff and Margarethe von Trotta deliver a powerful adaptation of Heinrich Böll’s novel, a stinging commentary on state power, individual freedom, and media manipulation that is as relevant today as when it was released.

***

"The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum," based on Heinrich Böll's German novel that was published here in English this year, is movie that looks as if it had been made out of steel. It is cold and bright and has dozens of lethal edges. It's very difficult to like even though it has things to admire. The film, a dramatized polemic about what it sees as the excesses of freedom in the democracy of West Germany today, makes its point, with tiny variations, as relentlessly as someone dealing in Revealed Truths.

Excerpt from the NY Times located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 17th, 1975

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Review: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Also on Blu-ray in the UK from Studio Canal:
Distribution	Criterion Spine #177 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:46:18.246
Video	1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 47,961,838,886 bytes Feature: 31,691,280,384 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.62 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	LPCM Audio German 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Criterion 1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 47,961,838,886 bytes Feature: 31,691,280,384 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.62 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Interview from 2002 with directors Schlöndorff and Margarethe von Trotta (29:30) • Interview from 2002 with director of photography Jost Vacano (16:25) • Excerpts from a 1977 documentary on author Heinrich Böll (34:55) • Trailer (3:15) PLUS: An essay by film critic Amy Taubin Blu-ray Release Date: August 4th, 2020 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 21

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (July 2020): Criterion have transferred Volker Schlöndorff and Margarethe von Trotta's The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New 4K digital restoration, approved by director Volker Schlöndorff and producer Eberhard Junkersdorf". This was previously on Criterion DVD (which we, strangely, never reviewed) and has been out on Blu-ray in Europe for many years. The 1080P, via a 4K restoration, image quality looks very strong. Strong black levels, kinda clunky grain texture, but a flatness that can look odd. I thought it was impressive on my system.

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original German language. There are instances of aggression in the film's audio and there is a score by Hans Werner Henze (Alain Resnais "Muriel ou Le temps d'un retour", Young Torless, Comrades), imparting some depth with consistent, clear, dialogue. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray supplements duplicate their 2003 DVD with 2 sets of interviews from 2002 with directors Schlöndorff and Margarethe von Trotta for shy of 1/2 hour and with director of photography Jost Vacano plus excerpts from a 1977 documentary on author Heinrich Böll running 35-minutes. Lastly, is a trailer. The package has liner notes with an essay by film critic Amy Taubin.

I thoroughly enjoyed the themes of The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum - the slippery slope of restricting freedom and providing some with wielding that power over others. Angela Winkler is superb. It is interestingly shot. An excellent film that does seem to reverberate more today than in the past couple of decades. Nice to have it on 4K-restored Blu-ray from Criterion although new extras and even a commentary would have been an appreciated addition. Still, absolutely recommended!

Gary Tooze