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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (December 2020): Kino have transferred Jerry Schatzberg's Puzzle of a Downfall Child to Blu-ray. We compare it to the Carlotta Blu-ray from 2012, and there are significant differences. I can't speak to the colors and there are times that the French 1080P looks superior but mostly the new Kino is a vast improvement. Most notable is how much the Carlotta is cropped in comparisons. Side-by-side I can't shake the feeling that the Carlotta has had some contrast manipulation although I have no specific evidence of such. Both Blu-rays are on dual-layered discs with max'ed out bitrates. The Kino can lean brown and blue and flesh tones can warm and cool. Overall, I'm pretty sure that the new Kino is the better in representing the film. The cropping is extensive on the French BD.

NOTE: We have added 36 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (16-bit) in the original English language. It is very similar to Carlotta's. With few aggressive effects but a score by Michael Small (Klute, The Drowning Pool, Black Widow, Child's Play, Night Moves, The Driver, The Star Chamber) sounding a bit deeper with more consistent dialogue. Kino offer optional English subtitles (the Region 'B' Carlotta only French) on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Kino Blu-ray offer a new commentary by film historian/filmmaker Daniel Kremer and film historian/podcaster Bill Ackerman (Supporting Characters), It's excellent. What do they discuss? Puzzle of a Downfall Child  being in Kremer's top 5 films of all time, it being influential to him as a filmmaker, references to Andrew Wyeth's painting Christina's World, writer Carole Eastman (Five Easy Pieces, Monte Hellman's The Shooting), DoP Adam Holender (Midnight Cowboy), the interesting actress Viveca Lindfors (Last Summer in the Hamptons) - that Daniel is fascinated with, how many French critics recognized Puzzle of a Downfall Child as one of the great American films, how it is difficult to make a film on 'memory', influences of Bergman, Antonioni, Polanski, and, although not venturing to a genre film - Altman's Images. They discuss the Catholic church, nun sequences reminding Daniel of Rosemary's Baby, the film's Chinese motifs, Catholic imagery, Frank Perry's Play It As It Lays, the flashbacks or non-linear timeline - Isadora is mentioned, the fashion world (depicted in Blow Up), Bill quotes from Looking for Gatsby (Dunaway's autobiography), Preminger, Faye Dunaway's evolution as an actress, the Michael Small film score (Jenny), the model Anne St. Marie, the real-life inspiration of the film... and much more. There is also a wonderful 1/4 hour, remote recorded, interview with 93-year old director Jerry Schatzberg who talks about how he got into directing - his interaction with Faye Dunaway, playing Anne St. Marie tapes for her, Newman and Woodward's production (meeting them the day after Sharon Tate was murdered), and more - plus we get the alternate studio-edit opening in poor quality running 2-minutes, a 'Trailers From Hell' episode with Larry Karaszewski and a theatrical trailer.

Jerry Schatzberg's Puzzle of a Downfall Child is both a fascinating and brilliant film. It carries a 70's breakthrough vibe with artistic sensibility that we don't see often in American cinema. I sensed a comfortable, haunting, depth with Schatzberg's layering of the narrative. Dunaway is radiant - hypnotic in her role - what might be considered her best ever. It's an odd, but very appealing film and your appreciation only magnifies with repeat viewings. There is so much to uncover. The Kino Blu-ray is the way to go for the maintaining this visual film's integrity and for the marvelous Daniel Kremer / Bill Ackerman commentary - one of my favorite of the year. I cherish the included interview with Jerry Schatzberg and give this package our highest recommendation. It may make some noise in our Year End Poll.   

Gary Tooze