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

ADDITION: Indicator Blu-ray (July 2026): Indicator have transferred Alain Resnais' "Stavisky" to Blu-ray. The 4K restoration from the original negative, carried out by StudioCanal in 2022 at the VDM laboratory with the participation of the CNC, is superb. The film’s luxurious period visuals - rich 1930s costumes and interiors, sweeping camera movements, crisp winter landscapes, and Resnais’s precise compositions - benefit enormously from the upgrade. Colors are vibrant and filmic, with excellent contrast, deep blacks, and fine detail visible in textures, faces, and set design. Grain is natural and well-managed, resulting in a clean yet authentic image that honors the original cinematography by Sacha Vierny (The Pillow Book, Drowning by Numbers, The Belly of an Architect, A Zed & Two Noughts, The Burned Barns, Belle de Jour, Muriel, Last Year in Marienbad, Night and Fog,) delivers one of the film's most praised elements: luminous, elegant imagery that glows with "feathery whites and fulsome reds." The palette favors muted yet rich period tones, with striking contrasts - deep reds of roses, carnations, and berries against blazing whites, refracted light dancing across faces in restaurants, and pinpoints of sparkle on jewelry, polished silver, and vintage cars. Vierny had a signature fondness for making darkness palpable with strategic highlights, giving scenes a solemn, jewel-like quality influenced by his background and earlier work. This 1080P transfer highlights the film’s visual sophistication. Costumes (by Jacqueline Moreau, with Yves Saint Laurent designing for Anny Duperey as Arlette) are fashion-plate exquisite: wide-lapelled suits for Belmondo (often with a signature red carnation), glamorous gowns for Duperey, and tailored period attire for the ensemble. The 1970s production subtly influences the 1930s styles (e.g., exaggerated lapels), amplifying Stavisky's excess and theatricality. The HD presentation is pleasing.

NOTE: We have added 88 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Indicator use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original French language. Stephen Sondheim composed the original score - his only feature film score - evoking 1930s foxtrots, waltzes, and salon music with pulsating melodic grace and a slightly off-kilter, polished pastiche quality (sometimes described as Stravinsky-influenced or neo-Gershwin). Cues like the main theme, "Arlette by Day/Night," "Salon at the Claridge," and operetta pieces heighten emotion, nostalgia, and irony, gliding through elevator scenes, casinos, and intimate moments while contrasting with the sparse, natural sounds in Trotsky sequences. Only about half of what Sondheim wrote was used, but it unifies the film’s rhythmic flow. The original mono audio is presented cleanly and effectively. Dialogue remains clear and natural, which is vital for Resnais’s intricate screenplay and rhythmic editing. Ambient elements and period sounds integrate smoothly, creating an immersive experience that feels true to the 1974 theatrical presentation. Archival interview recordings are offered in their original quality. Indicator offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The extras package on the Indicator Blu-ray offers several on-set reports from the time of filming - valuable behind-the-scenes access, including a detailed Pour le cinéma Set Report and shorter Cinéma Set Report and Location Report segments that capture the making of the film. An interview with Anny Duperey and footage from the Cannes Film Festival Press Conference add personal and promotional perspectives from the cast and contemporary reception. Two standout archival audio recordings from London’s National Film Theatre enrich the package: a 1982 Guardian Interview with Alain Resnais and a 1988 Guardian Interview with Stephen Sondheim, both offering thoughtful commentary from the director and composer. The theatrical trailer is included, along with image, press kit, and script galleries that provide further visual and textual reference material. The limited edition exclusive booklet features a contemporary production report by Jonathan Rosenbaum (Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons,) an analysis of Stephen Sondheim’s score, an overview of critical responses, and complete film credits, adding scholarly depth to the release.

Alain Resnais' "Stavisky" stands as one of the director’s most elegant yet deceptively layered works, marking his return to feature filmmaking after a six-year hiatus and his second collaboration with screenwriter Jorge Semprún (following La Guerre est finie). Far from a conventional biopic, the film uses the final months (late 1933 to January 1934) in the life of the real-life swindler Alexandre Stavisky - reimagined as the charming, theatrical Serge Alexandre (Jean-Paul Belmondo - Classe Tous Risques, Les Distractions, Le Doulos, The Body of My Enemy, Pierrot Le Fou, Cartouche, The Hunter Will Get You, Borsalino, Le Magnifique, Léon Morin, Priest, Greed in the Sun, The Professional,  Cop or Hood,) - to explore themes of illusion, performance, memory, identity, and the fragility of bourgeois society on the brink of crisis. Resnais deliberately prioritizes legend and fantasy over strict historical authenticity. The core narrative follows Stavisky’s frantic efforts to sustain his empire of fraudulent bonds, jewelry laundering, casino gambling, theatrical ventures (including ownership of the Empire theater), and political influence-peddling, all while maintaining an extravagant lifestyle. At its heart, Stavisky... is a meditation on illusion as power. Stavisky is not merely a crook but a consummate performer - an “incredible actor” and “hero of a serial novel” who fabricates reality through charm, grand gestures, and self-mythologizing. His amour fou for his glamorous wife Arlette (Anny Duperey - Bobby Deerfield, Pardon Mon Affaire, Spirits of the Dead,) parallels his obsessive pursuit of wealth, much like Gatsby; both embody a desperate, hedonistic fight against mortality and oblivion. Resnais portrays him as a Faustian figure haunted by death (echoing his father’s suicide), buying time through ever-more-elaborate deceptions. Ultimately, Stavisky... is a melancholy elegy for a dying era - its false splendors, seductive performances, and underlying voids. Resnais whispers that power resides not in substance but in perpetual becoming and motion. Behind the chrome, the carnations, and the charm lies an emptiness that both enables influence and ensures collapse. It remains a masterful, timeless portrait of deception, both personal and societal. Indicator has produced a high-quality Blu-ray that treats Stavisky with care and intelligence. The 4K restoration delivers beautiful, film-like visuals, the mono audio is faithful and clear, and the extras combine rare production footage, insightful interviews, and a well-written booklet to illuminate the film’s creation and significance. This release makes a compelling case for Resnais’s stylish drama as a major work and stands as a model for boutique Blu-ray editions of classic cinema. Strongly recommended for fans of Resnais, Belmondo, or sophisticated 1970s European filmmaking.

Gary Tooze