In Alphaville, Jean-Luc Godard’s sixties techno-noir Alphaville starring Eddie Constantine, Anna Karina, and Akim Tamiroff gets a reference quality 4K UHD with remastered audio and Dolby Vision HDR.
The Production: 3.5/5
The guy is Lemmy Caution, played by American actor Eddie Constantine. The girl is Natacha von Braun, played by Anna Karina, a Godard regular. Lemmy isn’t afraid to use his gun, or his camera. The film is Jean-Luc Godard’s 1965 futuristic noir Alphaville (The Strange Adventure of Lemmy Caution). The Alpha 60 mega-computer rules over the city, powered by pure computer logic. Death is granted to those who step outside its logic, whether wanted or not. Like many of Godard’s films, plot isn’t necessarily much of a concern, but rather what story is there to provide a framework for ideas.
While I find Alphaville to be a bit impenetrable, much like other Godard films, there is something alluring about the shadowy nighttime noir setting. I feel that Godard isn’t even as much worried about telling a story, but rather creating mood. This he succeeds in. Shot by Raoul Coutard (Godard’s usual cinematographer of his 60s works), this captures everything wonderful about American noir, while putting just the bare minimum sheen of futurism. Made for a tiny budget and in such a short time, the science-fiction aspects are mostly inferred. The Alpha 60 computer is voiced by someone with an artificial voice box (I assumed they were belching the dialogue). Computers are represented by vintage 60s recording equipment and typewriters.
Even with my reservations over Godard’s style, I can’t help but love how it feels as a film. Perhaps Alphaville could be seen as “brutalist” cinema in a sense that the images are what actually matter and plot only serves to supplement them. I’m less concerned about the story than seeing Eddie Constantine’s craggly face perfectly captured, Anna Karina’s incredible eyes, and the play with shadows and light. Akim Tamiroff even shows up for a scene.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
Kino Lorber announced several former Criterion titles together as 4K UHD upgrades of previously released Blu-ray editions licensed from StudioCanal, including Alphaville. Presented in the original 1.37:1 aspect ratio and with Dolby Vision HDR. This disc uses a brand new 4K restoration by StudioCanal and Hiventy. The 35mm original camera negative was utilized and was scanned wetgate in 4K resolution.
At first, I thought it was an odd choice for Kino Lorber to release Alphaville on this format, but it’s obvious to me now.
This is one of the best-looking monochrome 4K UHDs I’ve yet to see. I don’t think I saw even a single speck or scratch. Film grain looks velvety, almost giving the image a metallic look. The image is stabilized well, especially compared to the Blu-ray. I could see every crease on Eddie Constantine’s face and every eyelash from Anna Karina’s eyes.
Contrast is perfect. As this is meant to be sort of a noir-inspired work, my mouth was agape at times looking at the luscious images Raoul Coutard’s camera captured. The HDR does wonders for many shots that had blown out highlights on the Blu-ray, with detail being visible even in windows and lamps. The bitrate rarely seems to drop under 60mbps and tends to remain in the 70s/80s.
The included Blu-ray is identical to the 2019 edition, which means it is the previous master. While it looks quite good, the contrast is a bit more clipped, there’s less stabilization, and more dirt/scratches.
Audio: 5/5
If the excellent visuals weren’t enough, StudioCanal also gave the audio a complete overhaul. While the original Kino Lorber Blu-ray sounds fine, this restored monaural track is taken from the original optical soundtrack negative. The sharp stings of Paul Misraki’s score now have stunning clarity. You can hear the bile rising from whoever is doing the “belching” computer voice. Even the location sound is perfectly clear. I wasn’t exactly expecting much here, but it’s a lovely touch. The restored mono is presented in DTS-HD MA 2.0.
Both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray include optional English subtitles for the French dialogue (there’s a little bit of English thrown in at times).
It’s worth noting that the Blu-ray also includes an additional English dub track, which is not present on the 4K UHD disc.
Special Features: 4/5
The sole extra on the 4K UHD disc is the audio commentary by film historian Tim Lucas, which is also featured on the included Blu-ray. Lucas’ commentary is excellent, with background on the talent involved, stories on the making of the film, and more on the meaning behind it. As this is one of the more “opaque” films of Godard (at least to me), I found more appreciation for the film after listening to his commentary, much like his work on many other films.
Colin McCabe Introduction (5:26 SD)
Anna Karina Interview (4:26 SD)
Theatrical Trailer (1:20 SD)
Additional Trailers:
Le doulos (2:24 SD)
Bob le flambeur (3:26 SD)
Touchez pas au grisbi (3:53 SD)
Razzia sur la chnouf (3:02 HD)
Overall: 4/5
One of the stranger entries by Jean-Luc Godard in the sixties, but also a fan favorite. Worth picking up at least for the superb Dolby Vision master from StudioCanal’s new 4K restoration.
Current Home Theater setup (as of 01/2019):
Monitor:
Samsung 60" LED 4K UHD (UN60J7090)
Players:
Primary - Sony UBP-X700 UltraHD Player
Secondary - Sony BDP-S5500 Blu-ray 3D Player (all region modded)
Sound:
VIZIO 5.1 Soundbar SB-3851C0
Other Players:
PS3
Apple TV (4th generation)
3-D Glasses:
Samsung Active Shutter (4x)
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