A Few Words About A few words about...™ That Obscure Object of Desire -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

That Obscure Object of Desire (1977) is A level Bunuel, and unfortunately for lovers of the cinema, his final work. He'd been at it since his 1929 short, Un Chien Andalou. Finally on Blu-ray, as released by Lionsgate, That Obscure Desire is a strong release. Color, which has a bit of a pastel look, seems pleasing. There are no major flaws to be found, and the film looks as it should. Studiocanal has done a nice job of mastering. Aspect ratio is proper at 1.66. Monaural audio is well represented in DTS-HD MA, and all is well. Variety, in it's original review, described the film as "A gem-like, almost hypnotic, tale of an older man's obsession with a young woman." I agree. Based upon a 19th century novel by Pierre Louys, this would be the fourth itineration of the tale. The most notable was Josef von Sternberg's 1935 The Devil is a Woman with Marlene Dietrich, which was released to DVD by Universal as part of the Marlene Dietrich "Glamour Collection" in 2006. Universal is all about branding. Simply Sternberg and Dietrich isn't good enough. This set of five films is a bargain at under $20, while other Sternberg / Dietrich titles, via Universal / TCM are the same price for single titles. Those single titles, however, inclusive of the brilliant Shanghai Express, should be core to any serious collection. If you're studying, or simply enjoying world cinema, like the Sternberg titles, this new Lionsgate release should also be a core purchase. As a warning, the logo at the head of this disc is mixed at a very high level, and can do damage to speakers if run at a "normal" higher level. Image - 4 Audio - 4 Highly Recommended. RAH

 

[bujaki]

Essential viewing. Tristana is coming up soon: another great, late Bunuel. Don't miss out on either one!

 

[Michel_Hafner]

Also available from "Studio Canal" as UK edition is "Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie", a hilarious film. Transfer seems to be good. I'll watch it soon to verify. Update: Transfer is unfortunately not as good as I had hoped. It's ok, but sharpening often gives it a harsh unfilmlike look. At least one scene has despeckling artifacts galore. Hopefully this is not the last HD transfer made of this classic. Check out the film if you want to see dreams within dreams many decades before Nolan.