- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 17,436
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Lover, now celebrating it's 30th anniversary, is a magnificent film about a relationship with a bit more age differential than might be considered the norm.
And although there were rumors of actual sex on the set (false), probably the most sensual shots in the film relate to hands touching at the beginning a potential relationship.
Beautifully shot in color by Robert Fraisse (he deservedly received an Academy nomination), I found the release on 4k an odd bit of news.
I'd been desirous of upgrading from DVD for aeons, but never expected a 4k to come via MPI.
Packaging, presumably for more than just my example, is problematic, as the 4k disc hit the floor before I could open the book in which it and its Blu-ray counterpart are nestled.
Each disc is held to the covers of the book jacket on a separate clear plastic mount, glued to the paper behind it.
Apparently, defective glue has been used, as there was a total lack of adhesion, with the background paper torn.
Other than the odd packaging, it's a quality affair, and I'm hopeful that MPI will continue to license high quality productions and release them.
As 4k discs go, it's very nice - a true 4k scan, with variants of Dolby Vision as well has HDR. All of which looked fine, although I'm wondering if there's an occasional bit of blown out highlights. I don't know the film well enough to posit an opinion.
Color, which occasionally appears a bit oversaturated, is fine overall. Grain structure is proper for the film stock. Black levels also work nicely.
One other small problem, presumably comes from improper authoring. The film has been available in three dubs, with various sub-titles. English, French and German. I prefer the English language version.
However, start the film, and you're given the choice of only two. To find French, one must go into the track controls.
A beautiful film, based upon the autobiographical novel by Marguerite Duras, shot in Viet Nam and France.
And as a parting shot, if one wishes to feel old...
Jane March is now 48.
Image – 5 (Dolby Vision)
Audio – 5
Pass / Fail – Pass
Plays nicely with projectors - Yes
Makes use of and works well in 4k - 4.5
Upgrade from DVD / Blu - Absolutely
Highly Recommended
RAH
