L’Argent (aka Money/1983/Umbrella Entertainment/Region Four/4/PAL)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C     Extras: C-     Film: B

 

 

PLEASE NOTE: This DVD can only be operated on machines capable of playing back DVDs that can handle Region 4 PAL format software and can be ordered from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment at the website address provided at the end of the review.

 

 

Robert Bresson final film L’Argent (1983) is his excellent final film and we reviewed it years ago in a DVD edition that has recently gone out of print as the issuing company New Yorker Films folded.  There is a new import DVD edition just-released by Umbrella Entertainment, but here is the link to our coverage of the film the first time:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2248/L'Argent+(Money)

 

 

The film still holds up, but this is sadly a more basic DVD release with what looks like the same problematic, anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image that the New Yorker edition offered.  Worse, the Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is simple stereo and even duller than the New Yorker edition.  Needless to say, the film needs a new HD transfer and sound upgrade, but this is at least in print.  While the New Yorker version offered a paper pull-out essays by director Olivier Assayas and Kent Jones, who himself also supplies a fine audio commentary for the whole film and knows Bresson’s work well, this film in particular, an on camera interview with Marguerite Duras (subtitled) off of old 1.33 x 1 analog videotape and runs 1:26, TF1 (from Cannes 1983 on film that he directed himself, bookended by tape) and TSR (the same format) interviews with the director running 6:16 and 12:54 respectively, and an original teaser trailer (identified as if it were a full length trailer), all you get on this Umbrella version is the trailer.

 

 

As noted above, you can order this PAL DVD import exclusively from Umbrella at:

 

http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo