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The Movie:
Presented by director John Woo and Rialto pictures in a 2003 theatrical re-release, Criterion has pulled together a marvelous 2-DVD release for Jean-Pierre Melville's 1970 thriller. "Rouge" stars Alain Delon as Corey, a master thief who has just gotten out of prison. Rather than be satisfied with freedom, Corey heads back into the criminal life, pairing himself with an escapee (Gian Maria Volonte) and an ex-cop (Yves Montand) to try and engineer a major heist.
The film offers classic performances from Delon and Montand, but it's their efforts combined with the cold, damp atmosphere and small details of the code among thieves that make this a memorable crime tale. Melville was also responsible for "Bob le Flambeur", which was recently retold as "The Good Thief" and elements of which were used in the remakes of "Ocean's 11".
Note: This DVD edition contains the full, uncut 140-minute version of "Le Cercle Rouge".
The DVD
VIDEO: "Le Cercle Rouge" is presented by Criterion in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is a new high-definition digital transfer that was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm interpositive. Criterion also used the MTI restoration system to remove thousands of instances of dirt, dust and debris from the source material. While I can't say the transfer of the 33-year-old film was flawless, it was awfully impressive in several regards. Sharpness and detail are first-rate, as the picture even held up quite superbly in shadowy, low-lit sequences. The fact that the set's wealth of supplements are all on disc two might have assisted this transfer's good looks, as well.
The presentation's few flaws were understandable, given the title's age. A mark was spotted here and there on the print, but these few issues certainly didn't cause much in the way of distraction. No edge enhancement or pixelation was spotted, while a hint of light, soft grain gave the film a "film-like" look. Colors remained natural and without concerns throughout the program. Overall, this was certainly another winner from Criterion.
SOUND: The film is presented with a French mono soundtrack that is perfectly satisfactory. The soundtrack has been remastered at 24-bit and restoration tools have been used to remove instances of pop, hiss and other distortion on the soundtrack. The restoration has been a very successful effort, as the soundtrack remained clean and clear throughout, although I thought I still detected a very slight hiss during a couple of quiet moments.
EXTRAS: The second disc holds the set's supplements, including: Cinesastes de notre temps: Jean Pierre Melville, a 27-minute documentary that shows the director in the midst of and outside of work. It's an interesting feature that allows the director to open up and both show his personality and ideas as well as share his philosophies on films and filmmaking. It's an interesting program. Further illuminating just who Melville was are two lengthy interviews - one with assistant director Bernard Stora (30 minutes) and the other with author Rui Nogueira (26 minutes), the latter being the author of "Melville on Melville". In addition, the DVD includes rare on-set and interview footage, a still gallery and both the original French trailer and the 2003 re-release trailer.
Final Thoughts: "Le Cercle Rouge" is an atmospheric, deliberately paced and cool thriller from Jean-Pierre Melville. Influencial, involving and interesting, those with an interest in the genre should certainly take a look. Criterion's new 2-DVD edition provides stellar video quality, very good audio and a lot of supplements. Highly Recommended.
Film Grade
The Film ****
DVD Grades
Video 92/A
Audio: 83/B
Extras: 85/B
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