More Criterion

By Christopher P. Jacobs
Movies Editor

One of the specialties of the Criterion Collection is making films by major directors available, both the widely-acclaimed titles and the less-known, more individualistic titles. Here are brief reviews of three more Blu-rays released by Criterion over the past few months.

Ingmar Bergman is generally regarded as one of the greatest directors of the 20th century, creating such masterworks as “The Seventh Seal” (1957), “Persona” (1966), and “Fanny and Alexander” (1983). He’s especially noted for his heavy, brooding, philosophical dramas, but actually made some comedies as well, including one of the all-time best romantic comedies ever made— “Smiles of a Summer Night” (1955).

Set mainly at a Swedish country estate around 1900 where when several couples spend the weekend (including spouses, ex-lovers, present lovers, and hopeful lovers), “Smiles of a Summer Night” is a sophisticated, delightfully witty bedroom farce very much in the tradition of the classic comedies of Ernst Lubitsch and Oscar Wilde. It’s loaded with innuendos, implications, double-entendres, and rapid-fire trading of cleverly barbed insults, all done with the utmost taste and charm. Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was one of Bergman’s inspirations, and his story later inspired the Broadway musical “A Little Night Music” and the Woody Allen film “A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy.”

Devotees of Bergman’s darker dramas will be interested to see many of his stock company of actors playing drastically different types of characters, and will recognize elements reworked in later films like “The Magician.”

Criterion’s high-definition transfer and mono sound are excellent. There is no audio commentary, but bonus features include a taped introduction by Bergman, an interesting video conversation with two Bergman experts, the original trailer, and an illustrated booklet with two essays on the film.

SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT on Blu-ray—Movie: A+  / Video: A / Audio: A / Extras: C+

French director Louis Malle is probably best-known for his American films like “Pretty Baby” (1978), “Atlantic City” (1980), “My Dinner With Andre” (1981), and “Vanya on 42nd Street” (1994). Of his French productions, the most-popular include “Au Revoir, Les Enfants” (1987), “Lacombe Lucien” (1974), “Murmur of the Heart” (1971), and “Viva Maria” (1965). But Malle occasionally made some more experimental, off-beat, and uniquely personal films like the two surrealistic, satirical fantasies that came out on Blu-ray this summer: “Zazie dans le Métro” (1960) and “Black Moon” (1975).

“Zazie” is a madcap comic tale of an assertive, foul-mouthed nine-year-old girl left for the weekend in Paris while her mother runs off with her latest lover. But rather than see the sights with her uncle (a performer at a Parisian drag club), Zazie would rather ride the Metro all day, except there is a subway strike so she can’t, which upsets her to no end. Based on a popular French novel acclaimed for its ingenious wordplay and stretching of language, the film doesn’t always translate effectively in English subtitles, but the then 27-year-old Malle preferred to find visual equivalents of the book’s satiric inventiveness. As a result, he parodies previous films and cinematic conventions rather than novels and literary conventions, all the while presenting a witty commentary on modern civilization. The frenetic pacing, off-the-wall humor, blend of real, surreal, and animated images, as well as fast-motion and slow-motion, prefigure later films like “A Hard Day’s Night” or “Monkees” and the Monty Python TV series. It all but demands repeat viewings to catch everything that’s going on.

The Blu-ray’s video and audio are fine, although it’s hard to tell whether the overall warm colors are intentional or due to image fading, and the sometimes grainy image may be due to optical effects. While there’s unfortunately no commentary track, bonuses include contemporary interviews with the director, author, screenwriter, and star, along with a newer audio-only interview with the art director, and a 2005 documentary comparing Paris then and now. There’s also the trailer and an illustrated booklet with a worthwhile essay.

ZAZIE DANS LE MÉTRO on Blu-ray—Movie: B / Video: A-  / Audio: A / Extras: B+

Malle’s “Black Moon” is even more peculiar and potentially disturbing, with even less of a formal plot. It’s sort of a post-apocalyptic fantasy loosely inspired by “Alice in Wonderland” that deals with the (quite literal) war between the sexes, the innocence of childhood, a teenage girl’s coming of age, and sexual anxiety. The young protagonist Lily (Cathryn Harrison, granddaughter of Rex) drives through the countryside witnessing armed conflicts between military units of men and women shooting each other down. She barely escapes being captured by one side or the other by driving deeper into the woods, where she comes upon an apparently abandoned farmhouse populated by sheep and other farm animals, crowds of naked children, an odd brother-sister couple both named Lily, and a mysterious old lady who talks with a large rat. There’s also a unicorn.

From there the progression of events follows a decidedly dreamlike logic as Malle explores various personal issues, obsessions, and interests with no obvious coherence. Partly co-written by Joyce Buñuel (daughter-in-law of Luis) and loaded with allusions and symbolism, the film may not be easy to watch or understand, but it’s always intriguing and provocative. Visually lush (shot by Sven Nykvist), its surreal approach to narrative may be more unsettling and off-putting than engaging for many viewers.

As usual, Criterion’s video and audio transfer are excellent. Filmed in English, there’s not much dialogue at all, but the disc includes an optional French-dubbed soundtrack. There are only a few bonus items: an illustrated booklet with an essay that bears reading, a trailer that’s nothing more than the opening scenes of the film, a stills gallery, and a TV interview with Malle where he refuses to explain what he meant with the film, asserting that the film “speaks for itself.”

BLACK MOON on Blu-ray—Movie B- /  Video: A / Audio: A / Extras: C

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