It was with great trepidation, that I popped Alain Resnais’ extraordinary Last Year at Marienbad into my Blu-ray player.
Not because I don’t like, or respect the film. I do.
But rather, because I had been forced to view it ad nauseam in film classes, along with L’Avventura, and the Best of Bergman and Fellini.
But it was akin to revising an old friend, albeit in far nicer form that it had looked in earlier projections, which were in 16mm.
Kino Classics new Blu-ray is derived from a 4k scan of a quality 35mm element, with audio to match.
Everything looks proper here, from grain structure to overall imagery.
I’m not going to touch the story line, as that’s for new viewers to figure out, and figure out, and then discuss, and calculate, and do more thinking.
While one is on the topic of Mr. Renais, best also to also consider Hiroshima Mon Amour and Muriel, both available from Criterion.
As to Last Year, nice work from Kino!
Image – 4.5
Audio – 4.5
Pass / Fail – Pass
Upgrade from DVD – Yes
Highly Recommended
RAH
Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.
His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.
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