Muriel Archive

Muriel, or The Time of Return, Blu-ray (1963/2016)

by Audiophile Audition | Jul 25, 2016 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

Some critics consider this to be the best film Resnais ever did. Muriel, or The Time of Return, Blu-ray (1963/2016) Director: Alain Resnais Cast: Delphine Seyrig, Jean-Pierre Kerien, Nita Klein Cinematographer: Sacha Vierny Studio: Argos/Janus/The Criterion Collection 824 (7/19/16) Video: 1.66:1 for 16:9 screens, 1080p HD color, remastered Audio: French, PCM mono Subtitles: English Extras: Excerpt from 1980 TV documentary Une approache d’Alain Resnais, Excerpt from 1969 interview with Delphine Seyrig, 1963 interview with composer Hans Werner Henze, New interview with film scholar Francois Thomas, Theatrical trailer, Printed booklet with essay by film scholar James Quandt Length: 116 min. Rating: ****1/2 This was Resnais’ follow-up to Last Year at Marienbad. The first thing different I noted about the two was that in that film there was no smoking or drinking and in this one everybody does both, like most French films. Again, it’s a reflection on the nature of time, a major interest of Resnais. There’s a lot of sub rosa stuff reflecting France’s recently-ended war in Algeria, much as some U.S. films of the time touched on the Vietnam conflict. Resnais leaned toward the avant-garde in music for his films, and the interesting concept of Muriel is that its […]