Earlier this month, we told you about an upcoming digital restoration of Jean-Luc Godard‘s Pierrot le Fou, the existence of which I found a bit dispiriting — a (mostly) natural reaction when a good Blu-ray of it has / had been available since 2008. But Contempt, made just two years prior, hasn’t had quite the same home-video history. While also released by Criterion, it got that treatment in the early 2000s and never hit Blu-ray on their label — only through Studio Canal, who apparently underwhelmed.
And when you’re working on one of the most beautiful-looking films of its (or any) era, any mishandling is a big one. I wonder what, if anything, will result from their new theatrical release, which is sold on the back of a new digital restoration that brings it all — Brigitte Bardot, landscapes, fashion, cars, and the colors — to vivid life once more. Does that mean a new home-video outing is on the way, or will we — or, for now, those in the U.K. — “just” be treated to a big-screen return of this certified classic? What’s glimpsed herein is impressive, still, and a trip to the theaters could always be much worse.
Have a look for yourself:
Contempt will come to U.K. theaters on January 1.