Tweet
Released by: Shout! Factory
Released on: September 29th, 2015.
Director: Peter Strickland
Cast: Sidse Babett Knudsen, Chiara D'Anna
Year: 2014
Purchase From Amazon
The Movie:
Directed by Peter Strickland, the man who made Berberian Sound Studio a few years back in 2012, The Duke Of Burgundy begins when a beautiful young woman named Evelyn (Chiara D'Anna) arrives at the massive home of Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen), a woman who studies butterflies, an interest the new hire shares. Evelyn is to start work as Cynthia's new maid, but it quickly becomes clear that there's more to this than just a need for domestic help.
Shortly after her arrival, Cynthia starts to ask things of Evelyn that most wouldn't think to ask of the hired help. She obliges, and it's not long before the two are becoming involved not just as employer and employee but as lovers as well. As this relationship evolves, however, we have to question just who is the dominant player here and what exactly each woman's motivation really is.
Made on a modest budget on location in Hungary with an entirely female cast, The Duke Of Burgundy is a gorgeous looking film. The use of color in the film is excellent and the stylized fetishistic costume work is just as strong. The compositions are artistically impressive but so too do they complement what the characters are going through, heightening both the psychological and the sexual tension that becomes increasingly important as the story plays out. On top of that, the whole thing just looks great. The locations are impressive and make for a wholly appropriate backdrop for the events that take place in the film and we wind up with some really remarkably and memorable set pieces. There was obviously a lot of care put into the costumes here as well, as the wardrobe selections occasionally make for some noticeable contrast against the locations. If there were no story here, no dialogue, this would still be worth seeing for the visuals alone. The score helps to complement all of this quite nicely too.
Thankfully the story is quite intriguing right from the start and it gets even more interesting as the power struggle develops between the two female leads. Tension gets remarkably thick in spots and as the narrative makes some unexpected twists and turns, it's hard not to get pulled into all of this. The performances from Sidse Babett Knudsen and Chiara D'Anna, both of whom are quite beautiful, fit the characters really well too. Each actress is able to bring to her respective role her own certain sense of style and while the film isn't exactly explicit (it infers much more than it actually shows) there are some scenes here that require some bold moves on their end but they make it work and work well.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The Duke Of Burgundy looks gorgeous on Blu-ray framed at 2.35.1 widescreen and presented in AVC encoded 1080p high definition. This is a very visually striking movie, Strickland and his crew obviously put a lot of care into not just the lighting and the framing but the set and costume design and color choices as well and the Blu-ray replicates this beautifully. Colors are perfect, black levels nice and deep and skin tones warm and natural without looking too hot or too cold. Detail is often very impressive and texture as well, while the image is free of any compression artifacts or edge enhancement. This is a very impressive looking film and this disc treats those visuals very well.
The audio chores are handled by an English language DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that is also very strong. The score, courtesy of Cat's Eye, sounds phenomenal here and makes excellent use of the entire sound field, while the dialogue stays clean, clear and nicely balanced even when characters are speaking softly. There isn't even a trace of hiss or distortion to note and bass response is solid but never overpowering. Optional subtitles are included in English only.
Extras on the disc start off with an audio commentary track from writer/director Peter Strickland that offers up pretty much everything you'd want to know from his perspective in regards to the making of this picture. He talks about the casting choices and elaborates on some of the subtleties of the performances, makes quite a bit of mention of the use of music in the film, talks about the locations and set design employed in the picture, the influence of certain European cult filmmakers on this picture and a lot more. He really goes into a lot of detail here about the making of the picture and the track is consistently engaging and interesting. The disc also includes an interview with Strickland that covers a fair bit of the same ground but which does so in a more concise manner. You also get the added advantage of seeing him talk about the movie rather than just listening to him talk about the movie, and he's a bit of a character. It's nice to see his personality shine through here and his enthusiasm at different parts of this interview is pretty infectious.
Peter Strickland's short film Conduct Phase, which follows around a pack of stray dogs with bizarre results, is also included as are a handful of interesting deleted scenes, a Cat's Eye music video, a still gallery and a theatrical trailer for the feature. Menus and chapter stops are also included.
The Final Word:
The Duke Of Burgundy does a beautiful job of channeling the likes of Jess Franco and Jean Rollin while still allowing Peter Strickland to put his own stamp on the type of territory the aforementioned directors are so intertwined with. This is a strange, twisted, sexy film made with plenty of artsy style and loads of atmosphere, but there's enough substance to the style to keep you engaged throughout. Shout! Factory's Blu-ray is a winner, offering up the film in gorgeous shape, with solid audio and with a strong selection of supplemental material as well.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
