A hitman with a murky past (Walter, Daniel Mesguich) encounters a beautiful woman (Marie-Angie, Gabrielle Lazure) in a smoky bar. He is intrigued, she isn't. He attempts to find out more, she smiles and leaves without a trace.

Later the same night, on a dark and muddy country road, the hitman discovers the beautiful woman cuffed, bruised, and unconscious. He takes her to a nearby mansion, sleeps with her (!), and wakes up with a bloody stain on his neck. From that point on the hitman slowly begins to lose his mind!

There are precisely two ways of looking at Alain Robbe-Grillet's fascinating La Belle Captive (1983). One could either dismiss it as a pretentious attempt in fractured storytelling where reality is bent by the ludicrous dreams of a man with sick imagination (Walter) or, one can see it as a mesmerizing exploration of the human mind done through a script with some curious twists.

Choosing option one implies that the director failed to convince you there is more in this film than a bizarre-acting heroine (Marie-Angie) with an annoying history. Therefore, I could assure you La Belle Captive will successfully disappoint you with practically every other key area worth discussing: storyline, direction, character development. None of these appear well-sustained as they refuse to follow a one-dimensional progression. As a result La Belle Captive is often difficult to rationalize, logic is impossible to apply.

Choosing option two suggests that Alain Robbe-Grillet was more than experimenting with your patience. La Belle Captive juxtaposes sex, vampirism, classical music, neo-noir, and suspense in a visually stunning manner where the conscious and subconscious are practically inseparable. If you recognized all that the main protagonist's struggle to put together the missing pieces of an enigma where nothing is what it seems will be a fascinating journey to behold.

Someone more inventive than me is likely to have another take on this film! One could argue that this puzzling mish-mash of sounds and images was simply meant to provoke an intellectual reaction(s), the sort of response some believe cinema is meant to instigate. I find it difficult to embrace such a notion as Walter's actions aren't totally devoid of logic – at times they are symbolic but mostly normal.

Those who worship the work of Jean-Luc Godard will probably uncover plenty in this film worthy of appreciation. Certainly the genre limitations, or lack there of, Alain Robbe-Grillet has chosen to abide in, sans La Belle Captive's dated look, put him closer to some of Godard's experimental films. And if the finale wasn't so ludicrously rushed I suppose we truly could have had something special.

Awards/ Recognition:

In 1983 the film was nominated for Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

How Does the DVD Look?

This isn't one of Koch Lorber Films' impressive efforts! After my initial praise for their Un Coeur en Hiver and La Moustache DVDs, both of top-notch quality, I am somewhat disappointed to report that what we have here is an average at best product. Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 but not enhanced for widescreen TVs the print for La Belle Captive appears to have been sourced from a secondary, unrestored, master. As you could guess this creates all sorts of issues as there are numerous instances of minor specks, scratches, and dots, shaky contrast, faded color-scheme, and a notable amount of digital noise. Furthermore, the print does tend to break down when seen through a digital projector and for the most part it certainly implies a "dated" look which a film of this age should not possess.

I am however somewhat thankful that Koch Lorber Films have managed to deliver a copy of this film to the North American market as not only La Belle Captive but any Alain Robbe-Grillet film is next to impossible to see on a good-looking, English-friendly, disc. So, let's give credit where credit is due!!

How Does the DVD Sound?

Presented with DD French track and optional English subtitles the audio is mostly fine without any disruptive side imperfections. Dialog is easy to follow and while the soundtrack isn't crystal clear and crisp as it likely should be the film's mysterious environment is well recreated.

Extras:

Sadly, aside from the original French theatrical trailer there is nothing else to be found here.

Final Words:

The man who produced the screenplay to Alain Resnais' haunting Last Year at Marienbad has created a beautiful to behold yet at times notably imperfect film asking some intriguing questions. The disc by Koch Lorber Films isn't the best we have seen from the company yet it isn't one of their worst efforts either!