A Woman Like Eve, known as Een vrouw als Eva in the Netherlands, is a 1979 film directed by legendary Dutch filmmaker Nouchka van Brakel. She was a pioneer in the filmmaking industry when it came to feminism and strong female characters. Her films created a stir and followed by controversy when they first came out due to the subject matter. She made movies about women who needed a change in their everyday life or a change in their social status, from a woman’s perspective. Her film, A Woman Like Eve is one such picture about a woman seeking a social change and the effects it has on her life.

The movie evolves around Eve (legendary actress Monique van de Ven, The Johnsons), who appears to be happy in her daily life with her husband Ad (Peter Faber, A Bridge Too Far) and her two kids that she adores. She soon starts to feel discontent, as if there are some things missing in her life, and she is depressed and upset over it. She wants to explore herself and be more than just a housewife and homemaker while her husband works. Ad sends Eve to France for a holiday vacation so she can unwind, relax and think things over. When in France she meets lesbian Liliane (Maria Schneider, Last Tango in Paris), who lives in a commune with other lesbian women. Eve and Liliane are attracted to each other and a strong relationship starts to develop. Eve falls in love with her and has a lesbian affair. Ad finds out about her infidelity with Liliane and the once happy couple ultimately split up. A child custody battle ensues, with each parent making their case and the courts must decide if the kids will be with Ad and his new fiancé Sonja or to Eve and her lesbian lover. It comes down to what is considered normal in society, at least in 1979. Eve, thinking Ad is getting married so he and his wife can raise the kids in a traditional family like setting, speaks up claiming that she can raise her children even though she is a lesbian.

A Woman Like Eve is a tremendous, powerful groundbreaking film treading on uncharted waters, with excellent characterizations by the cast. I thought the performances were amazing. You can feel and relate to what Ad is going through after being cheated on; you understand the emotional pain of Eve when she is possibly going to lose her kids because she is a lesbian. The main crux of the film revolves around her relationship with Liliane, and how lesbianism has caused shame and embarrassment to the traditional family unit. This issue is still relevant today but nowhere near as taboo or forbidden as it was in 1979.  

A Woman Like Eve is presented on Blu-ray from Cult Epics. The film as mentioned on the back of their Blu-ray case, has received a brand-new HD transfer from an original 35mm print. The image is incredibly strong with rich, bold colors being consistent throughout, especially during scenes taking place under blue skies in broad daylight. Black levels are also rich and balanced. Outdoor scenery shots boast deep textures and look robust. Skin tones also appear to be accurate with great detail shown in close-ups of the actors faces. Film grain is present as well, more visible in the evening scenes, with no signs of DNR or other artificial enhancement applied. I would the picture quality nothing short of remarkable.

Cult Epics offers two audio tracks for A Woman Like Eve. There is the original Dutch LPCM 2.0 Mono track and a new Dutch DTS-HD master audio 2.0 mono track. Both tracks sounded clear and crisp to me with dialog and mellow musical scores by Laurens van Rooyen sounding perfectly fine without hissing or drop-offs. I preferred the 2.0 track as it did sound a bit richer, but both are more than suitable. Optional English subtitles are available.

There are a couple of extras included in this package. Supplements include a 40-minute interview with director Nouchka van Brakel by journalist Floortje Smit at Eye Filmmuseum. This extra is paired with theatrical trailers, a poster and photo gallery

A Woman Like Eve was a first time viewing for me and it was an unforgettable experience based on the subject matter and how the characters react to such major changes in their lives. On top of the film being a pleasure to watch, the audio and video quality for this release is stellar and can easily recommend this release by Cult Epics!

A Woman Like Eve

Director- Nouchka van Brakel

Cast-Monique van de Ven, Maria Schneider

Country of Origin- Netherlands

Distributor –Cult Epics

Number of Discs – 1

Reviewed by – David Steigman

Date-5/22/21