Love on the Ground is a French drama from 1984 that stars a pair of theater troupe members who are invited to a theater performance, and their lives are forever changed!
Taking place in Paris, Emily (Jane Birkin, Dark Places, Seven Deaths in the Cat’s Eye) and Charlotte (Geraldine Chaplin, Z.P.G., The Age of Innocence) are invited to the mansion of a mysterious playwright/director, Clément Roquemaure (Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Condorman) offering roles to them. But they didn’t read the fine print closely enough, they must live at the director’s large apartment while they are rehearsing. Once there in the apartment, all kinds of oddities happen including hallucinations, fighting and other mysterious wonders, with the two actresses having trouble differentiating between reality and fiction.
The nearly three-hour film should hold interest for those who enjoy dramas. The film is off-beat, much different than the norm, which makes it even more enjoyable. Director Rivette shows no boundaries and has directed another French classic! The performances by the cast are top-notch as it had to be as the movie is 99% dialogue. The play within the play and rehearsals for Love on the Ground are witty but also perplexing.
Love on the Ground arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cohen Media. The release is on a dual-layered disc. The image quality for this 1080p release has a nice appearance with rich, bold colors and deep textures. Details to the indoor and outdoor scenery are also quite strong on this Blu-ray. The excellent cinematography by William Lubtchansky stands out due to the boost in contrast. Flesh tones look flawless with plenty of details to the actors in close-up shots.
On their Blu-ray, Cohen Media has used a French DTS HD Master audio 2.0 which perfectly fine without any issues such as drop-offs or hissing. The French dialogue and other background sounds were clear and balanced, with nothing coming in overly aggressive. English subtitles are available.
An audio commentary track by Director Emeritus, New York Film Festival & Professor of Film and Media Studies, Columbia University Richard Peña and a re-release trailer consist of the bonus materials for this Blu-ray release.
I think this Cohen Media Blu-ray for Love on the Ground is excellent with great audio and video quality to go with a few extras, make this a recommended offering!
Love on the Ground
Director – Jacques Rivette
Cast- Jane Birkin, Geraldine Chaplin
Country of Origin- France
Distributor – Cohen Media
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date –2/16/2023