Jane Birkin and Geraldine Chaplin star as theatre troupe members who are invited by a mysterious playwright/director to perform in a strange mansion. As the rehearsal progresses, secrets are revealed and the line between fiction and reality blurs.

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Video Quality

Love On The Ground comes to Blu-Ray with a new digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 1.85:1 OAR derived from a 4K restoration. While there are some intermittent deficiencies, the new restoration looks really excellent throughout most of the runtime. Minor specks of print damage appear briefly in spots but do not really bother since overall clarity and detail is so impressive. The shots inside the mansion and their original apartment are packed with little details in the production design that are clear thanks to this transfer.

Black levels hold up well with decent detail in shadows and very little in the way of crush. Digital noise is not really a factor throughout. There is a slight loss in fine detail in some of the more dimly lit moments, but this does not register as a persistent issue. Colors are nicely saturated in a way that makes environments and elements of the production design really pop. Skin tones are natural and consistent with distinct facial features easily noticeable in closeup. This new presentation is gorgeous and provides this one with a rich new life. The Cohen Film Collection has done a fantastic job with this one.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a suitable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in the original French with forced English subtitles. The dialogue is the star here as it stays firmly placed in the mix without threat of being overwhelmed by competing sounds. The track maintains a formidable balance with all competing elements so that dialogue comes through clearly. The score sounds pleasant throughout the duration of the film, as it lulls you into the emotions of the narrative. Environmental sounds such as weather effects are rendered well alongside everything else. There does not seem to be any major instances of age-related wear and tear. This audio presentation does everything that is asked of it well.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Emeritus, New York Film Festival & Professor of Film and Media Studies, Columbia University Richard Peña provides a really great commentary track which explores the career of Jacques Rivette, the background of the performers, the themes being explored by the auteur, how this film fares compared to other work from the director and much more.

Re-Release Trailer: A minute-long trailer is provided.

Final Thoughts

Love On The Ground is a hypnotic piece of work from Jacques Rivette that is both expansive in length but very interior in narrative. The thin line between what is performance and what is reality gets very blurry as the film moves along and the dynamics between all of the performers evolve over the course of a few days. The performances are terrific and sell the breakdown of self that each of them are experiencing under these circumstances. The length feels unnecessary at first glance, but it does allow time for Rivette to gently peel back various layers to get to something wholly unique and uncompromising. Cohen Media Group and Kino Classics have delivered a Blu-Ray with a great A/V presentation and an insightful commentary track. If you are interested in engaging more with the French masters of yore, Rivette is a challenging yet rewarding path to embark upon. Recommended

Love On The Ground is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.