The inaugural film of Eric Rohmer’s sparkling “Comedies and Proverbs” cycle, The Aviator’s Wife is a fleecy farce of romantic overanalysis that finds the director exploring the possibilities of handheld camerawork as he seeks a narrative expression of the opening epigraph: “It is impossible to think of nothing.” A young man sees his girlfriend’s ex leaving her apartment one early morning, and his imagination is off to the races, as stars Philippe Marlaud and Marie Rivière (The Green Ray) introduce a younger, less perfectly articulate type of Rohmer character than those of the “Moral Tales.”

For thoughts on The Aviator’s Wife, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

The Aviator’s Wife comes to Blu-Ray with a new digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 1.66:1 original aspect ratio derived from a recent restoration. While a few small things are keeping it from being perfect, the new restoration looks tremendous throughout most of the runtime. Print damage is rarely an issue with overall clarity and detail rendering so impressively. The shots inside the cafe and the apartment are packed with little details in the production design that are clear thanks to this transfer.

Black levels hold up well with strong 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 areas, but this does not register as a persistent issue. Colors are pleasantly 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 beautiful and provides this one with a rich new life. Metrograph Pictures has done a fantastic job with this one.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a great DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in the original French with optional English subtitles. Dialogue is the featured element here as it stays firmly planted in the mix without the threat of being overshadowed by competing sounds. The track maintains an agreeable balance with all competing elements so that dialogue comes through crisp and clear. The score sounds pleasant throughout the film, as it lulls you into the emotions of the narrative. Environmental sounds such as the chatter of individuals or birds chirping are rendered well alongside everything else. There do 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: Film historian Adrian Martin provides a great commentary track that explores the career of Eric Rohmer, the shift following the “Moral Tales” run of films, the background of the performers, the themes being explored by the auteur, how this film fares compared to other work from the director, the aesthetic of the feature, and much more.

Summer of Rohmer Trailer: A minute-long trailer is provided for the films of Eric Rohmer.

Final Thoughts

The Aviator’s Wife is a magical bit of filmmaking from the legendary Eric Rohmer that keeps you guessing as the narrative reveals itself and you have to question your own stance on things. The filmmaker uses his runtime effectively to allow moments to breathe as you come to feel very invested in these characters. The smart thing that Rohmer does is that he never overplays a scene; there are scenarios that your typical Hollywood narrative would amplify to create more tension or passion, but you come to find that the emotional impact hits deeper when things feel less manufactured. The performances are really great all around, especially the beguiling Anne-Laure Meury. This is our first experience with Eric Rohmer, and we are more eager than ever to seek out more from the filmmaker. Metrograph Pictures and Kino Lorber 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, this is a very accessible narrative. Highly Recommended

The Aviator’s Wife 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: Metrograph Pictures 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.