Vice and Virtue – Kino Lorber (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: France/Italy, 1963
Director: Roger Vadim
Writers: Claude Choublier, Roger Vadim, Roger Vailland
Cast: Annie Girardot, Catherine Deneuve, Robert Hossein, O.E. Hasse, Philippe Lemaire, Luciana Paluzzi, Howard Vernon

Release Date: March 17th, 2015
Approximate running time: 106 Minutes 42 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $29.95

"Two sisters navigate very different courses as they struggle to survive within the morally corrupt fascist regime. Juliette (Annie Girardot, The Piano Teacher) is surrounded by the spoils of war, being the mistress of a colonel (Robert Hossein). Meanwhile, Justine (Catherine Deneuve, Repulsion, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg), whose husband is seized by fascists on their wedding day, is taken to a chateau in the country, where she is groomed to become a concubine for the Nazi elite." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Vice and Virtue comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.2 GB

Feature: 21.6 GB

Reportedly, this transfer is sourced from Gaumont's 2K restoration of the film. And outside of wartime documentary footage, the bulk of this transfer looks great, and any source debris is minor. Image clarity, contrast, and black levels look solid; compression is very good; and there does not appear to be any digital noise reduction.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option: a LPCM mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. This audio track is in excellent shape. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. The score sounds appropriately robust, and the ambient aspects of the soundtrack, like gunfire and explosions, are well represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 11 seconds, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles) and reversible cover art.

Summary:

Directed by Roger Vadim, whose other notable films include And God Created Woman, Blood and Roses, Barbarella, and Pretty Maids All in a Row. The screenplay for Vice and Virtue was adapted from the Marquis de Sade‘s novel Justine, ou les malheurs de la vertu.

The narrative revolves around two sisters, Justine and Juliette, whose lives take two separate paths. Justine’s life is one of virtue, while Juliette’s life is consumed by her vices.

When Roger Vadim directed Vice and Virtue, the only other feature film adaptation of the works of Marquis de Sade's at the time was Luis Buñuel’s L’Age d'Or, and by the late 1960's, there would be an onslaught of De Sade-inspired films, many of which were directed by Jesus Franco. The most notorious De Sade adaptation to date is Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom.

When compared to other adaptations of the Marquis De Sade novel Justine, ou les malheurs de la vertu, Roger Vadim’s adaptation retains all the key essentials that drive Marquis De Sade’s literature. Roger Vadim's main contribution is the time period in which he set the story during the last two years of World War II, and at the beginning of Vice and Virtue, there is text from Roger Vadim explaining why he chose the setting and era in which Vice and Virtue takes place. Fortunately, one of the strengths of Marquis De Sade’s literary works is that they are not bound by any specific moment in time. Ultimately, their potency lies in the way that they effortlessly blur the lines between morality and sexuality.

The narrative for Vice and Virtue revolves around two sisters, Justine and Juliette. Juliette lives a decadent life where she is willing to do anything she has to get what and how she wants, while Justine leads a life that is the exact opposite. And though they are sisters, they are not reunited until the day after Justine’s finances were abducted by the Nazis. This is a pivotal moment in their relationship, as Juliette, whose life is in a good place, refuses to help her sister for fear that she will lose everything that she has worked for. From there, their lives do not cross over again until the final act, when Juliette, who has moved on to another lover, encounters Justine, who is being held prisoner at a castle occupied by Nazis. This time around, Juliette offers to help her sister, who no longer wants anything to do with her.

Content-wise, the scenes with the slave girls at the castle are the most Marquis de Sade-like moments. The women wear Roman-like gowns; they have no names, only the number that they have since been assigned. Also, these women’s only purpose is to satisfy their Nazi captors and their guests. Punishment for those who refuse to do what they are told is torture, and for anyone who tries to escape, they are executed and fed to dogs. It should be noted that the way in which these acts are portrayed is tame compared to other Marquis de Sade adaptations.

Visually, Roger Vadim once again does not disappoint, as every inch of every frame is exploited for maximum effect. The majority of films made during this era were shot in color. The use of black-and-white photography proves to be an inspired choice. One of the more profound moments visually is a scene where Justine, who has remained pure up until that moment, is finally thrown to the wolves. The way that Vadim photographs these moments, and more specifically, his leading ladies, is nothing short of exquisite.

Performance-wise, one would be hard-pressed to find any performances that did not rise to the occasion. And cast in the roles of the two sisters are Annie Girardot (Rocco and His Brothers) in the role of Juliette and Catherine Deneuve (Belle de Jour) in the role of Justine. If ever there was a case of flawless casting, then it would be in the case of these two actresses, who both effortlessly capture the essence of the characters they are portraying. Another notable performance is by Robert Hossein (Don Juan (Or If Don Juan Were a Woman)) in the role of SS Colonel Erik Schörndorf; it is his character that becomes Juliette’s lover after the first act of the film. Two notable cameos include Howard Vernon (The Awful Dr. Orlof) in the role of an SS official and Luciana Paluzzi (A Black Veil for Lisa) in the role of Héléna, one of the women being held captive by the Nazis. Ultimately, Vice and Virtue is a solid adaptation of the Marquis de Sade.

Vice and Virtue gets a solid audio/video presentation from Kino Lorber, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer