Leon Morin Priest

Léon Morin Prêtre is released on region 2 DVD by BFI and is a typically professional and academically-minded package.

Technically it's impressive, with a glorious anamorphic black-and-white print and a clear Dolby 2.0 soundtrack. The subtitles let it down however, with occasional spelling mistakes, and one scene (mostly in English) in which they disappear altogether, with opaque grey boxes remaining in their place.

There are a number of extras, although none stands out as being particulary impressive. There's an original trailer, which is always an interesting insight into how the film was regarded on release. This one sensibly plays up the film's melodrama and sexual tension and makes it look much more stylish and radical than it actually is, presumably to position it alongside New Wave hits, such as À Bout De Souffle.

A 15 minute interview with Jean-Pierre Melville's assistant, Volker Schlöndorff, offers an insider's perspective on his autocratic mode of work and techniques for intimidating actors. There's also a 20 minute introduction by academic Ginette Vincendeau, which considers Leon Morin within Melville's work and the New Wave as a whole. It's an interesting addition, although her determination to discuss the film, as if it's about the priest, when Barny is clearly the central character, is frustrating.

Vincendeau also provides a commentary, although this is only over six scenes and isn't a commentary in the strictest sense, as she discusses the film in general rather than the detail of the scenes themselves. Still, these extras are at least imaginative and will no doubt please BFI's highbrow audience.