THE LAST ROMANTIC LOVER (1978)
Label: Cult Epics
Duration: 104 Mins
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1)
Audio: French LPCM 2.0 Mono, DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Director: Just Jaeckin
Cast: Dayle Haddon, Gérard Ismaël, Fernando Rey
While late director Just Jaeckin is more well known for artful softcore sex romps like Emmanuelle and of Madame Claude the lesser known but no les fantastic The Last Romantic Lover showcases a sweeter side to the filmmaker. It tells the tale of an a glamour mag editor-in-chief Elisabeth (Dayle Haddon, North Dallas Forty) who organizes the “Last Romantic Lover” contest - think of it as a precursor to something like The Bachelor, a live TV show that sort of turns the tables on the traditionally female-centric beauty pageantry, this one designed to find a handsome man with a true sense of love and romance, with the first place prize being a large cash sum.
Enter into this equation aging circus owner Max (Fernando Rey, The French Connection) and young, handsome lion-tamer Pierre (Gerald Ismaël, Immoral Women), their circus is in dire straits following the death of their beloved lion, the circus's main attraction. At the top of the film we witness the circus's funeral ritual for the departed animal. When Max pitches the idea of entering handsome Pierre into the contest the shy lion-tamer is less than thrilled, particularly since he will have to shave off his moustache. For the sake of the circus he relents and enters the contest. While he does not take first place he is the runner-up, and the reward is a 10-day all expenses paid vacation with a woman of his choice - in an unexpected turn of events he chooses Elisabeth to join him for 10 days at the circus. She tries to wriggle her way out of it but Pierre playfully threatens to sue for breach of contract on live TV and she relents. Once she arrives at the circus she is not exactly welcomed by the circus folks, and the sexual fireworks she expected from Pierre prove to be more subtle than expected,
This is a surprisingly sweet fairytale, and much like how Elisabeth's expectation of sexual fireworks are subverted so too were my own expectations for a Jaeckin film. The sexual elements are down-played, this is more concerned with the playful romantic elements than with sex. There is of course sex to be seen, but it's not the focal point. Artfully lensed by cinematographer Robert Fraisse (Madame Claude, Ronin) with some fantastic circus shots, including an cool opening credit sequence with a funeral procession and some fire-breathing, I love the dreamy fairytale aesthetic. Eagle-eyed horror fans might also spot Dalila Di Lazzaro (Dario Argento's Phenomena) and Fulci regular Catriona MacColl (City of the Living Dead, The House by the Cemetery, The Beyond) in minor roles.
Audio/Video: The Last Romantic Lover (1978) makes it's worldwide home video debut on region-free Blu-ray from Cult Epics with a new 4K scan of the original 35mm negative supervised by cinematographer Robert Fraisse, framed in 1.66:1 widescreen. The source looks terrific, flawless, with organic looking grain structures, warm colors, lifelike skin tones, and pleasing black levels. Fine detail and texturing throughout are consistently impressive, and there's some modest depth to the image.
Audio comes by way of French LPCM 2.0 Mono, DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo with optional English subtitles. I went the PCM Mono route and was please with the fidelity and separation, the French dialogue sounds great and the score from composer Pierre Bachelet (Emmanuelle) is full-bodied and resonant.
Extras start off with a new Audio Commentary by Jeremy Richey, Author of the book Sylvia Kristel: From Emmanuelle to Chabrol, it's a terrific track that explores Jaeckin’s career at this point and time, the cast and crew, the gorgeous cinematography and style of the film, and the score. We also get an 18-min 2020 Interview with Just Jaeckin who talks about the trouble getting the project off the ground, the inspiration for the story, and the film's poor reception at the box office. We also get a 23-min 2020 Interview with Dayle Haddon who recalls how it was the French who "discovered" her, her modeling career, and how she had no problem with showcasing her body in film if she felt it was needed for the story, plus a 15-min Presentation at the Cinémathèque Française from 2022 where Jaeckin received and award with a rather nice tribute from filmmaker Costa-Gavras, plus a Q&A with Just Jaeckin, Dayle Haddon and author Philippe Labro. The disc is buttoned-up with a 1-min Promotional Gallery with posters, stills and lobby cards for the film, plus a 16-min of Cult Epics Trailers that really showcases the great work Cult Epics have done these past few years bringing Dutch cinema to the cult film masses. The single-disc release arrives in a clear keepcase with a 2-sided, non-reversible sleeve of artwork, featuring the original illustrated movie poster on the cover and a sext shot of Dayle Haddon in all her glory on the inside. The disc itself features the same key art as the wrap.
Special Features:
- 4K HD Transfer (from original 35mm negative) supervised by cinematographer Robert Fraisse
- Audio Commentary by Jeremy Richey (Author of the book Sylvia Kristel: From Emmanuelle to Chabrol)
- Interview with Just Jaeckin (2020) (18 min) HD
- Interview with Dayle Haddon (2022) (23 min) HD
- Presentation at the Cinémathèque Française (2022 ) (15 min) HD
- Promotional Gallery (1 min)
- Cult Epics Trailers: Madame Claude (2 min), Playing With Fire (1 min), Naked Over The Fence (4 min), Frank & Eva (2 min), The Cool Lakes Of Death (4 min), A Woman Like Eve (3 min)
Cult Epics release of The Last Romantic Lover is a wonderful tribute to the recently passed director, a film that defies the softcore expectations I know I had going into it, offering something that is more playful, personal and what I would consider a real gem of a film.
Screenshots from the Cult Epics Blu-ray:
Extras:
