WEAK SPOT (1975) (Radiance Films Blu-ray Review + Screenshots)

WEAK SPOT (1975) 

Label: Radiance Films

Region Code: A,B

Rating: Unrated 

Duration: 111 Minutes 12 Seconds 

Audio: French PCM 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.66:1) 

Director: Peter Fleischmann

Cast: Michel Piccoli, Ugo Tognazzi, Mario Adorf

Weak Spot (1975) aka La faille is a French-Italian-German dystopian political thriller film directed by Peter Fleischmann (Hunting Scenes from Bavaria), and it is based on a novel by Antonis Samarakis. In it a Greek playboy travel agent Georgis (Ugo Tognazzi, Barbarella) is picked up by two unnamed secret agents who work for the "secret service". They say that he is suspected of being part of an underground resistance after a brief he encounter he had with a man who stepped on his foot in a small cafe was observed by agents. He professes his innocence and is sure they have the "wrong man", and he seems convinced that the matter will be cleared up quite quickly and that he can get back to his normal routine. He is taken back to headquarters for a surprisingly casual and brief interrogation by the Police Superintendent (Dimos Starenios) after being made to change into new clothes. After the interrogation, which includes an inspection of his feet to confirm the existence of corns, he is told that he will be be transported by the two also unnamed agents, The Investigator (Michel Piccoli, Le Mépris) and The Manager (Mario Adorf, The Perfume of the Lady in Black), to Athens where he will be interrogated by superior officers. Along the way Georgis makes note of the performative nature of the journey, and when left alone with The Investigator for periods of time the pair seems to form a small bond as they bide their time waiting for the evening ferry while getting shaven by a barber, meet women on the street, and eat ice cream on the beach, all the while talking about feelings of isolation and unhappiness. 

This political thriller is dystopian to hilt, a world where everyone seems nameless, they are just cogs in the wheel of a larger picture that is not entirely made clear, meant to perform their tasks and not question beyond that. This sort of starts out feeling like a Hitchockian North By Northwest  "wrong man" thriller, but where it goes is even more of a nightmare, coming off as a very Kafka-esque variation on the wrong man theme that feels like it could be taking place in the world created in Terry Gilliam's Brazil. If you're a fan of slow-burn paranoid thrillers I could not recommend this more, a frighteningly prescient dystopian  thriller set in the nightmare world of a police state. 

Audio/Video: Weak Spot (1975) makes it; worldwide Blu-ray debut on a region A,B disc from Radiance Films in 1080p HD framed in 1.66:1 widescreen, sourced from newly restored in 4K by Studio Canal. The image looks immaculate, grain appears natural, colors are gorgeous when called upon, an contrast and depth are quite pleasing throughout. Audio comes by way of French PCM 2.0 dual-mono with newly improved optional English subtitles. It's a vert talky affair, lots of dialogue exchanges, there is not a lot of action per se, but the dialogue is nicely prioritized, it's clean and well-balanced, and the Ennio Morricone (Cinema Paradiso) score sounds terrific.  

Disc extras include a wonderful Audio Commentary by critic Travis Woods (2024); the 5-min Archival TV interview with Michel Piccoli discussing Weak Spot (1975); and the in-depth 26-min Soundtrack expert Lovely Jon discusses the Ennio Morricone Score (2024). The single-disc Limited Edition (of 3000) Blu-ray release arrives in a clear, dual-hub, full-height Scanavo keepcase with a Reversible Wrap featuring designs based on original movie posters. This limited edition set also includes the Removable Obi Strip, plus a Limited Edition 20-Page Illustrated Booklet with new insightful new writing by Kat Ellinger by way of "We Don't Need Another Hero: Weak Spot, Masculinity, and Heroism", plus cast and crew credits, notes about the transfer, and Blu-ray acknowledgements. 

Special Features: 
- New 4K restoration from the original negative by Studio Canal
- Audio commentary by critic Travis Woods (2024)
- Archival TV interview with Michel Piccoli discussing Weak Spot (1975) (4:52) 
- Soundtrack expert Lovely Jon discusses the Ennio Morricone score (2024) (26:20) 
- Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Kat Ellinger
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

Screenshots from the Radiance Films Blu-ray: 

Extras: 

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