Alain Delon plays dual roles in the swashbuckling adventure The Black Tulip based on the Alexander Duma novel. New to Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.
The Film
It’s funny that Delon saw that Belmondo star in the swashbuckling adventure Cartouche and had to do a swashbuckler himself. It may be a bit of actorly gamesmanship but even now sixty years later we the audience reap the benefits. As much of Cartouche is every bit the Belmondo star vehicle, The Black Tulip is every ounce the Delon star vehicle. The adaptation of the Alexander Dumas novel has Delon playing to his strengths as a charismatic man of action and romance set during the French Revolution.
Though not satisfied with just one role, Delon is given two roles. One is the cynical jaded Guillaume de Saint Preux the masked bandit known as the Black Tulip. The other younger idealistic brother Julien de Saint Preux, who is brought into Guillaume’s scheme as the lecherous police captain La Mouche (Adolfo Marsillach) has scarred him in his pursuit and will surely reveal him as the criminal. This brings the crux of the story as Julien begins to use the alter-ego for good and falls in love with the rebellious Caro (Virna Lisi) who teaches him more than the sword. As Julien begins to lead the revolt against La Mouche and the Marquis de Vigogne (Akim Tamiroff), Guillaume will have to make a choice and prove that is more than the selfish robbery his brother found him to be.
Like many, if not all, of Alexander Dumas’ work the story is heavy on plot and setup taking some time to reveal itself. The Black Tulip’s long lede can be trying if one is not charmed by Delon and his dual roles. Director/co-writer Christian-Jaque thankfully is a wonderful stylist and working with Jean-Pierre Melville’s ace cinematographer Henri Decaë they make this a technicolor widescreen marvel even as the film itself takes its time to get moving. Though once the plot is set into motion the film soars with truly wonderful performances and set piece after set piece.
The Black Tulip is a light-on-its-feet affair that even when it is executing characters takes an oddly light approach that almost makes you forget the dark timeframe they are portraying. Though this is the charm of the film and Delon’s radiant superstardom set to 11. One cannot resist Delon having such a good time. So much so, that you’ll find yourself having one too, in spite of yourself.
The Transfer
The all-new 4K Restoration by TF1 is another winner from the French Studio and Kino Lorber. The handsomely shot widescreen cinematography by Henri Decaë is a colorful delight. The image is sharp with wonderful color reproduction that literally pops off the screen. There isn’t a single blemish or scratch through the run time and the grain structure beautifully mimics the best 35mm qualities.
The Extras
They include the following;
NEW Audio Commentary by Film Critic and Author Simon Abrams
Theatrical Trailer (Low-Res)
The all-new Audio Commentary by Film Critic and Author Simon Abrams begins with his credentials and how he recorded a commentary for Cartouche and how this film would not exist without that film. Some of the other details include a discussion of where Alain Delon’s career was when he took this role; the historical context in which the film takes place in; how different the literary source is to the film – a detailed discussion of Alexander Dumas’ plot/narrative; the way that The Black Tulip ended up being developed out of the director’s attempt to make a Three Musketeer film during the era; a discussion of the career and work of actress Virna Lisi; a larger discussion of the career and work of star Alain Delon; a discussion of the differences between Cartouche and The Black Tulip though they are both swashbuckling star vehicles; a discussion of Delon’s Hollywood’s work during the era; a great discussion about the professional and personal relationship between Delon and Belmondo; and much more. The commentary track is a wonderful deep dive into the film. Abrams includes many quotes from multiple sources about the cast and crew.
Rounding out the special features are trailers for The Black Tulip (3:44) [low-res]; Joy House (3:21); Girl on a Motorcycle (0:51); Un Flic (4:23); Farewell, Friend (4:02); The Widow Couderc (2:47); Armageddon (3:37); Cartouche (3:32)
The Final Thought
Kino continues its curation of the best European Genre films through the decades. Recommended!!
Alain Delon plays dual roles in the swashbuckling adventure The Black Tulip based on the Alexander Duma novel. New to Blu-ray from Kino Lorber.
The Film
It’s funny that Delon saw that Belmondo star in the swashbuckling adventure Cartouche and had to do a swashbuckler himself. It may be a bit of actorly gamesmanship but even now sixty years later we the audience reap the benefits. As much of Cartouche is every bit the Belmondo star vehicle, The Black Tulip is every ounce the Delon star vehicle. The adaptation of the Alexander Dumas novel has Delon playing to his strengths as a charismatic man of action and romance set during the French Revolution.
Though not satisfied with just one role, Delon is given two roles. One is the cynical jaded Guillaume de Saint Preux the masked bandit known as the Black Tulip. The other younger idealistic brother Julien de Saint Preux, who is brought into Guillaume’s scheme as the lecherous police captain La Mouche (Adolfo Marsillach) has scarred him in his pursuit and will surely reveal him as the criminal. This brings the crux of the story as Julien begins to use the alter-ego for good and falls in love with the rebellious Caro (Virna Lisi) who teaches him more than the sword. As Julien begins to lead the revolt against La Mouche and the Marquis de Vigogne (Akim Tamiroff), Guillaume will have to make a choice and prove that is more than the selfish robbery his brother found him to be.
Like many, if not all, of Alexander Dumas’ work the story is heavy on plot and setup taking some time to reveal itself. The Black Tulip’s long lede can be trying if one is not charmed by Delon and his dual roles. Director/co-writer Christian-Jaque thankfully is a wonderful stylist and working with Jean-Pierre Melville’s ace cinematographer Henri Decaë they make this a technicolor widescreen marvel even as the film itself takes its time to get moving. Though once the plot is set into motion the film soars with truly wonderful performances and set piece after set piece.
The Black Tulip is a light-on-its-feet affair that even when it is executing characters takes an oddly light approach that almost makes you forget the dark timeframe they are portraying. Though this is the charm of the film and Delon’s radiant superstardom set to 11. One cannot resist Delon having such a good time. So much so, that you’ll find yourself having one too, in spite of yourself.
The Transfer
The all-new 4K Restoration by TF1 is another winner from the French Studio and Kino Lorber. The handsomely shot widescreen cinematography by Henri Decaë is a colorful delight. The image is sharp with wonderful color reproduction that literally pops off the screen. There isn’t a single blemish or scratch through the run time and the grain structure beautifully mimics the best 35mm qualities.
The Extras
They include the following;
The all-new Audio Commentary by Film Critic and Author Simon Abrams begins with his credentials and how he recorded a commentary for Cartouche and how this film would not exist without that film. Some of the other details include a discussion of where Alain Delon’s career was when he took this role; the historical context in which the film takes place in; how different the literary source is to the film – a detailed discussion of Alexander Dumas’ plot/narrative; the way that The Black Tulip ended up being developed out of the director’s attempt to make a Three Musketeer film during the era; a discussion of the career and work of actress Virna Lisi; a larger discussion of the career and work of star Alain Delon; a discussion of the differences between Cartouche and The Black Tulip though they are both swashbuckling star vehicles; a discussion of Delon’s Hollywood’s work during the era; a great discussion about the professional and personal relationship between Delon and Belmondo; and much more. The commentary track is a wonderful deep dive into the film. Abrams includes many quotes from multiple sources about the cast and crew.
Rounding out the special features are trailers for The Black Tulip (3:44) [low-res]; Joy House (3:21); Girl on a Motorcycle (0:51); Un Flic (4:23); Farewell, Friend (4:02); The Widow Couderc (2:47); Armageddon (3:37); Cartouche (3:32)
The Final Thought
Kino continues its curation of the best European Genre films through the decades. Recommended!!
Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray edition of The Black Tulip is out now.
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