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Others have covered the story details at length. To me, the film was so "realistic", so gritty and heartfelt that I became completely absorbed, and forgot that i was "watching" the film. It drew me in completely, so I was in "their" world.

The acting was solid, if not oscar worthy, but again, heartfelt. Many intimate conversations between the characters to flesh them out, not just about boxing, but about their relationships.

Aside from the standout performance of Michelle Rodriguez, I particularly enjoyed that of coach Jamie Tirelli. He was inspiring, and very human.

And finally, the cinematography by Patrick Cody was outstanding, amazing. From the gritty environment in which they all existed, to the absolutely amazing boxing footage - what an unusual pleasure. The intimacy, presence and interesting lighting during those scenes were so artfully created.

The film is not "pretty" in any way, but it's well worth the watch for its creative presentation and cinematography.

It is a bit shocking to see the depiction of life in 17th century France as portrayed by Ariane Mnouchkine and her cinematographer Bernard Zitermann. The story is a bit meandering, but once one knows to expect that this is a long-haul ( 4 hours), that it's an experience to be savored, rather than swallowed, the images, symbolism, irony can be richly rewarding.

The landing page has a nifty graphic preview of the film, and you can find the purchase info there: belairclassiques dot com

The bluray quality is excellent, at times brilliant depending on the original film. The 40 page booklet is useful and interesting, too.

Highly recommended.

If you can suspend your judgement a bit, and not hold this film/story to current-day "morality", this film can be a very enjoyable experience. Watching Catherine Spaak explore and develop her personality and desires is fascinating, and Jean Louis Tritignan's love for her is evident. Interesting that the director cast two french lead actors for an italian film - I wonder why that is. The sets are gorgeous and interesting, the cinematography by Alfio Contini is splendid.

There is a region B (Europe) bluray version available, and it is such high quality that this could have been filmed in the past few years.

Also available is a remastered 2022 version of the soundtrack by Armando Trovajoli at bandcamp - search for "bandcamp La Matriarca soundtrack".

It's many versions of the same theme tune "l'amore dice ciao", and is a lovely atmosphere album. I wonder if any other films have used the same single song to provide the soundtrack for the whole film.