Querelle (Criterion) 05/24 Blu-ray (Rental)

Conjured from the unholy meeting of two iconoclastic queer artists, Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s final film audaciously raises Jean Genet’s controversial novel to the level of myth. In an expressionistic soundstage vision of a French seaport town—bathed in fiery hues and complete with phallic spires—a strapping sailor and unrepentant criminal (Brad Davis) comes ashore to arouse passion, rivalry, and violence among the libidinal denizens drawn into his orbit. Enacted with dreamlike stylization by a cast of international stars, including Jeanne Moreau and Franco Nero, Querelle finds Fassbinder pushing his taboo-shattering depiction of gay desire to delirious extremes. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES Restored high-definition digital master, approved by director of photography Xaver Schwarzenberger, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack New interview with critic Michael Koresky on director Rainer Werner Fassbinder's aesthetics and visual storytelling Rainer Werner Fassbinder—Last Works, a 1982 documentary by Wolf Gremm Trailer English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing PLUS: An essay by critic Nathan Lee