Frank & Eva Blu Ray Review (Cult Epics)

Frank & Eva (aKa Living Apart Together) is a 1973 drama film co-written & directed by Pim de la Parra (Obsessions. Paul Chevrolet and the Ultimate Hallucination, One People, & Dirty Picture). It was produced by Wim Verstappen (Drop-out, Dakota, Don’t Worry Too Much, & Confessions of Loving Couples). Frank (played by: Hugo Metsers from Blue Movie, VD, Black Book, & Hollands glorie) & Eva (played by: Willeke van Ammelrooy from The Lift, The Lake House, The Family, & Alicia) cannot live with or without each other. Frank sleeps with every woman he can get including Sylvia (played by: Sylvia Kristel from Emmanuelle franchise, Dracula’s Widow, Red Heat, & The Nude Bomb). Eva, meanwhile, is looking for more security & wants to start a family. Frank’s behavior frustrates her so much that she starts an affair with their mutual friend Joop (played by: Helmert Woudenberg from Amsterdamned, Rigor mortis, Blue Movie, & Camping). This leads to chaos between the couple. Can they overcome all these problems & stay together?

Frank & Eva shows you what happens when a couple goes too far with their relationship. The crazy thing is it’s still the same these days after all these years. I am guessing this was pretty controversial back in the 70s when it was made. Two people on the edge pushing their limits. The women are beautiful for this production & they have no problem showing off some skin for some sexy time. The two leads give a risky & strong performances here. Plus you get to see an early role from Emmanuelle herself Sylvia Kristel in this. It’s a nice social commentary on a 70s couple that explores too far & pays for it. RECOMMENDED for Pim de la Parra, Hugo Metsers, Willeke van Ammelrooy, Sylvia Kristel, Sex, & Dutch cinema fans!!!!

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Cult Epics! This 1080p (1.33:1) transfer from the original 35mm from makes it’s U.S. debut on blu ray plus DVD for the first time on home video! Obviously, it hasn’t released here for a long time so it’s definitely an upgrade, it looks solid for a lower budget 70s flick. The Dutch: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is decent for the most part but it has a few parts where it’s hard to hear the dialogue. It has English subtitles to go with the foreign audio.

Let’s discuss the special features on this release. “Introduction” by director Pim de la Parra. “Audio Commentary” with co-writer & director Pim de la Parra. He goes into great detail about his experience & the overall production. He covers various subjects including the cast, crew, how long it took to shoot, locations, & stories about what happened during filming. He mentions it didn’t have any success in America. He said it was originally going to be done in English. He said his preferred leads for it would have been Jane Fonda & Albert Finney. He has a great memory & passion for this feature. When he’s not talking about what I mentioned before he basically doing a scene by scene track for the film. He keeps the information & conversation going the whole time! “Up Front & Naked: Sex in Dutch Films” is a little over 12 minutes. It interviews actress Willeke van Ammelrooy & director Eddy Terstall moderated by film journalist Jan Doense. It’s in Dutch with English subtitles. It covers various films including this one. It talks about the partnership between Pim de la Parra & Wim Verstappen. It has promotional material like the “Frank & Eva Original Trailer”, “Frank & Eva Photo Gallery”, “Sylvia Kristel Film Poster Video Gallery”, & “Obsessions Original Trailer”. It also includes a DVD copy of this release. It’s available everywhere right now, check it out!!!!