Fill ‘Er Up with Super (Collector’s Edition) (Blu-ray Review)

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Fill ‘Er Up with Super or Le plein de super is a 1976 French road movie by director Alain Cavalier. The film is an almost improvisational comedy-drama that basically follows the adventures of four men making a road trip in an American station wagon to the Riviera.

A young car salesman has to give up his vacation time with his wife to drive a Chevrolet station wagon to a client in the South of France. He gets his friend to join him for the trip and the two of them meet two other guys looking for a ride down south. They have fun drinking, eating, and getting into trouble. In one scene they are ‘attacked’ by a group of young kids egging their car. There’s another scene where one agrees to take a shower naked in front of another man to get some extra cash.

Cavalier had the cast meet and living together, getting to know each other before filming started on Le plein de super so that by the time they got in front of the cameras there was a real chemistry there. This film makes use of some of the old Nouvelle vague techniques but brings it into the then contemporary 1970s setting. It is meant as a comedy, but comedy is not always the easiest thing to translate across time and cultures. There are some moments for me that elicited some mild laughter, but it comes across better as a low-key, at times melancholy road film than it does as a comedy.

The Video

Fill ‘Er Up with Super was scanned in 2K from the original camera negative and restored and color graded by Gaumont in 2018. Additional color correction was undertaken by Radiance Films in 2022. The film is presented here on Blu-ray by Radiance Films in a 1.66:1 AVC 1080p encodement.

The image put forth by Radiance on disc is flawless. There is a marvelous layer of organic grain, excellent texture and depth of field presented, with extended and nuanced shadow delineation. The image looks clean without looking smooth or scrubbed. Colors also come through as natural, like the red sweater or the wood paneling on the station wagon. This is a reference of catalogue releases on Blu-ray.

On a side note, I had zero issues with the menus on this release, as has been mentioned by some others who have looked at this disc. I have both the check disc and final release package.

The Audio

The basic French monaural sound mix is provided in LPCM 2.0. There is nothing here to complain about. It has clear and full sounding dialogue free from noise and clipping and the sound effects come through with a good amount of dynamic range.

The Supplements

Radiance includes a number of interviews with the cast as well as an excellent booklet of essays and interviews.

• Reversible sleeve featuring designs based on original posters.
• Limited edition booklet featuring new writing on the film and archival writing.
• Limited edition of 2000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings.
• Bernard Crombey (1080p; 00:27:38) – In this 2019 video interview the star discusses his work on the film, his collaborators, and his career.
• My Wife Lives in Fear (1080p; 00:04:30) – A short film documentary with Etienne Chicot, Bernard Crombey, and Patrick Bouchitey, directed by Alain Cavalier.
• It’s a Full House (1080p; 00:06:09) – A short film documentary with Bernard Crombey, directed by Alain Cavalier.
• The King of the Bottle (1080p; 00:08:33) — A short film documentary with Patrick Bouchitey, directed by Alain Cavalier.
• Charlotte Garson (1080p; 00:27:37) – In this video interview, Cahiers du Cinéma deputy chief editor Charlotte Garson discusses Fill ‘Er Up with Super, how it was made, and what makes it special. Filmed exclusively for Radiance in October 2022.
• Limited Edition booklet featuring new writing by critic and author Murielle Joudet, a contemporary article on the film, and extract from an interview with Cavalier. There is also information on the transfer and credits.

The Final Assessment

Fill ‘Er Up with Super is an interesting film that has likely flown well under most viewers’ radars. Radiance has offered a chance for this film to be discovered, reexamined, and enjoyed in a beautiful new Blu-ray release that is on par with the excellent quality all of their initial releases have shown so far.

Fill ‘Er Up with Super (Collector’s Edition) is out on Blu-ray March 7, 2023, from Radiance Films.

• Studios & Distributors: Les Productions de la Guéville | Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC) | C.A.P.A.C. | Madeleine Films | Fideline Films | Radiance
• Director: Alain Cavalier
• Written By: Patrick Bouchitey | Etienne Chicot | Bernard Crombey
• Run Time: 97 Mins.
• Street Date: 7 March 2023
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Video Format: AVC 1080p
• Primary Audio: French LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Subtitles: English