Luke Nguyen's France (2014)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Main Menu Audio Additional Footage
Rating
Year Of Production	2014
Running Time	?
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Michael Donnelly
Studio Distributor	SBS Madman Entertainment	Starring	Luke Nguyen
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Dual
RPI	$29.95	Music	Me-Lee Hay

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English (Burned In) English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Luke Nguyen is an Australian celebrity chef who has a successful restaurant in Sydney, Red Lantern. He was born in 1977 in a refugee camp in Thailand while his family was on their way from Vietnam to Australia. His successful Vietnamese restaurant has led to a number of published cookbooks and now four television series for SBS in addition to guest appearances on shows like MasterChef. Luke's first television show was Luke Nguyen's Vietnam in 2010 which was followed by a second season, Luke Nguyen's Greater Mekong and now the series which is the subject of this review, Luke Nguyen's France. All four shows are available from Madman Entertainment on DVD.

     In this series he goes somewhat outside his comfort zone to investigate the food of France, which many would know had significant influence on Vietnam and its food. He travels all over France trying and cooking both traditional French cuisine and things which combine the ideas of French cooking with other cuisines including his native Vietnamese. He visits people in their homes, markets, restaurants (some run by his relatives) and producers. Nguyen is quite a good host although does come across a little arrogant at times.

     This series appeared on SBS in Australia in 2014 and includes 10 episodes, each of about 26 minutes.

     An enjoyable travelogue/cooking show.

Video

     The video quality is very good.

    The series is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio for this show. It is 16x9 enhanced.

     The picture was quite clear and sharp.

     The colour was very good showing off the good looking food and the beautiful locations.

     There were no noticeable artefacts.

     There are subtitles available in English for the Hearing Impaired which are clear and easy to read in SBS yellow. There are also burned in subtitles for the French and/or Vietnamese spoken.

     There are no noticeable layer changes during playback.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is good.

    The disc contains an English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 2.0.

     Dialogue was clear and easy to hear and understand throughout, although some accents were challenging.

     The music is French in style and suits the show.

     The surround speakers and subwoofer were not used.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

    The menu included music.

Deleted Scenes (5:48, 4:53, 7:01, 6:40)

    A variety of scenes including cooking mussels in a Sydney based French restaurant, cooking duck, snails and scallops. All Sydney based scenes. Worth watching for foodies.

    This show is only available locally at this point.

    The video quality is very good.

    The audio quality is good.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall