Paris Vu Par... (Directors Suite) (1965) |
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Paris Vu Par... (Directors Suite) (1965) |
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| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Comedy Drama |
Main Menu Audio & Animation Introduction-Introduction by Noël Simsolo Featurette-Six Paris: a featurette by director Jean Douchet Interviews-Crew-Jean Douchet: cinéaste au singulier Theatrical Trailer-Directors Suite Trailers |
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| Year Of Production | 1965 | ||
| Running Time | 92:44 (Case: 95) | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By |
Claude Chabrol Jean Douchet Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Daniel Pollet |
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Studio
Distributor |
Les Filmes du Cyprès Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
Claude Chabrol Jean Douchet Jean-Luc Godard Georges Keller Jean-Daniel Pollet Eric Rohmer Jean Rouch Jean-Pierre Andréani Stéphane Audran Nadine Ballot Claude Chabrol Jean-François Chappey Gilles Chusseau |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent | ||
| RPI | $34.95 | Music | None Given |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Full Frame | French Dolby Digital 2.0 (256Kb/s) | |
| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | None | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement | No | ||
| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.33:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | English | Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Paris Vu Par (Paris Seen By…) (1965) is a portmanteau film composed of six 16mm films, directed by six revolutionary directors, whose task was to capture Paris in the swinging sixties.
The production was produced by Barbet Schroeder, who started his career alongside Jean-Luc Godard and Jacques Rivette. Schroeder and Eric Rohmer founded the company Les Films du Losange in 1962 – which is well known for producing and distributing a number of French New Wave films.
The films of the French New Wave rejected the classical form of filmmaking and embraced experimental visuals, existential themes, abstract narratives and reflected the social and political environment they were created in. Claude Chabrol's Le Beau Serge (1958) is often credited as the first French New Wave feature.
The six films of Paris Vu Par (1965) are:
“Desire overcomes reason” Recalled through voice-over, this is the story of Catharine, an American exchange student and Jean, a male model.
“Love dies from a lack of mystery” This is the tale of Odile who after having a breakfast table argument with her boyfriend leaves for work. Obviously upset she unknowingly steps in front of a car. The driver then gets out of his car to check she is okay. He then walks alongside Odile – pleading for her to come away with him and finally revealing he was going to commit suicide that morning, until he saw her.
“What a job!” The tale of an experienced prostitute, who ridicules her meek and timid customer.
“A no man’s land” A quiet tale of a man of habit, who is wrapped with guilt when he thinks he may have accidentally killed a drunken man he had an altercation with.
“I didn’t want to hurt him” A young Canadian woman writes two different letters, addressed to two different men she is having intimate relations with. However after posting them she agonises that she may have got the envelopes mixed up. The film references Une Femme est une Femme (1961).
“The sick and nervous will now be able to sleep” A young boy buys a pair of ear plugs in order to block out his mother and father’s constant quarrelling and unhappiness.
Paris Vu Par is a celebration of Paris and the spirit of the French New Wave.
There are three stand-out short films in the feature - Gare du Nord which has some exquisite tracking shots, Rue Saint-Denis with its wonderful characters and La Muette, which stars Claude Chabrol and his then wife Stéphane Audran, as a bored bourgeois couple.
Paris Vu Par was followed by Paris vu par... vingt ans après (literally Paris Seen By... 20 Years After) (1984).
The 16mm films have an original aspect ratio of 1.37:1.
The DVD transfer of Paris Vu Par is exhibited in 1.33:1 Full Frame.
Telecine wobble is evident in the opening credits and closing credits of the feature film. The transfer has been encoded at an average bit-rate of 6.63 Mbps, achieving a smooth and defined transfer with average colour rendering.
There are no obvious MPEG compression artefacts.
Due to the age of the film, heavy film grain and positive and negative film artefacts are perceptible. However the transfer remains relatively clear.
The optional English subtitles appear in a yellow Arial font and are a close translation of the French dialogue.
There are 6 chapter selections – allowing the user to access the short films individually.
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The single audio option offered on this DVD is a French Dolby Digital 2.0 mono soundtrack. The film was originally recorded in mono.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono track is the original track spilt up to give the illusion of a stereo mix on home theatre systems. As expected the soundtrack does make full use of the surround sound but dialogue remains clear and the audio track is faultless.
The film is dialogue orientated with atmospheric sound and as such the soundtrack is suited to the film.
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The main menu is well themed as it features subtle animation of the cover-art image which is accompanied with atmospheric sound. The main menu is well organised and allows the user to navigate through the extra content with ease. (Full Frame)
Noted film director, actor, theatre director, radio producer, critic, novelist, cinema historian and screenplay writer Noël Simsolo introduces each film in Paris Vu Par… and the historical background of the production. According to Simsolo, Paris Vu Par … was to be a manifesto of the French New Wave. Optional English subtitles automatically accompany the featurette. (Full Frame)
This is a wonderful interview with Jean Douchet who details the production of Paris Vu Par… Each film is explored in depth, from production to the depictions of France and French culture. Optional English subtitles automatically accompany the featurette. (Full Frame)
Jean Douchet recalls his career in this interview, from his interest in cinema as a child to writing for Cahiers du Cinema and contributing to French New Wave cinema. Douchet is a distinguished professor at La Fémis. Optional English subtitles automatically accompany the featurette. (Full Frame)
Following an anti-piracy trailer, four trailers for Madman DVD titles can be accessed:
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
Paris Vu Par… was released in France earlier this year. The R2 France DVD includes the same technical specifications and extra features as the local release plus an additional featurette titled The Screens in the City: interviews with Barbet Schroeder, Jean Rouch and Claude Chabrol (13 minutes). However English subtitles are not available on the R2 France DVD release.
Paris Vu Par... is a celebration of Paris and the spirit of the French New Wave.
The DVD release by Madman is well conceived with an adequate transfer and a selection of informative extra features.
This is a great companion film to Paris, je t'aime (2006).
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | OPPO DV-980H, using HDMI output |
| Display | Panasonic PT-AE 700. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. |
| Amplification | Yamaha DSP-A595a - 5.1 DTS |
| Speakers | (Front) DB Dynamics Polaris AC688F loudspeakers,(Centre) DB Dynamics Polaris Mk3 Model CC030,(Rear) Polaris Mk3 Model SSD425,(Subwoofer) Jensen JPS12 |