New French Cinema-Thrillers (2004) |
|
New French Cinema-Thrillers (2004) |
|
|
| BUY IT |
| Video |  |
| Audio | |
| Extras | |
| Plot | |
| Overall |  |
36 Quai des Orfèvres (2004) |
|
|
|
| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Thriller |
Featurette-Making Of Trailer-Promo Reel Theatrical Trailer Teaser Trailer Main Menu Audio & Animation |
|
| Rating |
|
||
| Year Of Production | 2004 | ||
| Running Time | 106:48 (Case: 110) | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | RSDL (63:11) | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Olivier Marchal |
|
Studio
Distributor |
 Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
Daniel Auteuil Gérard Depardieu André Dussollier Roschdy Zem Valeria Golino Daniel Duval Francis Renaud Catherine Marchal Guy Lecluyse Alain Figlarz Vincent Moscato Anne Consigny Stéphane Metzger |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent | ||
| RPI | $24.95 | Music |
Erwann Kermorvant Axelle Renoir |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
French dts 5.0 (768Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) |
|
| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
 |
||
| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | Yes | ||
| Subtitles | English | Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Two of France's best actors, Daniel Auteuil and Gerard Depardieu are probably best known in this country for their comedies and lighter roles such as in The Closet, The Dinner Guest or Green Card amongst many others. What many Australians may not be aware, however, is that both are equally adept at drama and in this case thrillers. In this 2004 film, 36 Quai De Orfevres, both of them play tough cops who work on both sides of the line between right and wrong to achieve the outcomes they are looking for. They are both Captains in Paris's equivalent of the CID (Criminal Investigation Division) and have a long history of both friendship and enmity. They are both attempting to secure the same promotion, to head of the CID. Whoever catches a gang of vicious armoured car hijackers will get the top job. How far will each one go to secure the role they both covet?
This basic premise sets the stage for a stylish, atmospheric and gritty thriller which is one of the best thrillers I have seen for some time. This film was nominated for 8 Cesar awards (France's equivalent of the Oscars) including for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Director and many more. Unfortunately, it did not secure any of the awards. I was surprised to notice that this film is currently being remade in the US, helmed by Martin Campbell. It is set for 2009 release and will be entitled simply 36 (at least that is the current information available). Let's hope it doesn't disgrace the original as other US remakes have done.
Another element which adds to the class of this film is the score by Erwann Kermavant and Axelle Renoir. It is tense, evocative and lends great atmosphere to the action. The acting is of a very high class with both the lead actors turning in excellent performances - Auteuil was nominated for the Best Actor Cesar in 2005. The support cast are also universally excellent with two of them getting supporting Cesar nominations. The direction is also very good by Oliver Marchal who has surprisingly only directed 4 features. He mostly works as a writer and did a lot of the writing for this movie. He also appears in the film in a minor role.
My only real criticism of this film would be that occasionally it was hard to work out why a character was reacting in a certain way but this is a minor quibble for such a quality film.
Highly Recommended.
The video quality is excellent.
The feature is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced.
The picture was very clear and sharp throughout with excellent detail especially in close-ups.
The colour was excellent and dark scenes showed loads of detail. The blacks were very deep and solid.
There was some mild blocking in some backgrounds such as at 13:15 and 31:13. There was also some minor moire and some edge enhancement.
There are subtitles in English which were in 'SBS' yellow. They were clear and easy to read but included US spellings. Interestingly some of the trailers included had very different translations of the spoken word.
The layer change occurs at 63:11 causing a minor pause.
| Sharpness | |
| Shadow Detail | |
| Colour | |
| Grain/Pixelization | |
| Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
| Film Artefacts | |
| Overall | |
The audio quality is excellent.
This DVD contains a French DTS 5.1 soundtrack, A French Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack encoded at 448 Kb/s and a French Dolby Digital 2.0 track encoded at 224 Kb/s.All tracks were very good but the DTS track was easily the pick of the bunch displaying much more atmosphere and immersion.
Dialogue seemed clear and easy to understand although my French is nothing special.
The score by Erwann Kermavant and Axelle Renoir is tense and evocative. It sounds wonderful on this transfer filling the room with atmosphere.
The surround speakers were very well used for atmosphere and music in quieter scenes but then exploding into life during gun battles.
The subwoofer was also used a lot for gunfire, cars and the music.
| Dialogue | |
| Audio Sync | |
| Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
| Surround Channel Use | |
| Subwoofer | |
| Overall | |
The extras are a little disappointing.
The menu included music and a very nice design which gets you in the mood for the film.
This is essentially half an hour of behind the scenes footage which is mostly fairly boring rather than a proper making of. Not 16x9.
An extended trailer.
Not 16x9.
16x9 enhanced.
Trailers for other European films from Madman plus the obligatory piracy warning.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
There are a few different releases of this film around but the best seems to be the R2 UK Tartan release. This includes the same audio options with the addition of an English dub (although I am not sure why you would want that) plus additional extras in the form of an interview with the director and featurettes on costumes and weapons. The R1 Canadian version does not include the phenomenal DTS track, or English subtitles on the extras. There does not seem to be a currently available R1 US release. The R2 UK Tartan release is probably the best available, however the local release is fine if you don't need additional extras.
The video quality is excellent.
The audio quality is excellent.
The extras are disappointing.
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Extras |  |
| Plot | |
| Overall | |
| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Sony DVP-NS708H upscaling to 1080p, using HDMI output |
| Display | LG Scarlet 42LG61YD 106cm Full HD LCD. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. 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 Ultimate DVD Platinum. |
| Amplification | Pioneer VSX-511 |
| Speakers | Monitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Sony SAW2500M Subwoofer |
Tell No One (Ne le dis à personne) (2006) |
|
|
|
| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Drama |
Main Menu Audio Featurette-Making Of- (55:38) Optional English Subtitles (Full Frame) Deleted Scenes-32 Scenes - Includes Outtakes (Full Frame) Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Production Diary (6 Chapters) (Full Frame) Theatrical Trailer-Tell No One (Ne le dis à personne) (2006) Theatrical Trailer-Candy (2006) Theatrical Trailer-Paris, je t'aime (2006) Theatrical Trailer-36 Quai des Orfèvres (2004) Theatrical Trailer-El Aura (The Aura) (2005) |
|
| Rating |
|
||
| Year Of Production | 2006 | ||
| Running Time | 125:43 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Guillaume Canet |
|
Studio
Distributor |
Europa Corp. Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
François Cluzet Marie-Josée Croze André Dussollier Kristin Scott Thomas François Berléand Nathalie Baye Jean Rochefort Marina Hands Gilles Lellouche Philippe Lefebvre |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent | ||
| RPI | $29.95 | Music | Mathieu Chedid |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None | French Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) | |
| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
|
||
| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles | English (Burned In) | Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Ne le dis à personne (Tell No One) upon it's release in France, was a phenomenally successful film - both critically and commercially and received four César awards, including best director and best actor, out of its nine César nominations in 2007. Also Ne le dis à personne is co-written and directed by the successful French actor Guillaume Canet, who also portrays a pivotal character in the film. Adapted from American author Harlan Coben's bestseller Tell No One, Ne le dis à personne is a taut gripping thriller with crossover appeal.
Eight years ago, Dr Alex Beck (François Cluzet) lost his beloved childhood sweetheart and wife Margot (Marie-Josée Croze), when they were both attacked while spending an intimate evening at their favourite lake. Alex was left unconscious while Margot’s body was discovered horribly mutilated, and her sudden death emotionally scarred Alex, who has since led a lonely life. However, one day Alex receives an email with a link to recent webcam footage of Margot alive and well. Soon after, events begin to spiral out of control as two more bodies are found where Margot’s corpse was supposedly cast off and photos of a bruised and beaten Margot arrive in a safe deposit box. The authorities re-open the case and again suspect Alex of conspiring his wife’s demise. In an attempt to find out the truth and whether Margot is still alive, Alex goes on the run.
What follows is a debatably confusing jigsaw of characters and events, but what holds the film together is Cluzet’s grief-stricken Alex, an everyday man caught in a nightmare. The main action set piece is indicative of this as when Alex races through the Paris back streets, then onto a highway in an attempt to outrun the authorities, this scene sees Alex unsteady and trembling, rather then athletic and strong. Supporting Cluzet is an impressive cast including André Dussollier, Kristin Scott Thomas, François Berléand, Nathalie Baye, Jean Rochefort, Marina Hands, Gilles Lellouche and Philippe Lefebvre.
While for some audiences Ne le dis à personne may be a convoluted mess, it can also be considered a tightly knit pulp thriller weaving together melodrama, murder-mystery and satire. Also impressive is Guillaume Canet, who continues to go from strength to strength as a director.
Ne le dis à personne is presented in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 16x9 enhanced widescreen.
The transfer has been encoded over a dual-layer DVD at an average bit-rate of 7.20 Mb/s.
The natural and warm colour palette is well rendered with accurate skin tones.
Black levels are quite good as is shadow detail.
The burnt-in English subtitles appear in a clear white font and are a decent translation of the onscreen French dialogue.
| Sharpness | |
| Shadow Detail | |
| Colour | |
| Grain/Pixelization | |
| Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
| Film Artefacts | |
| Overall | |
Unfortunately only a standard stereo French Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) soundtrack is offered on this DVD.
As expected the soundtrack does not make full use of the surround sound but dialogue remains clear and the audio track is faultless.
The score of Ne le dis à personne was composed by French rock singer-song writer Mathieu Chedid, who is also known as M. Chedid received a César for his haunting and atmospheric effort. Also unique to the soundtrack are two (some may suggest overly self-conscious) songs, With or Without You written and performed by U2 and Lilac Wine performed by Jeff Buckley.
The main menu is composed of a still image, accompanied by a fragment of Chedid’s score. The main menu offers 12 chapter selections and access to the extra feature content. At almost an hours length this Making Of includes interviews with the cast and crew and also includes extensive behind the scenes footage. The featurette explores the planning of several scenes and the many discussions between cast and crew. Guillaume Canet’s hands-on directing style is also explored thoroughly. This is a nice inclusion on the local DVD and features optional English subtitles which should appear automatically. The Making Of however features compression artefacts due to the low encoding bit-rate (2.37 Mb/s). (Full Frame) This is a series of 32 clips comprising of 20 unused shots and scenes and 12 outtakes. Again this is a nice inclusion on the local DVD and features optional English subtitles which should appear automatically. However compression artefacts are again prevalent due to the low encoding bit-rate (1.88 Mb/s). (Full Frame) A series of six short clips focusing on hair and make-up tests, location, production and the last shot of the production. Again this is a nice inclusion on the local DVD and features optional English subtitles which should appear automatically. However compression artefacts are again prevalent due to the low encoding bit-rate (1.22 Mb/s). (Full Frame) Following an anti-piracy warning focused on the Australian Film Industry – in particular Kenny, the following trailers are accessible: · Candy · 36 Quai des Orfèvres · The Aura (El Aura)
NOTE: To view
non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually
also NTSC compatible. The Region 2 (France) DVD was released on June 21 2007. The Region 2 (France) DVD release includes the following technical specifications and extra feature content in addition to what is available on the R4: · French DTS and French Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks. · French Hard of Hearing subtitles. · Deleted Scenes with Commentary · Last Shots Of The Actors · I Can't Sleep - Short Film by Guillaume Canet The Region 2 (UK) 2 Disc set was released October 15 2007. The Region 2 (UK) 2 Disc set includes the following technical specifications and extra feature content in addition to what is available on the R4: · French Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack · Brief soundbite interviews with Guillaume Canet and Kristin Scott Thomas · Last Shots Of The Actors · I Can't Sleep - Short Film by Guillaume Canet · Easter Egg Note: This transfer has burnt-in English subtitles. The Region 1 (Canada) DVD was released on August 21 2007. The Region 1 (Canada) DVD includes the following technical specifications and extra feature content in addition to what is available on the R4: · French Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack Note: The only extra on this DVD is the Making Of. Please note the transfer on this DVD is stated as 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced widescreen, which is not the correct aspect ratio.
Ne le dis à personne is a taut gripping thriller with crossover appeal. This is a tightly knit pulp thriller weaving together melodrama, murder-mystery and satire with an impressive cast and commendable direction from Guillaume Canet. The transfer is quite good but like recent Madman releases, only a standard stereo French Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) soundtrack is offered.
Denis Dercourt’s La Tourneuse de pages (The Page Tuner) is a minimalist yet sinister psychological tale of revenge. In the vein of Michael Haneke’s La Pianiste and Jacques Audiard’s De Battre mon Coeur s'est Arrêté, La Tourneuse de pages is the disturbing tale of a young gifted musical student whose life is completely altered due to another’s callous disregard of her talent. Mélanie Prouvost (Julie Richalet) is the ten year old daughter of the small town butcher. She is a highly accomplished pianist despite her youth and is to audition for the national music conservatory. This highly tense situation is not nerve-racking for the competent pianist; she begins her piece to the delight of the examination panel but then one of the jurors, famous concert pianist Ariane Fouchécourt (Catherine Frot), egoistically allows an autograph hunter into the audition room, perhaps to purposely interrupt Mélanie’s perfect performance. Distracted and with her confidence rapidly declining, Mélanie is barely able finish her audition – the musical piece which she has meticulously practised day and night, has suddenly become excruciating. Mélanie does not ask if she can restart her piece – instead she stares at Ariane furiously as she exits the audition – a single tear stains her face, as she realises her dreams as a concert pianist are shattered. We learn a twenty something Mélanie (Déborah François) has never touched the piano since her disastrous audition. She now lives a lonely existence but has managed to gain an internship to work for famed attorney Jean Fouchecourt (Pascal Greggory), Ariane’s husband. Quiet and diligent Mélanie impresses Jean and he offers her a job in which she would live in his home and look after his preteen son while he attends a business trip. Mélanie accepts and soon finds herself face to face with Ariane, the woman who destroyed her dreams and love of music. This elegant tale is a meditation of suppressed emotion and precise tension as Dercourt explores how Mélanie integrates herself into Ariane’s world and changes it forever. La Tourneuse de pages is an oppressive tale and Déborah François’ performance is truly unnerving. Likewise Catherine Frot is excellent as the woman who is completely oblivious to how her selfish actions affected and tortured Mélanie as a hopeful young musician. La Tourneuse de pages is perfectly executed thriller from Dercourt, who also happens to be a professional viola player and conservatory professor. The script may bear some improbable scenes for some audiences but these so called plot-holes can be forgiven as La Tourneuse de pages is expertly directed and features a truly haunting performance by François who previously starred in L'Enfant to much acclaim.
The film is presented in the original aspect ratio of 16x9 enhanced 1.78:1 widescreen. Over a dual layer DVD, the film has been encoded at the average bit-rate of 5.60 Mb/s which accounts for a transfer relatively free of MPEG compression artefacts. The print is very clear with excellent shadow detail and very good black levels. The picture is sharp and defined with a natural yet muted colour scheme. This is an excellent transfer with no evidence of minor positive and negative film grain or telecine wobble. The optional English subtitles appear as player generated stream in a clear white Arial font and are a good translation of the French dialogue.
The French Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is also well produced. The tense and atmospheric original soundtrack by Jérôme Lemonnier is truly haunting as it soars as the mystery is slowly revealed. It is a perfect accompaniment to what is a devious film. Music by Shostakovich, Schubert and Bach are also featured in the film. The soundtrack is quite encompassing and there are no issues regarding audio synchronisation. This is a well composed soundtrack and while the film is largely dialogue based, the musical score truly sets the tone of the piece. Subwoofer usage is subtle and effective.
The animated menu features various scenes from the film accompanied by Mélanie’s theme. The menu allows scene selection access, set-up options and access to the extras. La Tourneuse de pages is a film about precision and skill and this featurette allows the viewer to explore Denis Dercourt’s defined direction. Featuring a revealing interview with Dercourt we learn about his own musical background and his interest in writing novellas and filmmaking. The revenge genre film is also discussed in regards to creating a rhythmic suspense and its voyeuristic nature. Also an interview with Catherine Frot is included, in which she explains her interest in the script and her preparation for the role as well as a brief interview with Déborah François. Extensive onset footage is included, edited between the interview footage with Dercourt. (In 1.33:1) Jérôme Lemonnier talks about collaborating with Denis Dercourt and in particular the challenge of weaving the original music, as well as music by Shostakovich, Schubert and Bach into a singular score for the film.(1.78:1) Optional English Subtitles are available. English Subtitles are burned onto the print. An anti-piracy warning precedes the following trailers, which can viewed individually. NOTE: To view
non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually
also NTSC compatible. The R1 (US) Tartan release includes the following additional technical specifications: A French DTS soundtrack and Spanish subtitle option. However the interview with Jérôme Lemonnier is excluded from this release. Also the NTSC transfer on this release features interlacing on occasion. Similarly the PAL R2 (UK) Artificial Eye release also does not include the Jérôme Lemonnier interview. Instead a 56 minute interview with Denis Dercourt and Déborah François is included on the release. The technical specifications remain the same as the R4. The PAL R2 (France) TF1 release includes the same extra feature content as the R4, with an additional featurette titled La partition: ‘Prélude de Mélanie’ pour piano. Also cast and crew filmographies are included and a selection of trailers. There are no English subtitles on this release for the feature film or extra feature content.
Denis Dercourt’s La Tourneuse de pages was wrongly promoted as Hitchockian and Chabrolian. Rather, La Tourneuse de pages is a cold, clinical and ambitious revenge thriller by the hand of a skilled director. The local DVD includes excellent presentation and enlightening featurettes.
Dialogue Audio Sync Clicks/Pops/Dropouts Surround Channel Use 
Subwoofer Overall Extras
Main Menu Audio
Making Of (55:38)
Deleted Scenes and Outtakes
Behind the Scenes
Theatrical Trailer (Full Frame) (2:19)
Madman Propaganda
R4 vs R1
Summary
Ratings (out of 5)
Video Audio Extras Plot Overall
© Vanessa Appassamy (Biography)
Thursday, June 12, 2008
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
Other Reviews
NONE
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
The Page Turner (Tourneuse de pages, La) (2006)
BUY IT Details At A Glance
General
Extras
Category
Drama
Main Menu Audio & Animation
Featurette-Making Of-Optional English Subtitles (38:14) (Full Frame)
Interviews-Crew-Interview with Jérôme Lemonnier (16:48) (16x9)
Theatrical Trailer-French Trailer - Optional English Subtitles (1:29) (16x9)
Theatrical Trailer-International Trailer (1:34) (16x9)
Theatrical Trailer-In Search of Mozart (2:36) (16x9)
Theatrical Trailer-Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2:33) (Full Frame)
Theatrical Trailer-The Miracle of Bern (Das Wunder von Bern) (Full Frame)
Theatrical Trailer-Ushpizin (1:31) (Full Frame)
Rating
Year Of Production
2006
Running Time
81:11 (Case: 85)
RSDL
/
Flipper
Dual Layered
Cast & Crew
Start Up
Menu
Region Coding
1,2,3,4,5,6
Directed By
Denis Dercourt
Studio
Distributor
Diaphana Films
Madman Entertainment
Starring
Catherine Frot
Déborah François
Pascal Greggory
Xavier De Guillebon
Christine Citti
Clotilde Mollet
Jacques Bonnaffé
Antoine Martynciow
Julie Richalet
Martine Chevallier
André Marcon
Arièle Butaux
Case
Amaray-Transparent
RPI
$29.95
Music
Jérôme Lemonnier
Video
Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame
None
French Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
French Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio
1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format
576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio
1.85:1
Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures
No
Subtitles
English
Smoking
No
Annoying Product Placement
No
Action In or After Credits
No
Plot Synopsis
Transfer Quality
Video
Sharpness Shadow Detail Colour Grain/Pixelization Film-To-Video Artefacts Film Artefacts Overall Audio
Dialogue Audio Sync Clicks/Pops/Dropouts Surround Channel Use Subwoofer Overall Extras
Main Menu Audio & Animation
Making Of (French with optional English subtitles) (38:14)
Interview with Jérôme Lemonnier (French with optional English subtitles) (16:48)
Original French Theatrical Trailer
International Theatrical Trailer
Madman Propaganda
R4 vs R1
Summary
Ratings (out of 5)
Video Audio Extras Plot Overall
© Vanessa Appassamy (Biography)
Friday, March 07, 2008
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
Other Reviews
NONE