I've Loved You So Long (Palace Films Collection) (2008)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Audio & Animation Trailer
Rating
Year Of Production	2008
Running Time	112:06 (Case: 115)
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (19:47)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Philippe Claudel
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Kristin Scott Thomas Elsa Zylberstein Serge Hazanavicius Laurent Grévill Frédéric Pierrot Claire Johnston Catherine Hosmalin Jean-Claude Arnaud Olivier Cruveiller Lise Ségur
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$34.95	Music	Jean-Louis Aubert

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Juliette Fontaine (Kristin Scott Thomas) moves in with her estranged sister's family after being released from a 15 year term in prison, having been put back in touch with her sister with the assistance of the prison. Juliette had been disowned by her family during her time in the big house and knows little about Léa (Léa) or her family; husband Luc (Serge Hazanavicius) and two young adopted daughters. Though her sister is welcoming, Luc is rather wary of the stranger now living in his home and much harder to win over.

    As she tries to rebuild her life and find a place for herself in society, Juliette gradually reconnects with her sister and comes to terms with the crime for which she was incarcerated.

    I've Loved You So Long is an engaging French drama. The film is beautifully written. The story is peeled back layer by layer, gradually revealing more about Juliette's tragic story as is strengthens her relationship with her rediscovered family. Towards the end, the film reaches for some unnecessarily contrived sympathy, although the journey to that point is enough to make up for it.

    The acting is excellent, particularly that of Kristin Scott Thomas who puts in the performance of her already distinguished career (made all the more remarkable by the fact it is not even in her mother tongue).

    I've Loved You So Long is an emotionally uplifting journey. Highly recommended viewing.

Video

    The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and is 16x9 enhanced.

    The video looks very good. The image clear and sharp, with virtually no sign of grain. The colours looks even and natural. The few dark scenes display a good degree of detail in the shadows.

    There is no sign of any compression artefacts or film artefacts in the video.

    This is an RSDL disc, although the layer change was not noticeable on my equipment.

    The film features clear white English subtitles that provide a decent translation of the original French audio.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    A single French Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kbps) surround encoded audio track is present. It is a reasonably decent 2.0 track, but rather disappointing that no 5.1 mix is provided.

    The track is reasonably well mixed. The dialogue is clear, at a good level in the mix and easy to understand. The audio appears well synchronised to the video.

    There is a small amount of surround activity noticeable in the mix, as well as a small degree of bottom end low enough to reach the subwoofer.

    The film features an effective, but otherwise forgettable orchestral score.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

    Slim pickings on this disc.

Trailers

    A reasonably well-pitched theatrical trailer for the film as well as additional trailers for The Secret of Grain, Unfinished Sky, Summer Hours and Tulpan.

    The film is not yet available in Region 1. The UK edition is the pick of the Region 2 editions, and the world, as it features a 5.1 French audio track (rather than the 2.0 on the Region 4 edition) and includes a lengthy interview with the film's director as well as deleted scenes.

    A rewarding character drama about reconnecting with loved ones and accepting one's decisions in life, featuring an outstanding performance from Kristin Scott Thomas.

    The video presentation is very good.

    The audio track is decent, but only 2.0.

    There is a dearth of extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall