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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Shall We Kiss? (Un baiser s'il vous plaît) (2007)

Shall We Kiss? (Un baiser s'il vous plaît) (2007)

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Released 25-Sep-2009

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Romantic Comedy Main Menu Audio
Teaser Trailer-x 4
Theatrical Trailer
Gallery-Photo
Rating Rated PG
Year Of Production 2007
Running Time 96:27
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Emmanuel Mouret
Studio
Distributor

Umbrella Entertainment
Starring Virginie Ledoyen
Emmanuel Mouret
Julie Gayet
Michaël Cohen
Frédérique Bel
Stefano Accorsi
Mélanie Maudran
Marie Madinier
Lucciana de Vogüe
Jacques Lafoly
Case Amaray-Transparent
RPI ? Music None Given


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None French Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.78:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English Smoking Yes
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

'Before a kiss is given, no-one knows if it will be big or small'

    There seems to have been a rush of locally released DVDs of French cinema lately and I have had the pleasure of reviewing quite a number of them, as have some of my colleagues here at michaeldvd.com.au. The subject of this particular review is a recent (2007) French romantic comedy called Shall We Kiss? or in French Un baiser s'il vous plaît. This film was written and directed by one of its lead actors, Emmanuel Mouret. He has directed a number of films but this is the first one I have seen. All French films are obviously 'French' however this one could definitely be described as 'Very French'. I recently reviewed an English film called French Film which was satire on French cinema and romance. In that film Eric Cantona played a French director who could definitely have made this film. Some scenes are so close in style to those made by Eric in that satire that they made me laugh despite not being the funny bits in the film.

    Leaving this aside, this film tells two stories. Firstly, it tells the story of Emilie and Gabriel who meet in Nantes when Emilie is trying to find a taxi to take her back to her hotel. She is visiting Nantes for a few days. He offers to give her a lift as cabs are hard to find in the area where she finds herself. She agrees and after chatting they decide to have a drink together which leads to dinner and more drinks. When he eventually drops her back to her hotel he tries to give her a kiss and she refuses but not because she doesn't like him. In order to explain why she tells the story of her friend Judith. Judith is married to Claudio but her best friend for many years has been another man, Nicolas (played by the director). When Nicolas' wife leaves him he is starved of physical intimacy and doesn't want to find another girl as he is not ready for commitment. He asks his friend Judith to help him out without any plans for it to lead to anything. She agrees which leads to a very amusing sequence of uncomfortable intimacy including a kiss. Little do they know what this will lead to...

    This film has some good elements such as an interesting idea and some funny sequences especially early in the film. Unfortunately it is quite ponderously paced especially in the second half of what is only a short film. It feels much longer than its 96 minute run time. The humour is quite absurd in nature rather than the more farcical French style.

    Fans of 'very French' cinema will get something out of this film but I can't really recommend as a place to start in French films.

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Transfer Quality

Video

    The video quality is good but nothing special for a film this new.

    The feature is presented in an approximately 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is most likely close to the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced widescreen.Unfortunately, my DVD-ROM drive would not recognise this disc so I am unable to confirm the aspect ratio.

    The picture was reasonable clear and sharp but a little disappointing for such a recent film. Shadow detail was good.

    The colour was good but not overly vibrant.

    There were no other noticeable artefacts.

    There are small white subtitles in English. They were clear and easy to read.

    The layer change was not noticeable.
    

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

Audio

    The audio is good.

    This DVD contains a French Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack (despite being encoded on the disc as English).

    Dialogue seemed clear and easy to understand throughout although my French is limited.

    The music consists of famous classical music by Tchaikovsky, Schubert & Mozart.

    The surround speakers and the subwoofer were not used in any noticeable way.

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

Extras

    

Menu

    The menu is still and includes music from the score. Scene selection is available. Extras are all listed on the main menu.

Teaser Trailers (0:37, 0:32, 0:37, 0:45) 

    In French with subtitles.

Theatrical Trailer (1:15) 

    In French with subtitles.

Stills Gallery 

    Collection of stills from the film. Snore.

Umbrella Trailers

    Trailers for other French films.

 

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    The only other release I can find evidence of globally is a French Region 2 release. This does not have English subtitles which makes it unsuitable for an English speaking audience. If you speak French though it has a 5.1 soundtrack along with some deleted scenes and bloopers. For an English speaking audience this Region 4 release is the best available currently.

Summary

    A 'very French' film which although having good moments is ponderous in the second half.

    The video quality is good.

    The audio is good.

    Extras are pretty average.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Daniel Bruce (Do you need a bio break?)
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Review Equipment
DVDSony DVP-NS708H upscaling to 1080p, using HDMI output
DisplayLG 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 DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum.
AmplificationPioneer VSX-511
SpeakersMonitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Sony SAW2500M Subwoofer

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