Shall We Kiss? (Un baiser s'il vous plaît) (2007) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Romantic Comedy |
Main Menu Audio Teaser Trailer-x 4 Theatrical Trailer Gallery-Photo |
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Rating | |||
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 |
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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 |
'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.
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.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
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.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
The menu is still and includes music from the score. Scene selection is available. Extras are all listed on the main menu.
In French with subtitles.
In French with subtitles.
Collection of stills from the film. Snore.
Trailers for other French films.
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.
The video quality is good.
The audio is good.
Extras are pretty average.
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 |