Carlos the Jackal: Special Deluxe Edition (Blu-ray) (2010)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Drama	Alternative Version-Theatrical Version (165.15) Featurette-Making Of-(21.14) Interviews-Crew-Director Oliver Assayas (19.55) Interviews-Cast-Actor Edgar Ramirez (4.49)
Rating
Year Of Production	2010
Running Time	330:00
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Multi Disc Set (3)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Olivier Assayas
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	None Given
Case	?
RPI	$49.95	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 English dts 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	Yes, Clouds of smoke throughout.
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Carlos the Jackal is a French/German co-produced miniseries directed by talented Frenchman Oliver Assayas. It depicts the life and crimes of notorious 1970s terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, better known as "Carlos the Jackal". His exploits made him not only feared in Europe, where he unleashed terror in the name of the Palestinian cause, but also echoed around the world. This was a time of terrorist extremism when the combatants first learnt how to use the media as a potent force.

     As said,Carlos was originally filmed as a mini-series for French television. The mini-series comprises three parts totalling approximately 5 1/2 hours. It is being broadcast this month on ABC in that format. This Madman Entertainment Blu-ray contains not only the entire mini-series, spread over two Blu-rays, but also the shortened feature film version of Carlos (which also clocks in at a weighty 2 hours 45 min) as well as some extras. It gives film fans an opportunity to watch the film in two lights. For some reason the film, which is called simply Carlos around most of the World, is called Carlos the Jackal in this Region. Carlos premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010 and went on to win the Golden Globe for Best Mini-series. It is an amazing achievement on all levels. Interestingly Oliver Assayas, in the interview extra which accompanies this Blu-ray, states that he was initially put off the project by the political overtones. He did not want to make a political movie. That reservation has ensured that, aside from the necessary politics of the era, there is an emphasis on character and drama.

     As Assayas had shown in his last film, the excellent Summer Hours reviewed on this site here, he is a past master at letting events percolate and draw meaning from observational distance. It is still, however, a dense and dialogue heavy piece which presents a rare opportunity for adults to enjoy intelligent cinema. It also looks, smells and feels like a 70s movie, immersing us in the drama with excellent art direction, set decoration and costuming.

     As said, Carlos is split into three parts. Those parts reflect key eras in the life of Carlos. Part One is set in the early 70s when he takes his previous militant politics into an international sphere with the blessing of the PFLP(Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) head Wadie Haddad. His first steps are random acts of violence that secure headlines but not necessarily international recognition. In Part Two Carlos masterminds the 1975 attack on the OPEC headquarters in Vienna where more than 60 people, including the oil ministers from around the world, were held hostage. Finally, in Part Three, Carlos is a man on the run, met with increasing vigilance on the part of the authorities and a lack of militants, following to his eventual capture in the Sudan. The real Carlos, still incarcerated, is no fan of the film and has criticised its depiction of militant operations as fanciful. In any event, Assayas begins the film with a declaration that due to the lack of reliable records much of his film must be regarded as fiction.

     Carlos tells the story in a way that makes few concessions to the uninitiated. It begins with the car bombing of the PFLP representative in Paris in an operation which will be familiar to those who watched Stephen Spielberg's Munich. Indeed, the film plays out at a dizzying pace with characters coming and going at a rapid rate. There are approximately 100 speaking parts in the show and little information provided by way of exposition. Far from making this an unintelligible mess it actually makes the drama immediate and bracing. It is a show that must be listened to as well as watched. To have attempted to give everything back story would have resulted in an extra 5 and a half hours of exposition! Still those who prefer their "biopics" to have comprehensive dramatic explanations for the subject’s actions will probably be frustrated by the lack of interest Assayas shows in explaining his subject’s motivations.

     As Carlos actor Edgar Ramirez gives a compelling performance. He occupies almost every frame of the 5 1/2 hours. Not only is his acting exceptional but his devotion to the part saw him gain weight dramatically for Carlos in his "fat period". Ramirez speaks multiple languages and perfectly essays the character and film. He also must have developed lung cancer with the amount of cigarettes he smoked for the film!

     This is a movie that neither glorifies nor vilifies Carlos. At no stage does it make him seem insanely bloodthirsty - he sees himself as a soldier fighting a war. And yet at no stage does the series attempt to make him or the actions of the terrorists look heroic or his opponents demonic and worthy of destruction. He is a fervent believer in the cause although we never really know whether he is a true believer in the cause or simply a radical for the sake of glory and power.

     Drama fans will lap up every minute of Carlos.

Video

     Carlos was shot on 35mm film and shown at the cinemas at a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. That ratio has been preserved for the Blu-ray release both for the miniseries and the film.

     Carlos looks gorgeous in Blu-ray. The image quality is sharp throughout. There is a high level of detail in the faces. Most of the action is set in the 70s and the film looks like a 1970s film with postproduction techniques used to give it that slight sepia tone. There is a fine grain structure throughout and colours are clean, clear and alive.

     There are no technical defects with the film.

     There are subtitles in English for the foreign language dialogue in this multi-lingual production.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

     Carlos features as its main track a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 high-definition soundtrack as well as a DTS 2.0 track. The 5.1 audio is a fairly engaging and punchy track. The surrounds are used sparingly but judiciously and the sub-woofer hits with the explosions and music.

     This is, as said, a multi-lingual production. Carlos speaks Spanish with his fellow South Americans, Arabic with his allies in Beirut, English in London and French in his Parisian base.

     A word about the music. Various sites report that Assayas wanted to score his film with the music of New York post-punkers The Feelies, however the band refused its consent for all but two tracks to be used from their seminal 1980 record Crazy Rhythms. A pity, for the moment that Loveless Love chimes in as Carlos is going to his first meeting with Wadie Haddad it seems like a match made in heaven. As it is he uses New Order, Wire, A Certain Ratio and The Dead Boys from the late 70s music era. A great choice musically speaking through some might scratch their heads at why a film set in the mid 70s is accompanied by music from some years later. I didn't - I loved it.

     The dialogue is well produced throughout. The only limitation on comprehension is that just about every character who speaks English does so with an accent, whether German, French or Spanish. This can make it a little hard to understand at times, bearing in mind the absence of subtitles for the English portions of the dialogue, but it is not a fault of this excellent sound transfer.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

     There are three extras included with the package.

Theatrical Feature Film (2.45.15)

     After Cannes Assayas produced a shortened version of the film to show at regular cinemas. How does this compare to the full length mini-series. Essentially Assayas stripped about 45 minutes to an hour from each episode. Smaller characters are generally omitted entirely in order to make the narrative cleaner.

     A medal should be handed out to the intrepid soul who analysed and screen captured every difference click here. The film moves at a terrific pace and is punchier and less reflective than the full length piece.

Interview Oliver Assayas

     The director is interviewed at length about the film. He sets out his reasons for making the film in the way that he has and at this length. He is clearly irked by those who have described it as a TV movie and waxes lyrically, with good reason, about the talents of Edgar Ramirez.

Interview Edgar Ramirez

     A short interview with the actor who describes his approach to the role and his attempts to find a humanity within the dark soul of Carlos.

   The Blu-ray is marked Region B only however its features are the same as the Region A Blu-ray. Buy local.

     Carlos is a major achievement on many levels. It is an engaging slice of history and also a character study of a man the director calls a narcissist and megalomaniac who could be extremely charming.

     The Blu-ray is of high quality both in sound and vision terms. The extras are a little brief, given that the main addition is really just a shortened version of the main event.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall