Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Au revoir les enfants Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 10, 2015

Winner of Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, Louis Malle's "Au revoir les enfants" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Gaumont. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and new documentary film produced by Pierre-Henri Gibert. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Jean and Julien

The majority of director Louis Malle’s film Au revoir les enfants takes place in a small Catholic boarding school not too far away from the village of Fontainebleau. This is a quiet place where things have not changed much since the beginning of WW2. German soldiers are often seen in the area, but they are always friendly and polite.

Three Jewish boys are secretly enrolled into the school. No one but the headmaster, Father Jean (Philippe Morier-Genoud, Cyrano de Bergerac), and the teachers know their true identities. The boys quickly settle down and classes begin. For awhile it looks like it will be just another year of fun.

12-year-old Julien Quentin (Gaspard Manesse), Malle’s surrogate, befriends one of the Jewish boys, Jean Bonnet (Raphael Fejto). They spend a lot of time talking and playing together. Both, however, quickly realize that they have plenty of secrets which they are unwilling to share.

Eventually, Julien discovers that Bonnet is a pseudonym -- and begins to understand his friend. As time goes by, he experiences some of his fears, and a lot begins to make sense. Then one day Gestapo officials arrive in the area and close the school. The headmaster, Jean and the other two Jewish boys are arrested.

Based on events from director Malle's childhood years, Au revoir les enfants tells a simple but devastating story. It is simple because it is painfully familiar, its ending beyond predictable. It is devastating because it is seen through the eyes of an innocent boy who is prematurely forced to enter the adult world and face an entirely new, enormously cruel reality. The shock and disbelief he experiences are overwhelming, the sense of helplessness absolutely frightening.

There are two key reasons why Au revoir les enfants works so well. First, the atmosphere in the film is outstanding. Director Malle’s camera visits every little corner of the school; there is a way of life in it that makes sense and feels familiar. Friendships are formed and prickly rivalries created. Even though Nazi soldiers are repeatedly seen wandering around, there is a feeling in the air that nothing could go wrong.

Second, the story is not overdramatized. The boys are not martyrs and the Nazi soldiers are not clowns. They don't like each other, but until the Gestapo officials appear they manage to coexist.

Naturally, the film has a remarkably personal tone. It aims to recreate a tragic, life-changing experience, but never attempts to idealize it. There is nothing to be learned from it; there are no populist messages, and absolutely no angry words. Forgiveness is also not sought because nothing could have been changed, and no one could have been saved.

The young actors are fantastic, especially Manesse, who is remarkably relaxed and confident. The best scenes in the film are the ones where he looks straight into the camera but remains silent. His big beautiful eyes reveal so much more than words could.

*: In 1988, Au Revoir, les Enfants earned Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Louis Malle). The film also won seven Cesar Awards, including Best Film and Best Director.

Au revoir les enfants Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Louis Malle's Au revoir les enfants arrives on Blu-ray courtesy French label Gaumont.

I don't have any technical information to share in our review, but it is clear that the release is sourced from a recent 2K master. The film looks very healthy. Depth is very good and many of the outdoor sequences boast pleasing clarity. Close-ups look particularly good, even during sequences where light is either restricted or subdued. Grain is retained and visible throughout the entire film. It has been gently toned down, but the film has a a very solid organic appearance. More importantly, there are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Colors are stable and there are a variety of healthy nuances. Overall image stability is excellent.

I did some direct comparisons with Criterion's release and I certainly prefer the tighter and cleaner look of this release. Especially during close-ups the difference becomes quite obvious -- lines and details are better defined. Without the minor grain adjustments mentioned earlier, however, the technical presentation would have been even more impressive. All in all, currently this is the best presentation of Au revoir les enfants on the home video market. (Note This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Au revoir les enfants Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English and French SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Depth and clarity are very good, but dynamic intensity is fairly modest. There are no balance issues and separation is very good. The dialog remains stable and clean throughout the entire film. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in our review.

Au revoir les enfants Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Bande-annonce - original French trailer for Au revoir les enfants. In French, not subtitled. (2 min).

• La Fin de l'innoncence - this new documentary film features clips from recent interviews with actors Francois Berleand (Father Michel) and Candice Bergen (Louis Malle's widow), assistant director Yann Gilbert, sound editor Jean-Claude Laureux, and Ghislain Unry (friend of the director), amongst others. The documentary was produced by Pierre-Henri Gibert for Gaumont. In French, not subtitled. (32 min).

Au revoir les enfants Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Based on events from director Louis Malle's life, Au revoir les enfants is a quiet but powerful film about childhood friendship. It is superbly acted and thoroughly absorbing. This recent release from French label Gaumont is sourced from a new master which is quite nice. Also included on the release is a very good new documentary film from Pierre-Henri Gibert, but unfortunately for English speakers it does not come with optional subtitles. Nevertheless, fans of Au revoir les enfants should consider adding the release to their collections. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.