Blue Is the Warmest Color Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Blue Is the Warmest Color Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 27, 2014

Abdellatif Kechiche's "La vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2" a.k.a. "Blue Is the Warmest Color" (2013) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original Sundancce Selects trailer and original TV spot. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic B. Ruby Rich. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

In a blue state of mind

Loosely based on Pierre de Marivaux’s novel La Vie de Marianne, Tunisian-born French director Abdellatif Kechiche’s latest film La Vie d’ Adèle: chapitres 1 et 2 a.k.a. Blue Is the Warmest Color explores the very intense relationship between two young girls who meet in a gay bar and fall madly in love with each other. The film is very beautiful but so raw and intense that at times it feels like it is heading for self-destruction.

Structurally and stylistically Blue Is the Warmest Color has plenty in common with Kechiche’s coming-of-age drama L'esquive a.k.a. Games of Love and Chance, which follows closely a group of teenagers living in the unfriendly banlieues on the outskirts of Paris. In it Kechiche’s camera acts as a casual observer while the teenagers try to survive, fall in and out of love, and eventually realize that their prospects for success as adults are extremely bleak. The film never slows down and ends very abruptly, like many contemporary documentaries do.

Blue Is the Warmest Color is set in Lille and it is substantially longer but its energy is identical to that of Games of Love and Chance. It has a similar episodic structure as well – there are obvious gaps between important events that are never addressed; periodically, the viewer is simply directed to the next stage of the relationship between the two girls.

Kechiche spends more time with the younger girl, Adele (Adele Exarchopoulos, Tête de turc), who is a 15-year-old high-school student and comes from a fairly conservative middle-class family. Early on, his camera frequently observes her as she quietly struggles to decode the signals her body is sending. The second girl, Emma (Lea Seydoux, Farewell, My Queen, Grand Central), is a blue-haired slightly older college art student. Unlike Adele, she is openly gay and very comfortable with her lifestyle. The two girls make contact in a gay bar and almost immediately realize that there is potential for something special between them. After a few casual dates, they finally kiss.

The two big and widely discussed sex scenes give the film its identity. They are very raw and intense, borderline intimidating. Both also happen to be quite long - possibly a lot longer than they should be. (Since the film’s success at the Cannes Film Festival, Exarchopoulos has publicly stated that Kechiche pushed her too far). But the rawness and intensity are also infused in the drama that ensues later, thus proving, or at least for the duration of the film, that sex and love are inextricably linked.

Shot digitally, the film looks notably sharp and clean. It also boasts a wide range of exceptionally rich and vibrant colors. The endless close- ups (also very prominent in other Kechiche films) frequently look like digital photographs.

The film, which runs at approximately 179 minutes, had five different editors: Ghalia Lacroix, who also wrote the film’s script with Kechiche, Sophie Brunet (Safe Conduct), Camille Toubkis (The Secret of the Grain), Jean-Marie Lengelle (Eat, For This is My Body), and Albertine Lastera (Black Venus).

In 2013, Blue Is the Warmest Color won the prestigious Palme d’Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival. For the first time ever, it was also awarded to two actors (Exarchopoulos and Seydoux).

Blue Is the Warmest Color Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.38:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue Is the Warmest Color arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"The film was shot with a Canon C300 digital camera, and the entire production was completed in a fully digital workflow. The final color-corrected DPX files were output to Rec. 709 high-definition color space for Blu-ray and DVD release. This master was approved by director Abdellatif Kechiche.

Colorist: Elie Akioka, Marc Boucrot/Film Factory, Clichy, France; Eclair Laboratories, Epinay-sur-Seine, France."

Shot digitally with Angenieux zoom lens, Blue Is the Warmest Color looks very impressive on Blu-ray. Close-ups as well as panoramic shots boast exceptional depth and clarity (see screencaptures #4 and 7). Even the darker footage from the night clubs impresses with great depth and clarity. Colors are very rich, solid, and natural. Contrast levels are stable. From start to finish the film has a very clean and smooth (not smoothed) look that does not deteriorate even during sudden transitions. Also, there are absolutely no visible transfer specific anomalies, such as banding and aliasing, to report in this review. Lastly, overall image stability is outstanding. To sum it all up, Blue Is the Warmest Color looks mighty impressive on Blu-ray, almost certainly the best it can given its digital foundation. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Blue Is the Warmest Color Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

There are select sequences where music clips are used, but the film does not have a prominent soundtrack. However, there are different prominent sounds and noises. Still, there is an excellent range of nuanced dynamics. Clarity and depth are also terrific. The dialog is stable and easy to follow. Lastly, the English translation is very good.

Blue Is the Warmest Color Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original Sundance Selects trailer for Blue Is the Warmest Color. Music only, with English text. (2 min, 1080p).

• TV Spot - original TV spot for Blue Is the Warmest Color. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic B. Ruby Rich.

Blue Is the Warmest Color Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think that the easiest way to describe Blue Is the Warmest Color is to say that it is a remarkably bold film. It could have been a major misfire because it goes places that few other mainstream films have visited, but it touches the heart in a very special way. Indeed, it deserves all the praise it has received. Predictably, Criterion's technical presentation of Blue Is the Warmest Color is fantastic. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.