Bon Voyage Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Bon Voyage Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 16, 2025

Jean-Paul Rappeneau's "Bon Voyage" (2003) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary with the director and vintage theatrical trailer. In French, with optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Note: The text below was first used in our review of French label APR Selection's release of Bon Voyage in the summer of 2017.

Earlier this week, after viewing the new 4K restoration of Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s Bon Voyage, I spent some time thinking about what other French directors might have made a film like it in 2003. I wish to mention the names of three directors now because I believe that, like Rappeneau, they have an outstanding grasp of period ambience and are equally brilliant stylists. The first is Patrice Chereau, who directed the lavish period epic La Reine Margot and the more subdued romantic drama Gabrielle. These are strikingly elegant films, and I specifically want to mention that they were shot without the type of elaborate digital effects Rappeneau used in Bon Voyage to recreate the chaos of WW2. The second is veteran director Claude Lelouch, whose What War May Bring balances great camera work and digital effects a lot like Bon Voyage does. The third is Francois Dupeyron, the director of the incredibly moving drama The Officers' Ward, which I consider to be amongst the very best French films from the last decade. (The Officers’ Ward was also recently restored in 4K and looks absolutely stunning on Blu-ray).

Bon Voyage opens a few weeks before the Nazis invade Paris and instantly begins following a big group of colorful characters. Viviane Denvers (Isabelle Aadjani) is a famous actress who has accidentally killed one of her most powerful admirers and is on the verge of a serious nervous breakdown because she has absolutely no idea what to do with the body. Frederic Auger (Grégori Derangère) is a childhood friend of Viviane who agrees to help but ends up in jail because he crashes his car, and when the trunk pops up, the police discover the cold body. Jean-Étienne Beaufort (Gerard Depardieu) is an influential minister who begins a relationship with Viviane after she comes to him looking for help, but soon after realizes that her life is a lot more complicated than he had initially suspected. Raoul (Yvan Attal) is a bubbly scoundrel who helps Frederic escape from jail when the authorities are forced to relocate all prisoners to a safer location outside of Paris. Camille (Virginie Ledoyen) is helping Professor Kopolski (Jean-Marc Stehlé) transport a load of heavy water to England, where it can be used to build an atomic bomb. And Alex Winckler (Peter Coyote) is an opportunist who is secretly working for the Nazis as they begin to expand their network of agents in Paris.

There is a flurry of activity that reminds of the chaos from the second half of Jean-Pierre Melville’s Army of Shadows, but instead of focusing on the dramatic events before the country’s capitulation Rappeneau decides to add equal doses of humor and romance and creates a big, surprisingly charming old-fashioned period melodrama. It does work really well, though at times it certainly feels like there are too many important characters with too many intrigues between them to follow.

Adjani’s character is crucial because it brings the scattered pieces of the narrative together, but all of the big stars are given plenty of opportunities to shine. Depardieu, in particular, is in top form as the suspicious but forgiving minister. There is good chemistry between Ledoyen and Derangère as well.

Bon Voyage was lensed by Luc Besson’s regular cinematographer, Thierry Arbogast, whose management of light and color is, as always, terrific. The beautiful orchestral score is from Lebanese-born composer Gabriel Yared (Betty Blue, The English Patient).

Bon Voyage Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bon Voyage arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

In 2017, we reviewed this French release of Bon Voyage, produced by local label ARP Sélection. The release introduced an exclusive new 4K makeover, which was a tremendous upgrade in quality.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's recent release brings the 4K makeover to America. If you have only seen Bon Voyage on R1 DVD, you will be enormously impressed with its high-definition debut. The 4K makeover is flawless, and even by current 4K standards, it is very easy to praise as one of the best done for a contemporary European film. It is true that Bon Voyage has a unique appearance that helps it look impressive in high-definition, but the 4K makeover is done with a precision that is impossible to misinterpret. Sharpness, clarity, and depth are always at or gravitate around what I consider to be 'reference levels', while color reproduction is quite simply superb. Also, virtually all of the darker material now reveals different ranges of nuances that are missing from the standard definition presentation of Bon Voyage on the R1 DVD. Image stability is outstanding. Finally, all visuals are spotless. (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).

Bon Voyage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English, English SDH, and Spanish subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

While I cannot confirm, I am convinced that Bon Voyage has an all-digital soundtrack because clarity, sharpness, and balance are managed with striking precision. All exchanges are very clear and easy to follow. There is some action material, but it is not elaborate, so while very good, the dynamic contrasts it produces are not of the kind you will encounter in big-budget Hollywood productions. The English translation is excellent.

Bon Voyage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is an original American trailer for Bon Voyage, cut for Sony Pictures Classics' theatrical release of the film. In French, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Jean-Paul Rappeneau and initially appeared on Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's DVD release of Bon Voyage. Rappeneau shares plenty of information about the casting choices that were made and the film's unique period appearance, the nature of the drama that is depicted in the film and what aspects of it are reflective of a past reality, and Gabriel Yared's soundtrack. Also, there are some interesting comments about the various special effects that were used throughout the film. The commentary is in French, but optional English subtitles are provided.

Bon Voyage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jean-Paul Rappeneau's Bon Voyage is a feast for the eyes that can be quite entertaining, so long as you understand that it is not committed to historical accuracy. Also, it is an unmissable film for fans of Isabelle Adjani, who looks undescribably beautiful in it. This recent Blu-ray release brings the gorgeous 4K makeover of Bon Voyage to America, which until now was available on Blu-ray only in France. (Adjani also looks equally striking in Adolphe and La repentie, both released at approximately the same time with Bon Voyage. These films were never released on DVD in America and have not had legitimate English-friendly home video releases anywhere in the world). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.