Bon voyage Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Bon voyage Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 16, 2017

Winner of multiple Cesar Awards, Jean-Paul Rappeneau's "Bon Voyage" (2003) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label ARP Sélection. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; cast and crew interviews; archival featurette; and more. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Viviane

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, Jean-Paul Rappeneau's Bon Voyage arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label ARP Sélection.

The release is sourced from a brand new 4K remaster that is an absolute stunner. Indeed, the film now looks incredibly lush and healthy, and density is as good as one can expect it to be. There are substantial improvements in terms of detail and clarity, with both close-ups and wider panoramic shots boasting incredible depth. I did some direct comparisons with my R1 DVD release to see how colors and nuances have been rebalanced on the new remaster and again the positive improvements can be seen and appreciated in virtually every single shot -- saturation is far better, the primaries are better balanced, and there is a wide range of new and healthy nuances that even strengthen highlights and shadow definition (especially where some specific stylistic choices have been made). Image stability is outstanding. Finally, there are no purely digital anomalies to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Bon voyage Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

The great composer Gabriel Yared (Betty Blue) created a beautiful orchestral score for the film that easily breathes through the outstanding lossless track. Dynamic intensity and balance are fantastic, making even minor motifs very effective. Depth and clarity are also terrific.

Bon voyage Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original French theatrical trailer for Bon Voyage. In French, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Teasers - six original French theatrical teasers for Bon Voyage. In French, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Le Double Vie de Jean-Paul Rappeneau - this archival featurette takes a closer look at the production history of Bon Voyage. In French, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Interviews des Comediens - presented here is a gallery of interviews in which cast members discuss their involvement with Bon Voyage. In French, not subtitled. (Only Peter Coyote's segment is in English with imposed French subtitles).
  
  1. Grégori Derangère (3 min).
  2. Isabelle Adjani (5 min).
  3. Gerard Depardieu (3 min).
  4. Yvan Attal (6 min).
  5. Virgine Ledoyen (5 min).
  6. Peter Coyote (4 min).
  7. Aurore Clement (2 min).

• Petit Voyage dans le Numerique - this archival featurette takes a closer look at some of the special effects that were used in Bon Voyage. Direct before-and-after comparisons are included with commentary by director Jean-Paul Rappeneau. In French, not subtitled. (7 min).

Bon voyage Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jean-Paul Rappeneau's Bon Voyage is a feast for the eyes that can also be quite entertaining, so long as you understand that it is not committed to historical accuracy. It has been recently remastered in 4K, and I think that it looks simply stunning on Blu-ray. To be honest, its technical presentation is so good, I would not hesitate to recommend this release as 'reference material'. Fantastic work from French label ARP Sélection, and I hope that its marketing people would consider producing a similar English-friendly release of Benoît Jacquot's Adolphe, another gorgeous period film with Isabelle Adjani. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.