Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Brotherhood of the Wolf 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 25, 2023

Christophe Gans' "Brotherhood of the Wolf" (2001) arrives on 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include numerous archival programs with the director and cast and crew members; several documentaries on the making of the film; deleted scenes; vintage promotional materials; and more. In French, with optional English or German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The exotic warrior

Note: The text below was first used in our review of the exclusive French Blu-ray release of Brotherhood of the Wolf which StudioCanal produced in 2008.

A small village somewhere in Central France. A large, wolf-like creature referred to as "the Beast of Gévaudan" is blamed for a string of brutal killings. No one has seen it -- the few who have gone looking for it have lost their lives. The locals are puzzled, angered, and terrified.

Grégoire de Fronsac (Samuel Le Bihan, Vénus beauté institut, Mesrine Parts 1 & 2 - Killer Instinct / Public Enemy Number 1), a naturalist with a soft spot for literature, and his friend Mani (Mark Dacascos, Crying Freeman), a quiet kung-fu expert of American-Indian origin, arrive in the village and begin to track down the beast's trail. Fronsac does not believe that the beast exists and looks for a logical explanation for the gruesome killings. Mani hardly ever speaks so for a long period of time it is unclear what goes on his head.

While trying to gather as much information as possible, Fronsac and Mani are introduced to a local dignitary (Vincent Cassel, La Haine, Our Day Will Come), his sister (Emilie Dequenne, Rosetta, The Girl on the Train), and eventually a mysterious beauty (Monica Bellucci, Malena, Irreversible), who no one really knows well enough. Soon, the two men find themselves entangled in a web of strange myths and political intrigues where nothing is what it seems and no one can be trusted.

Inspired by a true story about a creature that ravished the French countryside during Louis XV's era, Christophe Gans’ Brotherhood of the Wolf is an epic blockbuster Hollywood would have paid big bucks to have produced on this side of the Atlantic. It is brilliantly written, terrifically acted, and impressively lensed. It packs action, mystery, and romance in a fantastic, truly original tale of friendship, courage, and survival. In other words, it is the type of film every studio would love to have in the middle of the summer.

Brotherhood of the Wolf is also an excellent period film with terrific costumes, lavish decors, and spectacular locations (the finale is indeed breathtaking) that create the kind of environment we truly do not get to experience in our theaters anymore. Frankly, there is enough in it to please everyone -- mind-blowing action scenes, great suspense, a good dose of tastefully done erotica, and even a bit of old-fashioned romance.

Technically, Brotherhood of the Wolf dazzles. Not because it is a groundbreaking film that redefines the action/adventure genre, but because it is a fine example of how to shoot a film that would appeal to children and adults -- by approaching its subject with a degree of concentration and seriousness allowing one to borrow from different genres without falling victim to old clichés.

Two versions of the film have been released on DVD, and now Blu-ray -- Theatrical Version and Director’s Cut. In various markets around the world, the Director’s Cut of the film is often referred to as the International Cut. The Theatrical Version of the film runs at approximately 139 minutes and omits several scenes, the more important ones involving Bellucci’s character, Sylvia. The Director’s Cut of the film runs at approximately 151 minutes and has all of the omitted scenes added to key sequences throughout the film. (Currently, the only Blu-ray release with the Director’s Cut of the film is the one French distributors Studio Canal produced in 2008).

*In 2002, Brotherhood of the Wolf won Cesar Award for Best Costume Design (Dominique Borg).

Brotherhood of the Wolf 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

StudioCanal's release of Brotherhood of the Wolf is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray disc is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray discs is Region-B "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-26 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #32-35 are from 4K Blu-ray.

The 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray discs introduce a brand new 4K makeover of The Brotherhood of the Wolf which was prepared at Hiventy and endorsed by Christophe Gans. In native 4K, the new 4K makeover can be seen with HDR.

I found the new 4K makeover quite frustrating, so I am going to separate the good from the bad. Because I tested the 4K makeover in 1080p as well, I will comment on some specific discrepancies between the new 1080p presentation and older 1080p presentations. Currently, I have in my library only this very old French Blu-ray release that StudioCanal produced in 2008.

The Good - The new 4K makeover produces very healthy visuals. This is hardly surprising because the first Blu-ray release of Brotherhood of the Wolf was sourced from a DVD-era master with plenty of limitations. At the time, the Blu-ray offered the very best presentation of the film on the home video market, but technology has evolved a lot during the last couple of decades. (Again, the original master was not prepared in 2008, it is even older). For example, density levels are dramatically better, providing the visuals with the type of even grainfield that only a recent 4K master could ensure. Generally speaking, delineation, clarity, and depth range from very good to outstanding as well. For the very first time, fluidity is as good as it needs to be, so all of the action footage where the camera moves fast and chooses many different angles to capture the rapid kicks and jumps looks sensational. Image stability is great. So, on a larger screen, the jump in quality is pretty substantial.

The Not So Good/Bad - The new 4K makeover gives the film a very different appearance because it is graded differently. Gans apparently approved the new grade, but I can categorically state that various sections of the film do not look as they did in the theater where I saw it. (Just to be perfectly clear, I love this film, and yes, I remember how it looked in the theater). For example, there are a lot of areas that used to have either prominent cold blues or shades of different cold blues, some mixed with prominent grays or shades of gray, that are altered with different ranges of cyan/light cyan. Now, the film is supposed to have some green/cyan, but on the original grade the saturation levels were different, plus blues and grays always had important roles to play. On the new 4K makeover, entire areas introduce cyan with very strong saturation levels. To see what type of discrepancies exist, you can compare this screencapture from the old master and this screencapture from the new 4K makeover. Also, the shift can be so strong that in many areas people's faces and hair become overwhelmed by the cyan. There is plenty of stylizing throughout the film, but these changes were not part of it. See here and here. The shift in color values even affects the dynamic range of some visuals, like the one seen here, where posterization begins to emerge as well. In extreme cases, existing detail is lost. (See the comparison with the close-up of Monica Bellucci's character above). On the other hand, the new 4K makeover alters color values that were not impressive on the old master and makes some sections look more convincing. The opening footage where Samuel Le Bihan and Mark Dacascos are first seen has such improvements. HDR makes some of the shifts slightly more balanced, but the replacement of blues and grays with cyan throughout the film remains easy to identify. The least problematic areas are the ones with indoor footage where browns and blacks are prominent and blues and grays are usually absent. However, there are several examples there and elsewhere with shaky and modified reds. You can see how Émilie Dequenne's beautiful red dress is modified if you compare this screencapture from the old master and this screencapture from the new 4K makeover. In native 4K, HDR even creates the impression that the dynamic range of the visuals is off, which should not be the case. Ultimately, I found the insertion of strong cyan and other regrading work throughout the film quite distracting and damaging, which is extremely frustrating because the 4K files are very, very strong.

Brotherhood of the Wolf 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: French Dolby Atmos, German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), and English LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black below it.

Brotherhood of the Wolf has always had an outstanding audio track. Even during the DVD era, there were several DVD releases with enormously impressive, reference-type of quality audio tracks. The new Dolby Atmos track that was created for the 4K makeover of the film sounds very good, but I do not think that fans of the film will be surprised by it. I simply do not think that there was enough room for meaningful improvements -- the footage with the creature, the overhead shots with the effects and narration, the mass fights, everything sounds great again. The narration/dialog is clear and very easy to follow.

Brotherhood of the Wolf 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC - DIRECTOR'S CUT

• Commentary One - Christophe Gans recorded this archival audio commentary four years after he had completed Brotherhood of the Wolf and confessed that in that time his state of mind had changed a lot. The rest of the commentary features a lot of technical information about the framing, lensing, special effects, lighting choices, and action choreography, as well as some interesting comments about the impressive cast that was assembled and the reception of the film. The commentary is in French and has optional English and German subtitles.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by stars Vincent Cassel and Samuel Le Bihan and originally appeared on a French DVD release of Brotherhood of the Wolf. The stars of the film go down memory lane and -- while frequently joking -- recall how different parts of it were shot, some unique challenges that had to be overcome, their interactions with Christophe Gans, specific preparation efforts and work that was required to do the action footage, etc. The commentary is in French and has optional English and German subtitles.

• Trailer - presented here is a promotional trailer for the new 4K restoration of Brotherhood of the Wolf. With music and English text.

BLU-RAY DISC ONE - DIRECTOR'S CUT

• Commentary One - Christophe Gans recorded this archival audio commentary four years after he had completed Brotherhood of the Wolf and confessed that in that time his state of mind had changed a lot. The rest of the commentary features a lot of technical information about the framing, lensing, special effects, lighting choices, and action choreography, as well as some interesting comments about the impressive cast that was assembled and the reception of the film. The commentary is in French and has optional English and German subtitles.

• Commentary Two - this archival audio commentary was recorded by stars Vincent Cassel and Samuel Le Bihan and originally appeared on a French DVD release of Brotherhood of the Wolf. The stars of the film go down memory lane and -- while frequently joking -- recall how different parts of it were shot, some unique challenges that had to be overcome, their interactions with Christophe Gans, specific preparation efforts and work that was required to do the action footage, etc. The commentary is in French and has optional English and German subtitles.

• Trailer - presented here is a promotional trailer for the new 4K restoration of Brotherhood of the Wolf. With music and English text.

BLU-RAY DISC TWO - DIRECTOR'S CUT

• Trailers -
  
  1. Theatrical trailer. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).
  2. Restored original trailer. In French, with optional English and German subtitles. (3 min).

• La Legend - in this archival program, author Michel Louis discusses the origin and mystique of The Beast. In French, with optional English or German subtitles. (18 min).

• Christophe Gans and Jean-Baptiste Thoret - in this very long filmed conversation Christophe Gans discusses the conception and production of Brotherhood of the Wolf; its genre and stylistic identities; its effect(s) on the mainstream image of French cinema; and how in Mark Dacascos he rediscovered his childhood idol, Bruce Lee. Mr. Gans also discusses in great detail his particular appreciation of French cinema and the main qualities that define and make it unique. In French, with optional English or German subtitled. (89 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are six deleted scenes. In French, with optional English or German subtitles.
  
  1. The Fight (11 min).
  2. The Crow (5 min).
  3. Fronzac and Sardis (3 min).
  4. The Frozen Lake (7 min).
  5. The House Tessier.(11 min).
  6. Montage (6 min).

• The Guts of the Beast (2002) - a long and very interesting archival documentary, directed by Pascal Laugier (Martyrs), which focuses on the various obstacles the creative team behind Brotherhood of the Wolf had to overcome. The documentary also contains plenty of raw footage from the shooting of the film, interviews, tests, and more. In French and English, with optional English or German subtitles where necessary. (79 min).

• Behind the Scenes - this archival program takes a closer look at the production of Brotherhood of the Wolf. Included in it is raw footage from the shooting of key sequences and comments by Chrstophe Gans and several cast members. In French, with optional English or German subtitles. (78 min).

BLU-RAY DISC THREE - THEATRICAL CUT

• Theatrical Cut of Brotherhood of the Wolf - presented here is shorter Theatrical Cut of Brotherhood of the Wolf. This version of the film is unrestored and offered in 1080p. It comes with three audio tracks: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM 2.0, and German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English and German subtitles are provided. (2:23.05/144 min).

• Interview with Christophe Gans - in this archival interview, Christophe Gans discusses his work on Brotherhood of the Wolf and the goals he aimed to accomplish with it. The interview was conducted by Jean-Pierre Jackson. In French, with optional English or German subtitles. (18 min).

• Featurette - presented here are several short archival featurettes that focus on different aspects of the production, characterizations, unique special effects, stylistic appearance, and soundtrack of Brothehood of the Wolf. Included are clips from interviews with Christophe Gans, cast and crew members. In French, with optional English or German subtitles.
  
  1. The Extras (2 min).
  2. The Studies of Fronsac (2 min).
  3. Mise-en-scene (2 min).
  4. Emile and the Music (2 min).
  5. Thomas d'Apcher (3 min).
  6. Jeremie Renier and the Horses (2 min).
  7. Special Effects (2 min).
  8. Meke-Up (2 min).

Brotherhood of the Wolf 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

For many people, and especially those that did not see Brotherhood of the Wolf in the theater, this lavish four-disc box set will become the definitive home video release of the film. The box set introduces a brand new 4K restoration of the Director's Cut of Brotherhood of the Wolf, which can be seen in native 4K and 1080p, that was completed at Hiventy in France and endorsed by Christophe Gans. Unfortunately, I have to report that different areas of the Director's Cut of Brotherhood of the Wolf are regraded. The box set has a Blu-ray disc with the shorter Theatrical Cut of Brotherhood of the Wolf, but this is an ancient presentation of it from the DVD era. The newly restored Director's Cut looks very healthy, often strikingly beautiful too, but in different areas, it does not look right. The box set has an extensive selection of archival bonus features that were originally made available on various DVD releases of Brotherhood of the Wolf. If you decide to acquire it for your library, please keep in mind that only the 4K Blu-ray disc is Region-Free. The three Blu-ray discs are Region-B "locked". RECOMMENDED.