Brotherhood of the Wolf Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Brotherhood of the Wolf Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 30, 2011

Christophe Gans' "Le Pacte des loups" a.k.a. "Brotherhood of the Wolf" (2001) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. The only supplemental feature on the disc is a long documentary film directed by Pascal Laugier. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The exotic warrior

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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio or 2.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Christophe Gans' Brotherhood of the Wolf arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.

This high-definition transfer is not identical to the one Studio Canal used for their Blu-ray release of Brotherhood of the Wolf in 2008 - which is surprising to say the least as the the French release was also English-friendly. In addition to featuring a new MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfer (the French Blu-ray release features a VC-1 encoded transfer), the Blu-ray also contains the shorter Theatrical Version of the film, not the longer Director's Cut found on the French Blu-ray release. For the record, the difference between the two versions is substantial, as the former runs at approximately 139 minutes while the latter runs at approximately 151 minutes.

The high-definition transfer Studio Canal used was struck from a dated source most likely prepared for their LE DVD of the film, which was produced long before they started releasing on Blu-ray. Naturally, there were some inherited limitations, but heavy DNR corrections were not applied and overall I was quite happy with the various upgrades the Blu-ray release offered (especially in terms of detail and contrast balance as they were very problematic, for instance, on the R1 DVD release which Canadian distributors TVA Films produced). In other words, in 2008 the French Blu-ray release was the best way to see Brotherhood of the Wolf.

Unfortunately, in 2011 this is still the case. The new MPEG-4 AVC-encoded high-definition transfer once again appears to have been struck from a dated source, but this time around there are also various grain and noise corrections that have been applied. As a result, during a number of scenes in addition to the grain and noise some fine detail has also been eliminated (you could compare screencaptures #17, 18, and 19 with the corresponding screencaptures in our review for the French Blu-ray release). Interestingly enough, color reproduction is slightly better during the indoor footage. The browns, grays, and blacks, in particular, are notably stronger (see screencapture #2). Elsewhere, there are traces of mild edge enhancement, though they are never distracting, while artifacts and ringing are not easy to spot. Finally, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Brotherhood of the Wolf Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Optimum Home Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is excellent. As far as dynamic intensity is concerned, I believe that it is one of the very best done for a catalog title. A lot of the credit, however, should go to the sound mixers and designers who worked on Brotherhood of the Wolf as quite obviously some of the best scenes in the film impress primarily because of their contribution. The surround channels, in particular, are very effectively used. When the beast attacks, for instance, his breathing is quite overwhelming, while during the mass fights it literally feels as if one is right in the middle of the action. The dialog is consistently crisp, clean, stable, and very easy to follow. The English translation is excellent.

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

• Behind the Scenes - a long and very interesting 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 subtitles where necessary. (78 min, PAL).

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

It is rather unfortunate that the UK Blu-ray release of Christophe Gans' Brotherhood of the Wolf has only the shorter Theatrical Version of the film. In 2008, French distributors Studio Canal released the Director's Cut of the film on Blu-ray, which in my opinion is far better than the Theatrical Version. My advice to you is to seek the French Blu-ray release while it is still available if you wish to have Brotherhood of the Wolf in your collections.