Chocolat Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Chocolat Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson April 21, 2025

Nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, Claire Denis's directorial debut CHOCOLAT comes with a variety of bonus features courtesy of the British Film Institute: a feature-length commentary track from a film scholar, a fairly recent interview with Denis about her maiden feature, an archival Q&A with the the co-writer/director, a short film, trailers, and an illustrated booklet. In French, with optional English subtitles. Region "B" locked.

In her audio commentary on this Blu-ray, film scholar Kate Rennebohm describes Chocolat as possessing opacity and obliqueness. I would argue that these two attributes run through a number of Denis's movies. Indeed, the French auteur prefers narratives that don't offer clear-cut resolutions to story predicaments. She also often writes minimal dialogue for her characters, whose motivations can be nebulous.

Chocolat opens with a still photograph of an ocean that evokes memories of the past. The shot segues to an African-American man, who we'll learn is Mungo Park (Emmet Judson Williamson), bathing in the ocean with his preadolescent son. A twenties-something lady named France Dalens (Mireille Perrier) sits on the beach gazing at the ocean with her headphones on. (The audience isn't privy to what she is listening to, though.) Mungo sees France walking along the road and offers to give her a ride to a nearby town. After leaving her off, Mungo notices France appearing lost so he picks her up again. Without any expository narration or intertitles, Denis makes a form cut to a few decades earlier in Cameroon where 8-year-old France (Cécile Ducasse) is riding in the back of a truck with Protée (Isaach De Bankolé), her family's servant and "houseboy." France's father, Marc Dalens (François Cluzet), works as a government administrator. Along with his wife, Aimée (Giulia Boschi), Marc is taking the family to a colonial outpost (a few years before colonial rule will end in west Africa).

Denis blurs the lines between master and servant in the Dalens' domestic spaces. For example, Protée is shown having his meals not in a separate locale from the Dalens home but in their family kitchen. In fact, he sits at the table while France feeds him. She develops a kinship with him that will evolve and change. Moreover, Protée acts on his own volition when he refuses to do something Aimée asks of him. (I won't reveal what that act is for those who haven't seen the film.) Protée is "punished" but not in the same way a Black servant would be in colonial Africa.

Aimée and Protée.

Denis further deconstructs colonial stereotypes and acts of racism in second half after a small plane makes an emergency landing and its passengers lodge with the Dalens. The colonials include pilot Captain Védrine (Didier Flamand), co-pilot Courbassol (Jean-Quentin Châtelain), and a coffee plantation owner (Jacques Denis), who has a Black concubine. They're also joined by a newlywed couple (Laurent Arnal and Emmanuelle Chaulet) on their first visit to Africa. In addition, a former seminary student named Luc Segalen (Jean-Claude Adelin) frequents the Dalens' house and invades the space where Protée usually showers outside. Luc and Protée later quarrel. But through all this, Protée stands his ground firmly. He's portrayed as handsome, muscular, and quietly strong-willed. It is to Denis's credit that she critiques (rather than reifies) Black African stereotypes. She also steers clear of colonial narrative clichés.

Chocolat Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The following text appears in the booklet:

Chocolat has been scanned and restored at 4K resolution by Eclair Classics and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 with 2.0 mono audio. All work was approved by director Claire Denis, the colourist Bruno Patin and Diego Mercuriali, and the director of photography Robert Alazraki.

Technical producers Peter Stanley, Douglas Weir (BFI)
Disc producer Upekha Bandaranayake
Disc authoring The Engine House Media Services

I can also verify courtesy of the Toronto International Film Festival where Chocolat screened a couple years ago that this 2023 restoration derives from the film's original negative. I own the MGM R1 DVD, which I upscaled to 720p on my player when I recently re-watched it on my QLED in preparation for this review. The transfer appears struck from a relatively worn 35 mm theatrical print and is presented in 1.66:1 non-anamorphic widescreen. There's speckling during the main titles and the first reel. The specks largely go away thereafter. Colors are pretty strongly delineated especially in brighter sequences. Contrast in long and extreme long shots is no better than average, though.

I've made a number of direct comparisons between the MGM and BFI. For instance, notice how much clearer and defined the skin tones are on the adult France in Screenshot #34 versus their more muddled appearance in #33 on the letterboxed DVD. The BFI displays full color corrections on this 4K-scanned Blu-ray. House draperies are still crimson in screen capture #s 30 and 32 but look at how the sunlight through the window is dimmer and not overblown in #30 versus #29 on the brighter SD transfer.

The BFI edition consistently boasts a pleasing grain structure that never gets too chunky. It also retains a wonderful texture. I only spotted two print-related marks. A very small white speck by child France's right cheekbone in #24 and an artifact on the green wooden board by the window frame in #28. This MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50 carries an average video bitrate of 34496 kbps.

Screenshot #s 1-20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, & 40 = BFI 2024 BD-50
Screenshot #s 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, & 39 = MGM World Films 2001 DVD

The BFI offers twelve chapter stops for the 105-minute feature.

Chocolat Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The BFI has supplied a LPCM Dual Mono mix (2304 kbps, 24-bit) in the original French. I compared this monaural track with MGM's Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono mix on the MGM. The LPCM is definitely brighter and less restrained in dynamics than the US DVD. It also generates higher frequencies when music is played. Spoken words are audible and crisp on the BFI. The original score is by African jazz musician Abdullah Ibrahim. Score tracks can be found on the album Mindif, which is named after a solitary mountain in west Africa. The title track also makes three appearances on a recent album Ibrahim recorded titled 3.

The optional English subtitles appear in a white sans-serif font. I wished they would have been a little larger. Please note a few differences in translation on the BFI track (Screenshot #40) versus some alternate words on the MGM track (#39).

Chocolat Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Film Scholar and Critic Kate Rennebohm - Rennebohm is the Jill Beck Professor of Film and Assistant Professor of Film Studies at Lawrence University and a Chantal Akerman scholar. While Rennebohm isn't scripted, she delivers her talk from prepared notes. She discusses Denis's early ideas for the film and also gives a brief historical overview of Cameroon. In addition, she examines the film's color scheme, how private and public spaces are portrayed, and brings in Richard Dyer's work on the representation of whiteness. It's good that she touches on the novel that inspired the film. Rennebohm often returns to the issue of political incorrectness in Denis's work. She compares Chocolat to Sembene's Black Girl and the influence that Jacques Rivette has had on Denis's career. Rennebohm is sketchy in places. For example, while presenting some facts, she begins with "I belief..." without referring to primary sources or exact quotes. When Rennebohm makes a comparison to another movie by Denis, she acknowledges that she hasn't seen White Material in a long time. The track has some gaps. In English, not subtitled.

• Claire Denis à propos de CHOCOLAT (2023) (18:10, 1080p) - this interview comprises nine chapters, each of which can be accessed via remote control (but not through the main menu): (1) "The ambivalence of the house, open and closed"; (2) "The connection with childhood memories"; (3) "The sensorality of landscapes in the direction"; (4) "The story of the ant toast" (5) "Colonisation: A theme rarely addressed in French cinema"; (6) "The child's perspective: A choice in the film"; (7) "The character of Isaach De Bankolé"; (8) "The meaning of the term 'chocolat'"; and (9) "The restoration process." Denis appears interviewed in her kitchen. She discusses her work as an assistant for Wim Wenders, filming Chocolat in Cameroon, architectural details of the main house and surrounding locations where her crew shot the picture, the nearby village of Mindif, autobiographical aspects that are reflected in the film, how she connected with Protée, reading Houseboy as a 20-year-old, and the young girl in the film. Finally, Denis describes the experience of digitally restoring Chocolat with cinematographer Robert Alazraki at Eclair. Denis says they worked with a technician highly familiar with Alazraki's aesthetic choices and his preferred colors. In French, with English subtitles.

• Claire Denis in Conversation (2019) (48:47, 1080i) - this sit-down chat with Denis was moderated by Tricia Tuttle at BFI Southbank in May 2019. The filmmaker offers some general recollections of growing up in Cameroon and stories her mother would tell her. Denis provides some terrific anecdotes about working with Wim Wenders on Paris, Texas (1984). She also recalls when she first saw Isaach De Bankolé before casting him in Chocolat. In addition, she talks about 35 Shots of Rum (2008) and a song by The Commodores that's used in the film. Denis also expains how she first became acquainted with Stuart Staples. This is followed by Denis's responses to the audience's questions. Denis reminisces about working with Jim Jarmusch on the set of Down by Law (1986) in New Orleans, the inspiration for I Can't Sleep (J'ai pas sommeil, 1994), the biggest contemporary challenge to cinema, writing Let the Sunshine In (2017) and High Life (2018), and the visual inspiration for Beau Travail (1999) . Both Tuttle and Denis speak in English, with optional descriptive English subtitles.

• Childhood Memories (2018) (4:09, 1080i; Dolby Digital 2.0, 320 kbps) - an autobiographical animated short by Mary Martins. The film explores memories of a childhood visit to Lagos, Nigeria. Narration is in English, with optional descriptive English subtitles.

• Original Theatrical Trailer (1:37, upconverted to 1080p) - this appears to be the same trailer as what's on the MGM DVD. While it hasn't been restored, this Cannes Film Festival trailer for Chocolat is presented in 1.66:1 anamorphic. This is more of a teaser trailer. It makes creative use of superimpositions. In French, with English subtitles. There is a "Play all" option for both trailers.

• 2023 Restoration Trailer (1:38, 1080p) - this trailer from mk2 Films is different than the one produced in 1988. It touts Denis's work and the 4K scan made for the film's re-release. It appears in 1.66:1 and is 16x9 enhanced. In French, with English subtitles. There is a "Play all" option for both trailers.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Illustrated Booklet - a 30-page booklet with three new essays, a director's statement on Childhood Memories, an extensive list of credits, and stills from Chocolat. Cornelia Ruhe gives a perceptive reading on the colonial subtext in Chocolat. Catherine Bray provides a detailed overview of Denis's diverse and varied career as a filmmaker. Kevin Le Gendre analyzes Abdullah Ibrahim's score for Chocolat.

Chocolat Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Claire Denis's excellent debut has been given the deluxe treatment by the BFI. Robert Alazraki's exquisitely framed compositions have a natural and organic appearance on this 4K-sourced transfer. The recent commentary track by Rennebohm is very good. The new interview with Denis on Chocolat is terrific. (I only wish it could have been longer.) If you own the letterboxed MGM disc or Artificial Eye's anamorphic DVD, don't hesitate to upgrade. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED and a MUST OWN for fans of Denis.