Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Clouds of Sils Maria Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 20, 2015

Nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival and winner of Cesar Award for Best Supporting Actress, Olivier Assayas' "Clouds of Sils Maria" a.k.a. "Sils Maria" (2014) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Orange Studio. The supplemental features on the disc include Arnold Fanck's short film "Le Phenomene nuageux de Maloja" (1924); filmed conversation with the French director; and photo gallery. In English, with optional French subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The other woman

Juliette Binoche is Maria Enders, a successful actress whose first role was in a challenging play about a tragic lesbian affair. Now, more than twenty years later, she is on her way to Sils Maria in the Swiss Alps, where she will participate in a ceremony honoring the author of the play. She is traveling with her young and very energetic personal assistant, Valentine (Kristen Stewart).

But the elderly man unexpectedly dies and Maria is urgently asked to deliver an entirely different speech. Valentine makes sure that the speech is elegant but respectful.

In a posh hotel, Maria is approached by director Klaus Diesterweg (Lars Eidinger, Everyone Else), who wants her to be the star of his new film, a revival of the original play. Initially, Maria rejects the offer, but later on changes her mind and requests the script for the film.

Maria remembers the play well but is nervous because this time she will play Helena, the older businesswoman who is seduced, abused, and abandoned by her younger assistant, Sigrid. The young actress (Chloe Grace Moretz, Kick-Ass 2) Diesterweg has chosen to play Sigrid also makes Maria feel uncomfortable because in the online images and videos she looks as fearless and unapologetic as she was years ago.

While rehearsing her lines with Valentine, Maria slowly begins to realize that she has become emotionally attached to her -- a lot like her character, Helena, feels about Sigrid. She attempts to hide her feelings, but reciting Helena’s lines in front of Valentine makes it awfully difficult.

Binoche is perfectly cast as the aging actress. When the cameras are flashing she looks confident and strikingly elegant, like a true star that enjoys the attention her work has rightfully earned her. Alone, without the makeup and high heels, however, she appears vulnerable and brittle, well aware that her best days are behind her. Indeed, these are drastically different identities, but Binoche makes the transformations look incredibly natural.

Stewart is excellent as the pragmatic personal assistant who clearly enjoys directing the actress’ life -- or at least initially while the line that separates the employer and the employee is visible. She has a different, much more vulnerable side that is also exposed when her boss shows genuine interest in the young actress she has been paired with.

The idea behind Clouds of Sils Maria is quite similar to Assayas’ Irma Vep, in which a beautiful Maggie Cheung arrives in Paris to shoot a remake of the legendary Les Vampires and her character gradually alters her real identity. Clouds of Sils Maria, however, adds a second character (Stewart’s) that essentially serves as a litmus test for Maria’s transformations.

The original idea for Clouds of Sils Maria apparently came from Binoche. She approached Assayas with it and he wrote the script for the film. Exactly thirty years ago, Assayas also wrote the script for André Téchiné’s Rendez-vous, which effectively launched Binoche’s career at the Cannes Film Festival.

The film was shot on location in Switzerland, Italy, and Germany and features some exceptionally beautiful panoramic vistas. It was lensed by Yorick Le Saxu, who also collaborated with Assayas on the award-winning mini-series Carlos.

Clouds of Sils Maria Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with VC-1 and granted a 1080p transfer, Olivier Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Orange Studio.

The film looks fantastic in high-definition. It was shot at different locations in Switzerland, Italy, and Germany and there are some tremendously beautiful panoramic vistas. Detail and image depth are exceptional, with many of the outdoor panoramic shots actually looking like carefully designed postcards (see screencapture #5). Some minor contrast fluctuations exist, but they occur when footage is shot under different conditions (the film is broken into three contrasting sections). There are no stability issues. The encoding is also excellent. I must mention, however, that on my disc around the 17-minute mark I noticed a very quick skip, but it could be only on my disc. All in all, Clouds of Sils Maria is one of the best looking new films to reach my desk this year. Hopefully, it won't take too long for a U.S. distributor to release it on Blu-ray. (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).

Clouds of Sils Maria Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Orange Studio has provided optional French and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The film does not have a prominent music score. However, there is a fantastic range of nuanced dynamics and clarity and depth are outstanding. The dialog is crisp and easy to follow, but some of the actors have rather thick accents. Also, there are a couple of lines in French and German (in the back), but they are not part of the main exchanges, which are in English. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in this review.

Clouds of Sils Maria Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Le Phenomene nuageux de Maloja (1924) - presented here is Arnold Fanck's silent short film, portions of which are used in Clouds of Sils Maria. With German intertitles and optional French subtitles. (8 min).

• Entretien O. Assayas avec O. Pere - in this filmed conversation, director Olivier Assays and Olivier Pere, CEO Arte France, discuss Clouds of Sils Maria. In French, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Galerie photos - a collection of stills from the film.

Clouds of Sils Maria Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Thirty years ago, Olivier Assayas wrote the script for André Téchiné's Rendez-vous, which launched Juliette Binoche's career. The two have reunited in Clouds of Sils Maria, an elegant and thought-provoking film about an aging star who accepts a role from a play that launched her career. A preliminary date for a U.S. Blu-ray release is yet to be revealed, but I would be very surprised if this excellent film does not enter Criterion's catalog via its partnership with IFC Films. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.