Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Code Unknown Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 28, 2016

Winner of the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Michael Haneke's "Code Unknown" a.k.a. "Code inconnu: Récit incomplet de divers voyages" (2000) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include original teasers for the film; exclusive new video interview with director Michael Haneke; new video interview with film scholar Roy Grundmann; the documentary film "Filming Haneke"; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring film critic Nick James' essay "Eurovisions". In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"Hello, you"

The location is Paris, but it is clear now that it could have been any major city in Western Europe. The chaos and the tension were already on the surface, but few people were paying attention. Meanwhile, on the inside the infection was growing stronger.

The film opens up on a busy boulevard where a seemingly casual event sends it in multiple directions at the same time. It sounds odd, but this is exactly how it was envisioned -- as a big mosaic whose pieces are constantly overlapping. The intent was to recreate the interconnected movement of people and the manner in which they impact their lives daily.

There are five different characters that see the reality in which they exist from drastically different angles: Anne (Juliette Binoche, The Lovers on the Bridge) is an actress who is struggling to stay focused during an exhausting film shoot. George (Thierry Nuevic, Tell No One), Anne’s boyfriend, is a photographer who has recently returned from the war-torn Balkans and is having trouble readjusting to life in the city. Jean (Alexandre Hamidi, The Accidental Hero), George’s younger brother, has been working on the family farm, but has decided that he needs a fresh start and abandoned it. Amadou (Ona Lu Yenke) is a young Senegalese man who has been treated badly by the authorities while trying to date a local girl. And Maria (Luminita Gheorghiu, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) is a Romanian immigrant who has illegally reentered France with a group of men from her home town but can't come to terms with the fact that she must live in the shadows. As the film moves between their realities, it is revealed how they profoundly impact their lives without ever fully realizing the consequences of their actions.

The tension that emerges is identical to the one that is currently present across Europe. In the film it is localized and made to look like it was triggered by random events, but the truth is that it is a byproduct of awful political decisions. The five characters are seen only reacting to it and trying to overcome it, not looking to understand its origin.

The film was directed by Michael Haneke in 2000. Since then, the world has profoundly changed, politically and economically. In Europe, the once popular notion that multiculturalism is essential for the continent’s future prosperity is now being reexamined because it has created a toxic atmosphere that hasn’t been witnessed since the 1930s. There is fear that something is profoundly broken and that there is genuine alienation between people because they no longer trust each other. Haneke’s film essentially offers a glimpse at this dangerous polarization a few years before it spread across the rest of the continent.

The positioning and movement of the camera are very precise, but the film actually has the unpolished appearance of a documentary feature. The fragmentation works as intended, though it would have been fine even without the obvious cuts.

Code Unknown Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Michael Haneke's Code Unknown arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Approved by director Michael Haneke, this new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative at Eclair Laboratories in Epinay-sur-Seine, France. The restoration was performed at Digimage in Montrouge, France, and the color correction was supervised by Haneke at Listo in Vienna. The 5.1 surround soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the 35mm magnetic tracks. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD, AudioCube's integrated workstation, and iZotope RX4.

NOTE: There is a mastering error on the Code Unknown release. There are a few small segments with skipped frames. Examples can be seen at 00:08:38 and 00:10:07. We have confirmed with Criterion that they appear on discs from the First Pressing, though we do not know how many discs that are already in the retail system are affected. If you believe that your copy is affected, you can contact Criterion for a replacement at mulvaney@criterion.com.

The entire film has a very naturalistic appearance. Detail and clarity are typically excellent, but there are small segments where light is restricted and depth is impacted. Obviously, these fluctuations are part of the film's original visual design. Colors are stable and natural. There is only one short segment -- with the camera footage (see screencapture #6) -- where some instability is present. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Overall image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Code Unknown Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with small portions of other languages). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film does not have a prominent soundtrack. Also, there are no elaborate sound effects. Unsurprisingly, dynamic intensity is quite limited. Separation and balance, however, are excellent. The dialog is always clean, sharp, stable, and very easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report in our review.

Code Unknown Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - a short video introduction by director Michael Haneke. In French, with optional English subtitles. (5 min, 1080i).

• Teasers - three teasers for Code Unknown.
  
  1. Teaser 1. In French, with optional English subtitles (2 min, 1080p).
  2. Teaser 2. In French, with optional English subtitles (2 min, 1080p)
  3. Teaser 3. In French, with optional English subtitles (2 min, 1080p)

• Michael Haneke - in this brand new video interview, director Michael Haneke recalls his initial contact with Juliette Binoche after the premiere of Funny Games, how the idea for Code Unknown emerged and how Marin Karmitz from MK2 agreed to produce the film, and discusses the film's structure (and specifically the fragmentation of the narrative), the camera positioning and movement, the reality in which the main protagonists exist, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in Windigsteig, Austria, in August 2015. In German, not subtitled. (29 min, 1080p).

• Filming Haneke - this documentary takes a closer look at the production of Code Unknown. Included in are clips from interviews with producer Marin Karmitz, Juliette Binoche, and Michael Haneke, as well as plenty of raw footage from the shooting of three key sequences (two in Paris and one in Romania). he documentary was produced in 2000. In French and German, with optional English subtitles. (28 min, 1080i).

• Haneke on the Boulevard Sequences, March 2001 - in this video piece, director Michael Haneke discusses the nature of the boulevard sequences -- the main idea was that the camera could not move independently -- as well as their central role in the film. In German, with optional English subtitles. (12 min, 1080i).

• Roy Grundmann - in this brand new video interview, Roy Grundmann, editor of A Companion to Michael Haneke, discusses Michael Haneke's career and body of work, the evolution of its style, some of the key themes in his television films and theatrical films, the types of relationships that are depicted in his work, the use and role of television footage in his work, the director's relocation and work in France, Code Unknown and the fragmentation of its narrative, Juliette Binoche's character, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in Boston in August 2015. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring Nick James' essay "Eurovisions". (The author is the editor of Sight & Sound and has written for many publications).

Code Unknown Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Michael Haneke directed Code Unknown in 2000, but the film actually offers a glimpse at the toxic atmosphere that is currently creating all sorts of different problems across Europe. It seems like he was convinced that it was unavoidable, but I disagree. The alienation that exists between ordinary people like the ones seen in his film can easily be traced back to the many awful decisions European leaders have made in recent years. Criterion's release is sourced from a restoration of the film that was completed in France and looks very good in high-definition. We have confirmed that there is a mastering error on discs from the First Pressing, but we do not know how many discs in the retail system were affected. (See the technical section of the review for additional information). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.