7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
In 1970s France, teens Christine and Gilles are restless, prematurely disillusioned and utterly appalled by their parents' listless attitudes toward life. They enliven things through sex and petty theft, but the latter lands Christine in a home for troubled teens. She breaks out, skipping town with Gilles, and the couple end up at a wild party in the woods. They then move to a nearby commune, but receive a culture shock there that strains their relationship.
Starring: Virginie Ledoyen, Cyprien Fouquet, László Szabó, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Dominique FaysseForeign | 100% |
Drama | 97% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Olivier Assayas' "Cold Water" (1994) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include new interview with cinematographer Denis Lenoir; new interview with Olivier Assayas; and segment from an archival episode of the French television program Le cercle de minuit. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic and author Girish Shambu as well as technical credits. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Christine
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Olivier Assayas' Cold Water arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:
"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Northlight film scanner from a 35mm internegative at Film Factory in Paris. The 5.1 surround soundtrack was created from a 35mm multitrack magnetic tape.
Transfer supervisor: Olivier Assayas.
Colorist: Elie Akoka.
Audio remastering: Grace Brown/Film Factory, Paris."
It is easy to tell that the film was shot with a modest budget and in less than optimal conditions, though in the grand scheme of things this is actually quite beneficial to the intended verite style. However, density levels could be better, and on a larger screen trained eyes will quickly spot some of the inherited limitations. On the other hand, fluidity is very good. There are no traces of awful digital tinkering, but again ideally grain should be exposed better. The color grading job is very convincing. However, while viewing the film I noticed at least two examples with extremely light flutter. Image stability is excellent. There are no large cuts, debris, stains, marks, or warps, but a few tiny white flecks remain. (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).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with a few lines in Hungarian). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The audio is flawless. The dialog is clean, crystal clear, and stable. Because a lot of the larger scenes were shot in organic conditions some minor unevenness remains here and there, but there is no thinning or distortion to report. The overall range of dynamics is very good.
The great party scene is the only segment from Cold Water where I felt that Olivier Assayas' childhood memories and his desire for his film to function as a punk rock version of the '70s were actually perfectly in sync. I did not dislike the rest of the film, but it never pulled me in with the same authority that similar French period projects like Regular Lovers and A Tout de Suite have managed to do. There was too much artificiality in the evolution of the relationship between the two leads for my taste. If your experience with Cold Water turns out to be different, definitely consider picking up a copy of Assayas' Something in the Air, which deals with similar themes in a similar environment but in a vastly superior fashion. RENT IT.
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