Danton Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Danton Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 16, 2010

Winner of the prestigious Prix Louis Delluc and BAFTA Film Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Andrzej Wajda's "Danton" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Gaumont. The supplemental features on the disc include "La voix du peuple", a documentary film by Pierre-Henri Gibert; a short conversation with writer Jean-Claude Carriere; and the original French theatrical trailer for the film. In French and English, with optional French and English subtitles. Region-Free.

Gerard Depardieu as Danton

Polish director Andrzej Wajda shot Danton in 1983 in France, two years after he won the Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival for his Man of Iron. For Danton, Wajda won the prestigious Prix Louis Delluc award, but in his home country the Communist Party had openly criticized his work, and even shut down his production company.

The film opens with Danton's (Gerard Depardieu, Cyrano de Bergerac) return to Paris, where Robespierre (Wojciech Pszoniak, The Summer of the Samurai) and his men have began executing their political opponents. A firm believer that the people are the only institution that could and should determine the future of France - not governments, revolutionary committees, or ambitious politicians - Danton confronts his former ally. Robespierre, however, accuses Danton of setting the stage for counter-revolution.

The majority of the representatives at the Committee of Public Safety, a forum founded by Danton, voice criticism over Robespierre's actions. They urge him to immediately stop all executions and respect the laws of the Republic. Sensing that the people might turn against them, Robespierre and his followers decide to provoke Danton - and then officially accuse him of counter-revolutionary activities. They fail and tensions between the two men and their followers escalate.

Danton decides to give Robespierre a chance to redeem himself. He invites him to a secret dinner where the two would discuss the future of France. When Robespierre arrives, however, Danton questions his loyalty to the Republic and accuses him of attempting to reinstate the same rules and regulations the Revolution had eradicated. Before the two men part ways, Robespierre warns Danton that his idealistic views will cost him his life.

Robespierre and his followers agree that Danton should not be allowed to speak again in front of the Committee of Public Safety. In a matter of hours, Robespierre creates a long list of confusing and unsubstantiated charges against Danton and his followers, which is passed on to the Committee of Public Safety and Committee of General Security. A few hours later, Danton and his followers are arrested and sent to a prison in Luxembourg.

Convinced that the people would realize what Robespierre has done and challenge his authority, Danton prepares to defend himself in front of the Committee of Public Safety. Much to his surprise, however, he is sent for trial. Four days later, Danton and most of his followers are sentenced to death.

Based on Stanislawa Przybyszewska's play "Sprawa Dantona", Wajda’s Danton is a strong period film, which at the time of its release had a very unique contemporary flavor. On one hand, it recreated a fascinating part of French history, offering intelligent analysis of events that spurred important political and social changes not only in France but also throughout Europe. On the other hand, Danton was a smart metaphor for Poland and its totalitarian rulers. The rise of the great manipulator Robespierre (played by a Polish actor), a revolutionary who single-handedly destroys everything the Revolution had accomplished, all in the name of the people, who faced with fear and terror embrace him, obviously pointed to the Polish communists led by General Wojciech Jaruzelski - who, like Robespierre, would eventually be questioned for their actions.

Technically, Danton is one of Wajda’s most accomplished films. The emphasis on period detail in it is very impressive. A number of key scenes, for example, were shot exactly where Danton, Robespierre and their followers debated their differences and then clashed. Finally, Jean Prodromidès’ dark and broody music score compliments the narrative exceptionally well.

Note: In 1983, Danton won Cesar Award for Best Director. In 1984, the film also won a BAFTA Film Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Danton Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Andrzej Wajda's Danton arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Gaumont.

This is a strong high-definition transfer. I did some quick comparisons with Criterion's SDVD release of Danton, and immediately noticed that the improvements in detail, clarity, contrast and color-reproduction are substantial. There a quite a few scenes that look soft and pale on the Criterion SDVD; here they look healthy, conveying pleasing depth and strong colors. Edge-enhancement is never a serious issue of concern. I also did not detect any traces of heavy noise-reduction. During the second half of the film, there are a few scenes where I noticed mild background flicker, but the rest of the presentation is solid. Finally, I did not detect any problematic cuts, warps, splices, or debris to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. Please note that there is no PAL or 1080i50 content preceding the disc's main menu).

Danton Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (mono) and French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (mono). For the record, Gaumont have provided optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature.

Considering the fact that both tracks have plenty of dubbing (a number of the Polish and French actors were dubbed), it is up to you to decide which one to use. I opted for the French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track and was very pleased with it. The dialog is crisp, clean and exceptionally easy to follow. Its dynamic amplitude is also convincing. Jean Prodromidès's music score also sounds terrific (the low strings, in particular, are a lot more effective than they are on the Criterion SDVD release). Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hiss to report in this review.

Danton Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: Some of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America, or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view them.

La voix du peuple - a documentary film by Pierre-Henri Gibert, featuring director Andrzej Wajda, writer Jean-Claude Carriere, producer Margaret Menegoz, Yvonne Sassinot de Nesle, composer Jean Prodromidès, and actor Wojciech Pszoniak. In French, with optional French subtitles. (43 min, PAL).

L'affaire David - a short conversation with writer Jean-Claude Carriere. In French, not subtitled in English. (8 min, PAL).

Trailer - the original French theatrical trailer. (3 min, 1080p).

Danton Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is wonderful to see that Andrzej Wajda's films are getting such strong treatments. Hopefully, the upcoming Polish Blu-ray releases of his early films would be just as impressive. Obviously, Gaumont's Blu-ray release of Danton comes VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.