Elena et les hommes Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Elena et les hommes Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 19, 2012

Recently restored, Jean Renoir's "Elena et les hommes" a.k.a "Elena and Her Men" (1956) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Gaumont. The supplemental features on the disc include Pierre-Henri Gilbert's documentary film "Elena, le reve americain de Jean Renoir" and an original theatrical trailer for Jean Renoir's "French Cancan". In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Polish Princess Elena Sokorowska

The beautiful Princess Elena Sokorowska (Ingrid Bergman, Intermezzo, A Woman's Face) has decided to marry a rich but much older than her man (Pierre Bertin, Les tontons flingueurs) because she can no longer support her lifestyle. But on Bastille Day she meets the young and handsome aristocrat Henri de Chevincourt (Mel Ferrer, Lili, The Black Corsair), who introduces her to his good friend General François Rollan (Jean Marais, Orpheus, Le Masque de fer). The General is so impressed by her beauty that immediately asks if they could meet again. Later on, Elena and Henri end up in a bistro where they drink red wine and kiss. When a group of loud patriots enters the bistro, Elena disappears into the night.

On the following day Henri goes looking for Elena, but is told that she has already left with her future husband.

Meanwhile, while experimenting with a new balloon Captain Vidauban and his assistant land in a not so friendly German village where they are promptly arrested. The news quickly reaches Paris and angry men and women go on the streets demanding that the government does whatever is necessary to free Vidauban. At the same time, a group of anti-government conspirators decide to approach General Rollan because he is the only man in the country that could get the job done.

But the last thing on General Rollan’s mind is politics. Since his introduction to Elena he has been thinking about her day and night, hoping that they would meet again, and perhaps even start a relationship.

Eventually, one of the conspirators comes with a plan that could potentially get General Rollan interested in politics, and even topple the government. For the plan to work, Henry must approach and convince Elena to see General Rollan, and then the Polish beauty must use her charm to convince General Rollan to take power and save the country’s honor.

The story does not flow as well as that of Jean Renoir’s French Cancan, but the visuals more than make up for the occasional missteps. There are sequences where it literally feels like the camera can’t get enough of the stunningly beautiful Elena (this isn’t surprising as Renoir once admitted while being interviewed by Jacques Rivette that he made the film because of Bergman).

The film does have a serious side (there are some interesting political overtones), but overall it is lighthearted and quite humorous. The main characters are involved in an entertaining game that constantly evolves, surprising even the most seasoned players. From start to finish Cupid is also hovering around, shooting arrows left and right.

The cinematography is fantastic. The footage from Bastille Day, in particular, rivals the lush visuals from French Cancan. The chaos that ensues after General François Rollan is arrested is also very effectively filmed.

Gaumont’s Blu-ray release of Elena and Her Men features the French-language version of the film. Renoir also filmed a slightly shorter English-language version which was the version of the film that was initially shown in the United States. The English version was named Paris Does Strange Things.

Elena et les hommes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jean Renoir's Elena and Her Men arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Gaumont.

The film has been recently restored and the presentation is as impressive as that of Jean Renoir's French Cancan. Detail and clarity are outstanding, while color reproduction is simply spectacular. I think that those of you who use projectors will be especially pleased with the impressive color depth and stability (see screencaptures #5 and 9). Additionally, there are no traces of problematic lab tinkering. Unsurprisingly, the film has a wonderful organic look. Lastly, aside from a few shaky frame transitions there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. There are absolutely no cuts, scratches, debris, or large damage marks either. Fabulous restoration! (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. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Elena et les hommes Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Gaumont have provided optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The lossless track is excellent. The music score by Joseph Kosma is not as prominent as Georges Van Parys' music score in French Cancan, but the benefits from the lossless treatment are beyond obvious. I did a few quick tests with Criterion's R1 DVD release of the film and both the dialog and the music sound crisper and clearer. Also, I did not notice any audio distortions or skips to report in this review. The English translation is excellent.

Elena et les hommes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Elena, le reve americain de Jean Renoir - a documentary film directed by Pierre-Henri Gilbert, featuring interviews with film historians Olivier Curchod, Pascal Merigeau, Guy Cavagnac, Claude de Givray, and Claude Gauteur. In French, not subtitled. (44 min, 1080/50i).

• Bande-annonce French Cancan - original theatrical trailer for Jean Renoir's French Cancan. In French, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

Elena et les hommes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Gaumont have delivered yet another outstanding restoration of a Technicolor film directed by Jean Renoir. This time it is Elena and Her Men, with the beautiful Ingrid Bergman. If you have already seen the French distributors' release of Renoir's French Cancan, you should have a pretty good idea what to expect from Elena and Her Men. Let's hope that The Golden Coach with Anna Magnani isn't too far behind. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.