Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Frantz Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 16, 2017

Winner of Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Actress, Francois Ozon's "Frantz" (2016) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon/Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; deleted scenes; promotional materials; and more. In German and French, with imposed English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The widow

There are very few war films that manage to remain neutral while telling a story. You ever wonder why that is? Well, one reason why is the fact that virtually all war films also try to deliver a political message of some sort, which makes it awfully difficult not to frame one of the warring sides as morally superior. This of course happens because war films also frame war as the final phase of a larger ideological conflict, which is precisely the take that skilled political manipulators favor. (Hint: it is a lot easier to promote and justify ideological wars than business wars). In other words, you are conditioned to accept that there is a ‘right’ side, and of course a ‘wrong’ side. Another reason is the fact that war films are too short and too crippled by all sorts of socio-cultural expectations that make it extremely difficult for them to remain neutral, which brings us right back to the need to deliver a message. And the clearer the message gets -- think again ‘right’ vs. ‘wrong’ -- the less neutral the film becomes. It is quite the vicious circle.

The best neutral films that I have seen are the ones that basically refuse to see war as an extension of an ideological conflict and would not waste any time searching for heroes. These are the type of films that portray war as an ugly game of death where two teams of killers essentially try to annihilate each other. So there are killers and better killers, and eventually the better team of killers wins. These are the only films that I believe provide a somewhat authentic sense of how terrible war is, and how difficult it is to recover from it. By the way, it is always the winners that write the history books so keep that in mind each time you sit down to view a war film that was inspired by one.

Francois Ozon’s latest film, Frantz, takes on the difficult task of proving precisely what is highlighted above, which is that war is nothing more than an ugly game of death and the few that have experienced the carnage and walked away from it alive are just lucky, not heroes or shamed villains. The film follows closely the young and handsome Frenchman Adrien (Pierre Niney) who at the end of WWI travels to a provincial German town to visit the grave of a man (Anton von Lucke) whom he claims was his best friend. At the local cemetery Adrien is approached by his friend’s widow, Anna (Paula Beer), who is so moved by his gesture that soon after invites him to meet the grieving parents. Slowly but surely Adrien then succeeds in having the family see him from an entirely different angle, not as a villain who has fought for the other side, but the locals refuse to accept him as anything else but an enemy.

A very large portion of the film appears to be focusing on an impossible romantic relationship, but its main message is actually about the horrible ways in which people are tricked to justify war and death. The lost son, husband and friend is the wrecking ball that shatters all of the silly myths about bravery, honor, and winning a supposedly noble war. (Aren’t they all? Again, history books tell us that in any war there is always a ‘right’, morally superior side and all is good as long as this is the side that at the end is declared a winner). Ozon brings plenty of the guilt and sorrow that wars leave behind to the surface, but in the grand scheme of things all of it is meaningless. When a war ends, both sides end up with losers.

The two leads are excellent and there is no doubt in my mind that they will have long and very prolific careers. Niney, who was equally good in Jalil Lespert’s Yves Saint Laurent, is also likely to establish himself as the most consistent and serious competitor of Louis Garrel.

Frantz Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Francois Ozon's Frantz arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Curzon/Artificial Eye.

The release is sourced from a 4K master that was prepared in France and the film looks simply immaculate on Blu-ray. I projected it and could not be happier with the way the black-and-white footage and the color inserts look. Indeed, delineation, clarity and depth are superb, while fluidity is the best that I have seen on any of the Ozon films that are currently available on Blu-ray. The grading is also very convincing and the wide range of white and gray nuances give the film a very rich appearance. Image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Frantz Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and German LPCM 2.0 (with portions of French). Imposed English subtitles are provided for the main feature, and they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the entire film with the 5.1 track. In terms of depth and clarity everything is as good as it should be; balance is also terrific. There are music themes that are used in various episodes, but dynamic intensity is modest. There are no audio dropouts or distortions report.

Frantz Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original French trailer for Frantz. In German, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

• Deleted Scenes - a gallery of deleted scenes. In German, with imposed English subtitles. (13 min).

• Posters - a collection of original posters for Frantz from around the world. With music. (3 min).

• Lights and Costumes Trials - with music. (4 min).

• Frantz in Venice - footage from the film's screening at the Venice Film Festival in 2016. Also included is footage from Paula Beer's acceptance speech after she won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actress. In English. (6 min).

Frantz Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This very beautiful but sad film from Francois Ozon is yet another reminder that there are no winners in war, only losers. Its two young leads are magnificent and there is no doubt in my mind that they will have long and very prolific careers. Curzon/Artificial Eye's technical presentation of the film is impeccable. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.