Garçon! Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Garçon! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 22, 2015

Nominated for four Cesar Awards, Claude Sautet's "Garçon!" a.k.a. "Waiter!" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe. The supplemental features on the disc include newly restored trailer for the film; deleted scenes; and Jerome Wybon's documentary "La Fin d'un Cycle". In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"I don't want to talk about it now"

Alex (Yves Montand, Le Cercle Rouge) is in his fifties and works as a headwaiter in a busy restaurant somewhere in Paris. He likes the job but also dreams of having his own business. A part of him, however, is unsure if at his age it is a good idea to dream big.

He is single but shares an apartment with Gilbert (the late Jacques Villeret, The Dinner Game), who also works as a waiter in the restaurant. Gilbert is married but has walked away from his wife and is now trying to rebuild his life. Alex feels bad about him because most of the time he looks and feels miserable.

While visiting friends, Alex meets Claire (Nicole Garcia, Alias Betty), a woman from his past who is trying to end a frustrating marriage. Despite the fact that Claire is much younger, the two begin seeing each other and then fall in love. Soon after, Alex rearranges his life but begins to realize that he might be pursuing an impossible dream.

Garcon!, the third and final collaboration between director Claude Sautet and Yves Montand, is a quiet film about an aging man who gets one final chance to experience true love. It should appeal primarily to older viewers who like the main protagonist have been through several relationships and have learned a few important lessons from them.

There are two big dilemmas Alex faces after he falls in love with Claire and time is a major factor in both. He is at a point in his life where it seems a lot safer to deal with minor work-related issues than to be in an honest relationship where he would have bigger responsibilities. It is why Alex likes his job as a waiter -- he has a clear schedule and well defined responsibilities that give his life a steady rhythm. He dreams of building and running a small amusement park, but because he can’t fund it he has convinced himself that what he has is enough for him. There are moments when he also feels lonely, perhaps even afraid that he is growing old alone, but Gilbert’s struggle routinely reminds him that it is a lot better to be alone and free.

Alex’s interactions with Claire, however, force him out of his comfort zone. He becomes vulnerable much like younger men who have never been in love before are and then begins reevaluating his life. The change is what the film focuses on. At his age Alex can’t afford to make big mistakes because it is a lot more difficult to recover from them, but he also understands that this is his last opportunity to be in a meaningful relationship with someone special.

The finale is calm and very casual. Alex does change his life, but not in one of the two ways that seem like the logical options after he meets Claire. The point is that life is unpredictable but people always find a way to adapt. And those who never stop dreaming occasionally see their dreams come true.

Sautet shot Garcon! with cinematographer Jean Boffety, who also lensed a number of his biggest films, including The Things of Life, César et Rosalie, Mado, and Vincent, François, Paul and the Others.

The soundtrack was created by acclaimed French composer Philippe Sarde (The Things of Life, Two Men in Town).

Garçon! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Claude Sautet's Garçon! arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe.

Pathe restored Garçon! in 2K in 2014. The label entrusted the work to Eclair Group for the image and L.E. Diapason for the sound. Pathe's Blu-ray release of Garçon! uses as a foundation the new 2K restoration.

My one and only minor reservation pertains to the color grading of the new transfer. The film looks a bit too warm and during a few of the darker/nighttime sequences there is some very light crushing (see screencapture #8). This being said, detail and clarity are typically excellent. Depth is also very pleasing. Grain is evenly distributed and very well resolved. There are no traces of sharpening adjustments. Also, the film looks incredibly healthy -- debris, scratches, specks and dirt marks have been carefully removed -- and image stability is terrific. To sum it all up, despite my initial comment about the color grading, I think that this is a really nice restoration of Garçon! which will most likely remain its definitive presentation on the home video market. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Garçon! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only on standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Also included is a French Descriptive Audio DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Optional English and French SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

As usual, the folks at L.E. Diapason have made sure that the audio is as good as it can be and the end result is outstanding. Clarity, depth, and balance are excellent throughout the entire film. During the mass scenes from the busy restaurant separation is also very good. There are no pops, audio dropouts, hiss, or digital distortions.

Garçon! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Film Annonce - restored original trailer for Garcon!. In French, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Scenes Coupees - a gallery of deleted scenes. In French, not subtitled. (10 min).

• La Fin d'un Cycle - a brand new documentary featuring new interviews with composer Philippe Sarde, screenwriter Jean-Loup Dabadie, film historian N.T. Bihn, film editor Jacqueline Thiédot, and executive producer Antoine Gannagé, and clips from archival interviews with Yves Montant and director Claude Sautet. Also included in the documentary is raw footage from the shooting of the film. The documentary was produced by Jerome Wybon. In French, not subtitled. (51 min).

Garçon! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Garcon!, the third and final collaboration between director Claude Sautet and Yves Montand, is a quiet film about an aging man who gets one final chance to experience true love. In the United States the film never appeared on DVD, so this new Region-Free and English-friendly Blu-ray release is quite the treat. The film has been recently restored in 2K by Pathe and looks wonderful in high-definition. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.