Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Hotel du Nord Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 13, 2022

Marcel Carne's "Hotel du Nord" (1938) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new peogram with filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet and journalist Philippe Morisson; archival documentary about the life and legacy of Marcel Carne; vintage trailer; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

If I had to choose three films that perfectly visualize “poetic realism” and the reasons it left a lasting trail in French Cinema, I will go straight to Marcel Carne’s cinematic oeuvre. I will pick Port of Shadows a.k.a. Le Quai des Brumes (1938), Hotel du Nord (1938), and Daybreak a.k.a. Le Jour se Leve (1939).

What links these films is their very particular adult take on reality and equally unique ambience, the sum of which was tagged “poetic realism” and permanently reshaped French Cinema. All of the big classic crime thrillers the likes of Henri Verneuil and Jean-Pierre Melville directed, for instance, either copy or do variations of things that Carne did in these three films. You can trace the influence of “poetic realism” even in contemporary crowd-pleasers like Patrice Leconte’s The Girl on the Bridge a.k.a. La Fille sur le Pont (1998).

The main protagonists in Carne’s films are vulnerable men and women who discover true love, quickly make it a central piece of their existence and vow to preserve it, and eventually lose each other. Are they doomed? No, they are just experiencing life as it was seldom depicted in French Cinema before Carne’s films -- like a beautiful and frequently inspiring journey and at the same time an incredibly unpredictable and risky game of fatal errors. This experience makes it possible for the protagonists to judge the world they live in with almost painful impartiality, which always transforms the drama they are involved with into a sobering litmus test. Unsurprisingly, while romantic at heart, these films are never uplifting.

In Hotel du Nord, young lovers Pierre (Jean-Pierre Aumont) and Renee (Annabella) pick a beautiful summer night to execute a plan that will make their love eternal. In a cheap hotel room with a perfect view of Canal St. Martin in Paris, Pierre pulls out a gun and Renee shows him the exact spot where he must send the bullet that will kill her -- her racing heart. As they have agreed, Pierre will then fire another bullet that will kill him. Moments later, a very loud gunshot is heard up and down the hotel. But instead of pulling the trigger again, Pierre panics and begins shaking, and then his mind temporarily paralyzes his entire body. Another guest of the hotel, Edmond (Louis Jouvet), breaks into the room and sees the terrified Pierre with the gun. However, instead of wrestling Pierre and holding him until the police arrive, Edmond lets him regain his composure and disappear into the thick shadows of the night. When in a few hours he is questioned by a jaded inspector, Pierre calmly states that after he broke into the room there was no one else in but Renee.

Even though the rest of Hotel du Nord has a few excellent twists that significantly expand its drama, the focus of attention is on the material that makes it function as a thought-provoking litmus test. For example, all of the developments in Hotel du Nord could be used as evidence that the old adage “What is meant to be will always find a way” is entirely legit. Also, there is enough material suggesting that another classic adage, “Happiness is a state of mind that comes from within”, ought to be taken seriously as well. So, the individual experiences of the main characters are used to make the audience contemplate a much bigger and more complex take on the nature of existing.

Like Port of Shadows and Daybreak, Hotel du Nord has a very special ambience as well. However, the prominent noirish overtones that are present in the other two films are not as easily detectable. Only the sense of fatalism that is used as a foundation for this ambience is practically identical.

There is a small but notable contribution by the great beauty Arletty, playing a feisty prostitute looking for her break, and curious cameos by Bernard Blier and Francois Perier. A very young Dora Doll can be spotted as well.

Hotel du Nord Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Hotel du Nord arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This digital restoration was created in 2K resolution from the original camera negative by Digimage Classics in Paris. The monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm original soundtrack negative by Digimage Classics. Additional restoration was performed by the Criterion Collection."

The only other release of Hotel du Nord that I have in my library is this R2 DVD release British label Soda Pictures produced in 2006, which I believe is out of print now. Even though the film still looks quite nice on DVD, this recent 2K restoration is quite the revelation because it offers a wide range of meaningful improvements. For example, all of the darker footage, of which there is plenty, reveals better-defined details and nuances. Depth is significantly improved as well, so on a larger screen, the entire film has a much better organic appearance. In fact, while doing direct comparisons, it became pretty obvious that the standard definition material quite simply cannot reproduce the same ranges of subtle nuances that are easy to see and appreciate in 1080p (screencapture #5 is from one such area). The grayscale, which is often difficult to get right on restored masters of Marcel Carne's early films, is very convincing. As a result, even some of the areas with small but notable density fluctuations look great. The entire film looks very healthy as well. Fantastic makeover. (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).

Hotel du Nord Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

All of Marcel Carne's early films have audio limitations introduced by the recording equipment. Some of these limitations -- like minor fluctuations in terms of clarity, sharpness, and stability in the upper register -- are easily detectable in Hotel du Nord as well. However, this lossless French track is very healthy, especially in areas where the upper register used to reveal crackle, hiss, and even minor distortions. On the DVD release of Hotel du Nord I have, in addition to being incorrectly pitched, the audio is quite thin as well. So, I am quite happy with the quality of the lossless audio.

Hotel du Nord Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is an original remastered trailer for Hotel du Nord. In French, with optional English subtitles. (5 min).

• The Poetic Vision of Marcel Carne - in this exclusive new program, filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie) and journalist Philippe Morisson discuss the cinematic legacy of Marcel Carne and Hotel du Nord. The program was filmed in Paris in Spring 2022. In French, with optional English subtitles. (19 min).

• Making "Hotel du Nord" - presented here is an archival program aired by Au cinema ce soir which was directed by Solange Peter to present Hotel du Nord on French television on April 7, 1972. Included in the program are clips from interviews with Marcel Carne, actors Arletty and Jean-Pierre Aumont, and screenwriter Henri Jeanson. In French, with optional English subtitles. (34 min).

• Carne, You Said Carne - this archival documentary takes a closer look at the life and cinematic legacy of Marcel Carne. Included in it are clips from interviews with critic Francois Forestier, film historian Jean-Pierre Jeancolas, cinematographer Henri Alekan (Beauty and the Beast), and actress Annie Girardot (Rocco and His Brothers), amongst others. The documentary was produced by Jean-Denis Bonan in 1994. In French, with optional English subtitles. (31 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Edward Baron Turk's essay "The Atmosphere in Question" as well as technical credits.

Hotel du Nord Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think that there is an undeniable connection between the cinematic qualities that define "poetic realism" and film noir. I also think that the influence of the former is easily traceable even in contemporary French films. Hotel du Nord is one of three very big films directed by Marcel Carne that perfectly visualize these cinematic qualities, so a proper exploration of "poetic realism" cannot be complete without it. Hotel du Nord has been recently restored in 2K and I am happy to report that it looks gorgeous on Blu-ray. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.