7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
At the family-run Hotel du Nord, a young couple check in, planning to commit a double-suicide. Pierre (Jean-Pierre Aumont) shoots his lover Renée (Annabella), but then panics and flees, leaving the gun behind. Renée survives her wound after being found by pimp Edmond (Louis Jouvet). After taking a job at the hotel as a chambermaid, Renée slowly becomes involved in the shifting allegiances and relationships between the people who live and work in the hotel.
Starring: Arletty, Louis Jouvet, Annabella, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Paulette DubostForeign | 100% |
Drama | 12% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
French: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
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".
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).
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.
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.
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