Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Indochine Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 20, 2017

Winner of Oscar Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Regis Wargnier's "Indochine" (1992) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy fo StudioCanal. The only bonus feature on the disc is Dominique Maillet's new documentary film "Indochine: Une Epopee a la Francaise". In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"Jean-Baptiste, there is still time for this not to happen..."

There was a shorter version of Regis Wargnier’s Indochine that entered the theatrical distribution system in 1992, but when eventually Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the film on DVD, what ended up on it was the longer International Version. However, I attended a theatrical screening of the film some time after it had already won various prestigious awards and saw the International Version, not the cut version. This leads me to believe that at some point there might have been different prints available for theatrical distribution in the United States. Online sources also list a second shorter version, but I think that there might be some confusion because the original cut version was apparently released on home video in some European territories and the discrepancy in the running times most likely reflects a PAL running time. (PAL encoded DVD releases run approximately 4% faster than NTSC encoded DVD releases). I mention the above information because I wish to make it clear that what is included on StudioCanal’s recent Blu-ray release of Indochine is a 4K restoration of the original long International Version, which is approximately 159 minutes long.

The film begins in 1930 as France is already losing control of Indochine. Though it is not immediately obvious, there are big processes underway that will soon reshape the social and cultural landscape of the region. (The pact between the communists and the nationalists that will start the Revolution is addressed much later in the film). Catherine Deneuve plays Eliane, a respected and wealthy owner of a big rubber plantation who lives with her adopted Vietnamese daughter Camille (Linh Dan Pham, The Beat That My Heart Skipped). She trusts her assistants but routinely visits the plantation fields and monitors closely the quality of the work that is done there because she is fully aware that it has a direct impact on the economic survival of a big portion of the population in the area. But not everyone is happy, and there are many desperate folks from the nearby villages that have entered the illegal and quite dangerous opium trade to make ends meet.

While taking a break from work and bidding on a beautiful painting which she wants for her extensive collection, Eliane encounters Jean-Baptiste (Vincent Perez, Queen Margot), a French naval officer who is also interested in the painting but for a different reason. Soon after, the two fall madly in love and begin a passionate affair. However, while they meet the old colonial order is routinely tested by dramatic events, and when it eventually begins to crumble it pushes the two lovers apart.

Indochine has the visual elegance and authentic period atmosphere of The Last Emperor and it takes its audience on a very similar journey. It tells two different stories -- one that follows closely the evolution of Eliane and Jean-Baptiste’s relationship and another that essentially reconstructs the final days of Indochine -- that eventually merge and leave its audience with a fairly accurate summation of actual historic events.

The manner in which the two stories frequently overlap perhaps could have been controlled a bit better, but on the other hand, Wargnier manages to remain a neutral observer and this has a tremendously positive effect on the film’s conscience. In other words, the film does not openly side with any of its characters or show preference for any of the contrasting political views that are expressed in it. (Another visually striking period drama that deals with a very similar historic material and does exactly the opposite is Roland Joffe’s The Killing Fields).

Deneuve and Perez were terrific choices for the characters they play, and the chemistry between them is truly special. Pham made her acting debut as the young Annamese princess and probably should have won a Cesar Award for her performance.

Indochine Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Regis Wargnier's Indochine arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

Indochine was scanned in 4K and restored frame by frame by L'Immagine Ritrovata in 2016. The new restoration was supervised by director Regis Wargnier.

I did some direct comparisons with the old R1 DVD release of Indochine from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and can confirm that the improvements in terms of detail, clarity, and depth are beyond dramatic. There are entire sections of the film where now it is actually very easy to see substantial detail that is not present on the DVD release. Fluidity is also outstanding. Primary colors and nuances are stabilized and expanded. In specific sections where previously highlights were completely wiped out and blacks severely crushed now there are new well defined details and nuances. The film is color graded in a very unique way that gives it a notably warm appearance, but I feel that there are some areas where the blacks should have been stronger, and perhaps the reds and browns slightly more prominent. The green/golden font and hues are clearly preserved, but I think that contrast levels and specifically their relationship with the black levels could have been slightly better balanced. Still, the end result is very pleasing and vastly superior, and the overall viewing experience is mow dramatically different. (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).

*Also included with our review are screencaptures from the old R1 DVD release of Indochine. They appear after the screencapture of the Blu-ray menu.

Indochine Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio has been fully remastered and as a result clarity and especially balance are now vastly superior. I did some comparisons with lossy track from the DVD release and in addition to expanded depth and clarity balance is now much better during the mass action scenes. Rather predictably, Patrick Doyle's lush score is much more effective as well. There are no mastering/digital errors to report.

Indochine Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Indochine: Une Epopee a la Francaise - this new documentary film offers an in-depth look at the production history of Indochine. Included in it are new interviews with director Regis Wargnier, assistant director Jacques Cluzaud, assistant set decorator Claudine Bufnoir, and cinematographer François Catonne, amongst others. The film was produced by French documentarian Dominique Maillet. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (62 min).

Indochine Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This very beautiful and quite moving period drama from Regis Wargnier was recently restored in 4K under the director's supervision. Last year, it was screened in the Classics section of the Cannes Film Festival and I could not wait for it to transition to Blu-ray. I imported the earlier French release, but this release is a replica of it. The only difference is in the packaging, but both are manufactured and distributed by StudioCanal. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.