Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Je t'aime, je t'aime Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 12, 2015

Winner of Best Actor Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, Alain Resnais' "Je t'aime, je t'aime" a.k.a. "I Love You, I Love You" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include a trailer for the film; archival interview with actor Claude Rich; archival audio interview with Alain Resnais; and archival featurette with writer and film historian Francois Thomas and scenarist Jacques Sternberg. The release also arrives with a 10-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Jonathan Rosenbaum's essay "Trapped in Time: Alain Resnais' Je t'aime, je t'aime". In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The time machine

The scientists in the lab are convinced that Claude (Claude Rich, Monsieur Gangster) is the perfect man for their experiment. Despite the fact that he has recently attempted to commit suicide, he is in good physical condition and does not have any immediate relatives.

They all agree that the experiment will be risky. They have done some successful tests with a mouse, but placing a man inside the time machine is something entirely different. What if there is a technical malfunction? What if the man collapses during the experiment?

As predicted, after a short meeting Claude agrees to participate. He is then shown the time machine and told what is expected of him. He will enter it and travel back in time -- exactly a year earlier, for one minute. The scientists will observe the process, gather data, and bring him back.

During the journey, however, something breaks and Claude gets stuck in a series of repetitive events where he encounters the woman he was madly in love but lost, Catrine (Olga Georges-Picot, Farewell, Friend). Initially he is ecstatic that he can be with her again and feel her presence, but when the same events begin overlapping over and over again he realizes that perhaps only he can fix the error -- by permanently forcing himself out of the experiment.

It takes a little bit of time to get used to the manner in which the narrative is organized, but the film is absolutely fascinating to behold. Various important events are broken into multiple tiny pieces that are constantly moved around and arranged in unusual ways that create an odd reality where time has multiple layers. In this mish-mash of events, it is also gradually revealed how much Claude loved Catrine and how he lost her. So Je t’aime, je t’aime (I Love You, I Love You) is as much of a sci-fi thriller as it is a touching romantic drama.

Alain Resnais directed the film from a script by Belgian writer Jacques Sternberg. In the first version of his script, Claude apparently appeared only in the beginning of the film where he is seen recovering from his suicide attempt. Then later on, during the experiment, he stayed behind the camera and the overlapping events were seen only through his eyes (the camera). The only time when his face was seen again was when he approached a mirror. The current structure of the narrative was agreed upon at a later time.

The atmosphere after the experiment begins is tremendous. Krzysztof Penderecki's brilliant minimalistic score makes everything look quite eerie but in an odd kind of way also incredibly believable. If in the future scientists figure out how to navigate through time, then the feeling that comes with the journey could very well be like the one that is channeled in this film -- a mixture of euphoria and suffocating fear that the natural order of things has been irreversibly broken.

Resnais shot the film with cinematographer Jean Boffety (Claude Sautet's The Things of Life, César and Rosalie) . The bulk of it is very elegant but also notably fluid and relaxed, much like many of the best Nouvelle Vague films from the 1960s are.

Je t'aime, je t'aime Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alain Resnais' Je t'aime, je t'aime arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The film was restored in 2K for Cine-Mag Bodard with the support of CNC (Centre National de la Cinématographie). The company entrusted the work to Eclair Group for the image and L.E. Diapason for the sound.

The technical side of the restoration is absolutely magnificent. Indeed, from start to finish detail and clarity are enormously impressive. Because the film is wonderfully lit, the indoor footage almost always looks as vibrant and lush as the outdoor footage. There are absolutely no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. A layer of light grain is evenly distributed and beautifully resolved throughout the film. Colors are lush and stable, but I don't find the current color scheme overly convincing. There is a very obvious shift towards a prominent range of unusually cold blues and grays that can appear quite overwhelming at times (see screencaptures #8, 9, and 10). As a result, some color nuances are lost. Overall image stability is outstanding. There are no large cuts, damage marks, debris, or torn frames to report in our review. All in all, it is great that this quite difficult to see film has been restored and there is finally a home video release of it, but I find the current color grading somewhat disappointing. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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).

Je t'aime, je t'aime Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with a few exchanges in English). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Krzysztof Penderecki's minimalistic score has a very important role in the film. In fact, there are segments that it is arguably a lot more important that the camera movement and the composition of the visuals. Fortunately, the audio has been fully restored by the folks at L.E. Diapason -- a truly terrific team of professionals -- and the end result is excellent. Indeed, depth, separation, clarity, and balance are outstanding, and the music is very effective. The dialog remains stable and clean, and it is always easy to follow. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in our review.

Je t'aime, je t'aime Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - French trailer for Je t'aime, je t'aime. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (4 min, 1080p).

• Interview - in this video interview, actor Claude Rich recalls how he was approached by Alain Resnais and asked to play Claude Ridder, and discusses his initial impressions of Jacques Sternberg's script (in the first version of the script it was agreed that during the experiment his time in front of the camera would be extremely limited), the time shifts and the overlappings in the film, some of the dilemmas the main protagonist faces and his love for Catrine, etc. In French, with optional English subtitles. (16 min, 1080p).

• Audio Interview - in this archival audio interview, Alain Resnais explains in great detail how Je t'aime, je t'aime came to exist (Chris Marker was initially approached and asked to write the script for the film, but he recommended Jacques Sternberg), and discusses the film's difficult production history and specifically its funding, composer Krzysztof Penderecki's unusual score, some major points of the plot, cinematographer Jean Boffety's lensing, etc. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (13 min, 1080p).

• The Meeting of Alain Resnais and Jacques Sternberg - in this archival video piece, writer and film historian Francois Thomas (L'Ateller d'Alain Resnais) and scenarist Jacques Sternberg discuss the history of Je t'aime, je t'aime, the evolution of the original idea that inspired the script for the film, and the structure of the narrative. In French, with optional English subtitles. (21 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - 10-page illustrated booklet featuring critic Jonathan Rosenbaum's essay "Trapped in Time: Alain Resnais' Je t'aime, je t'aime".

• Cover - reversible cover using a reproduction of the original French poster for the film.

Je t'aime, je t'aime Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Claude Rich plays a young man who agrees to participate in a risky experiment that sends him in the past where he meets the love of his life. But something breaks in the present and the same events begin overlapping over and over again, driving him on the verge of a serious nervous breakdown. This is a very unique film that has been incredibly difficult to see for years. Naturally, Kino Lorber's new Blu-ray release is quite the event, though I have to say that I do not find the color grading of the new restoration overly convincing. Nevertheless, consider adding it to your collections as the supplemental features are also very good. RECOMMENDED.