8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
During the First World War, two French soldiers are captured and imprisoned in a German P.O.W. camp. Several escape attempts follow until they are sent to a seemingly impenetrable fortress which seems impossible to escape from.
Starring: Jean Gabin, Dita Parlo, Pierre Fresnay, Erich von Stroheim, Julien CaretteForeign | 100% |
Drama | 87% |
War | 15% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
German: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
English, German
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
How many films that you’ve seen this year will be remembered in 2087? Probably very few, if we’re being honest with ourselves One of the benefits of time passing is that it has a way of separating the wheat from the chaff, so that even today’s acclaimed “masterpiece” can seem after a few years to be nothing more than a passing fad, as it were. A relative handful of films have truly stood the test of time and remain as meaningful and even important today as they were when they were originally released. Such a film is Jean Renoir’s immortal classic La Grande Illusion, a fascinating study of prisoners of war during World War I that ended up making some piquant commentary about what were at the time of the film’s release the simmering tensions that would soon erupt into World War II. It’s almost shocking to realize that an artist of Jean Renoir’s stature really faced a lot of withering, even blistering, critical response to many of his works at the time of their original release (and even afterward), including films like La Rêgle du Jeu (The Rules of the Game) which have since gone on to become acclaimed as among the greatest films ever made. But Renoir’s La Grande Illusion was met with uncharacteristic valentines from the press and the public in 1937, when the film first appeared, though the epochal conflicts engendered by World War II soon put the film’s reputation in jeopardy, as Germany and Italy banned it and once France was occupied and the Vichy collaborationist government came into power, the film was also withdrawn in its native country as well. In the meantime, the film was slightly edited and after World War II it appeared that the original negative had disappeared. Renoir spent the rest of his life trying to track the negative down, and he also spent years preparing a restored version which was released to great acclaim in 1958. By an almost unbelievable series of events, the negative was discovered in the 1970s, unfortunately too late to satisfy Renoir’s quest, but at least in time before any serious degradation of the elements had occurred (the story of the negative is covered in some detail in one of the supplements included on this Blu-ray). A photochemical restoration was done off of the negative in 1997, but those results, while superior to anything that had been seen in at least a couple of generations, proved to be less than ideal. With the advances in technology, especially as restoration has entered the digital age, Studio Canal and the Toulouse Cinematheque (where the negative resides) sponsored a sparkling new 4K scan and restoration, done by Bologna, Italy based Ritrovara Lab. The new restored version was screened theatrically recently and now home video enthusiasts can see the fruit of the restorative labors on this gorgeous new Blu-ray.
La Grande Illusion is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal and Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. I've seen La Grande Illusion theatrically several times and have owned the film in various home video formats and can state positively this new transfer is something of a revelation. As some wag averred, even the last photochemical restoration was more a "shades of gray" rendering than an actual "black and white" rendering, but that has been markedly improved here. Contrast is outstanding, blacks are lustrous and whites are bright and crisp. Gray scale is also very nicely modulated. The restored elements are virtually damage free (eagle eyed videophiles may spot a moment or two of damage, like the white line that runs down the far right side of the frame during the credits). The almost nauseau inducing telecine wobble in some of the earlier home video incarnations has been completely ameliorated. This is one of the stunning success stories not only of archival preservation (thank heavens that negative was saved, albeit purely by chance) and the brave new world of digital restoration and scanning. La Grande Illusion looks absolutely marvelous and, best of all, naturally filmic in this brilliant new presentation.
La Grande Illusion has both its original (mostly) French language version and its (mostly) German dub available via lossless mono tracks delivered via DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mixes. I may come in for some drubbing here, so let me state this up front: the sound restoration done on La Grande Illusion is nothing short of miraculous. Previous theatrical prints and home video releases were marred by one of the tinniest, boxiest sounding soundtracks ever of a film of this vintage. The sound restoration team has worked wonders here, removing hiss without overly clipping the higher frequencies, and equalizing the midrange and low end to considerably beef up and normalize the sound. So, why not a higher score? For the simple reason that the stems themselves can only be "fixed" so much. There is such inherent shallowness to this soundtrack that only so much can be done for it, and though this is a marvelous new rendering of the soundtrack, it simply can't completely overcome the innate brittleness and boxy sound of the original recording. Take this all in perspective, though, because I reiterate the sound restoration here is nothing short of miraculous.
La Grande Illusion is one of those "must see" films for any serious lover of the medium. It's a more accessible "entertainment" (for want of a better term) than Renoir's La Rêgle du Jeu, though like that film it gives up its social commentary subtly, so the viewer must not be lulled into a false sense that nothing much is going on. The film is perhaps the most brilliant examination of class versus nationality in a time of war ever put on celluloid, and its stinging rebuke of a crumbling aristocracy can still be felt quite strongly to this day. This immensely impressive restoration is one of the most exciting stories of 2012 for any lover of classic film, and this Blu-ray offers it all up with glorious video and relatively excellent sound, along with a nice package of supplements. If you've never seen La Grande Illusion, you really must, and I don't make that comment lightly. If you have seen it, prepare to experience it like you never have before. Highly recommended.
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