Le Bonheur Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Le Bonheur Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 21, 2014

Marcel L'Herbier's "Le Bonheur" a.k.a. "Happiness" (1935) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; excerpt from Marcel L'Herbier's short film "La mode revee" (1939); new video program featuring film historian Laurent Veray, critic and scholar N.T. Binh, and film historian Mireille Beaulieu; and footage from the presentation of the new restoration of "Le Bonheur" at Lumière festival - Lyon. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free."

Clara Stuart

The lonely caricaturist Philippe Lutcher (Charles Boyer, Madame de..., Algiers) is hired by a big newspaper to do several sketches of the famous singer Clara Stuart (Gaby Morlay, Love Around the Clock, The Blue Veil), who is returning to Paris after touring America. Lutcher arrives at Saint-Lazare station just on time to see Stuart greeted by her fans. The noise, the chaos and the star’s attitude quickly annoy him. Later on, he delivers the sketches to the newspaper’s editor who pays him peanuts, insisting that he can’t give him more because business has been terrible.

Soon after he leaves the editor’s office, Lutcher is approached by a young and beautiful girl. She asks him for directions and then suddenly confesses to him that she has been trying to get his attention for weeks without success. Enormously moved by her blunt confession, Lutcher agrees to see her again. On the following day, the two meet and decide to see Stuart singing Le Bonheur (Happiness). Lutcher’s date is delighted with the performance, but he isn’t. Moments after they leave the concert hall, someone shoots the star and seriously wounds her. In the ensuing chaos, Lutcher is arrested.

During the trial, which is closely monitored by the media, Lutcher angrily announces that he does not wish to be saved from the guillotine and that he would have loved to see Stuart killed. Then he begs the judge to end the court farce he has been forced to endure. Deeply moved by his angry speech, the star surprises everyone, including her associates, and asks the jury members to spare Lutcher’s life.

It may sound strange but this fantastic film directed by Marcel L'Herbier in 1935 highlights just about everything that is wrong with the entertainment business today. It is based on the play by Henri Bernstein, who had staged it in Paris (again with Boyer) a year before the film was completed.

For awhile it seems like Le Bonheur was intended to be a thriller. Then, after some key pieces of its story are rearranged, it becomes something entirely different. (I’d rather not describe to you exactly where and how the transformation occurs so that you go through the entire process of reevaluating its story without knowing in advance how to judge its protagonists).

The film’s lighter side is just as effective. For example, the great Michel Simon (Beauty of the Devil, Boudu Saved From Drowning) plays Morlay’s gay artistic director who loves to be the center of attention and frequently annoys those who don’t appreciate his ‘charm’. These sequences, where he does his best to impress, are amongst the best in the entire film.

L’Herbier shot Le Bonheur with the great cinematographer Harry Stradling Sr (Albert Lewin’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Elia Kazan’s A Streetcar Named Desire). Somewhat predictably, the camera movement is notably fluid. However, L’Herbier’s attention to detail is so striking that large parts of Le Bonheur actually feel as if they were extracted from a film that was completed much later.

In 1935, Le Bonheur was nominated for Mussolini Cup (Best Foreign Film) at the Venice Film Festival.

Le Bonheur 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, Marcel L'Herbier's Le Bonheur arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe.

Restored in 2K by Pathe in 2013, Le Bonheur looks quite beautiful in high-definition. Excluding a few areas where traces of extremely light fading are visible, depth and clarity are very pleasing. Close-ups look particularly good, but there are also quite a few panoramic shots that impress with pleasing clarity (see screencaptures #4 and 15). Generally speaking, contrast levels remain stable throughout the entire film. Color saturation is very good as well -- the blacks are lush and stable while the variety of grays and whites are well balanced. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections, though a few minor adjustments have been applied in select areas. The end result, however, is a very convincing and wonderfully well balanced organic presentation. Finally, there are absolutely no serious stability issues. When projected, the film remains tight around edges and looks pleasingly crisp. Even the dark nighttime footage looks quite beautiful (see screencapture #13 and 14). There are no large damage marks, cuts, debris, stains, or transition issues to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS4 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Le Bonheur Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono). Also included is a French Descriptive DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. For the record, Pathe have provided optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature.

There are select sequences where some extremely light hiss attempts to sneak in -- for example, see the stage performance early into the film -- but clarity is very good. Depth is also pleasing, though some minor fluctuations exist. Overall dynamic intensity is limited, but this should not be surprising considering the age of the film. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review. The English translation is very good.

Le Bonheur Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Film annonce - original restored trailer for Le Bonheur. In French, not subtitled. (5 min).

• La mode revee - Gaumont Pathe Archives - presented here is an excerpt from Marcel L'Herbier's short film La mode revee (1939), which was screened at an international event in New York. In English, with imposed French subtitles. (4 min).

• Le Bonheur reve de Marcel L'Herbier - in this video program, film historian Laurent Veray, critic and scholar N.T. Binh, and film historian Mireille Beaulieu discuss Marcel L'Herbier's Le Bonheur. Also included are excerpts from an archival interview with the French director. In French, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Presentation du Bonheur 2013 - footage from the presentation of the new restoration of Le Bonheur at Lumière festival - Lyon 2013. The restoration is introduced by Sophie Seydoux (President of the Fondation Jerome Seydoux-Pathe). In French, not subtitled. (5 min).

Le Bonheur Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While viewing this wonderful film directed by Marcel L'Herbier in 1935, I could not stop thinking how so many of its observations about the entertainment business are still relevant today. There is one rather long sequence in the first half, in particular, where Charles Boyer's character addresses the famous singer in the court room that is simply extraordinary. Le Bonheur was restored in 2K by Pathe in 2013 and looks lovely on Blu-ray. As far as I know, there was never an English-friendly DVD release of it in any region, so the Blu-ray release is most welcome. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.