Le Week-End Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Le Week-End Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 5, 2014

Winner of Best Actress Award at the British Independent Awards, Roger Michell's "Le Week-End" (2013) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curson Film World/Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include the original black & white version of the film; color sketches and raw footage from the shooting of the film; video interview with actors Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan; video interview with director Roger Michell and screenwriter Hanif Kureishi; and audio commentary with producer Kevin Loader and director Roger Michell. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The Birmingham couple

The latest collaboration between director Roger Michell and writer Hanif Kureishi (The Mother, Venus) has been compared to Richard Linklater’s Before Midnight. However, aside from the fact that in these films the main protagonists travel to a foreign country supposedly to relax, they could not be any more different.

The story of Le-Weekend is rather simple – or so it initially appears. Nick Burrows (Jim Broadbent, Mike Leigh's Another Year) and his wife Meg (Lindsay Duncan, Omid Nooshin's Last Passenger) arrive in Paris hoping to rejuvenate their marriage on their 30th anniversary. Nick has made the proper arrangements in advance, but when they arrive at their hotel Meg becomes horrified because the place is nothing like the cozy paradise Nick has described to her. Determined to have a beautiful weekend regardless of the cost, the couple quickly heads to one of the city’s most prestigious and expensive hotels. Initially they are told that the place is full, but later on, while cursing their luck, a friendly hostess informs them that a free room has suddenly been found.

After checking in and having a quick drink on their balcony, Meg and Nick head out to explore the city. Paris isn’t as they remember it, but after years of living in Birmingham it feels fresher and more liberating than ever before. Convinced that this is the right time to show that he can still be romantic, Nick does his best to impress Meg and remind her that he is still madly in love with her, but instead inspires Meg to question the foundation of their marriage. Having a few concerns of his own, Nick responds and immediately realizes that the gap he has felt between him and Meg might be a lot bigger. Soon after, while walking the streets of Paris the couple accidentally bumps into Nick’s old Cambridge pal Morgan (Jeff Goldblum, Robert Altman's Nashville), who invites them to attend a party he has organized for friends and colleagues in his stylish Parisian apartment.

This fantastic romantic drama works because of two very simple reasons. First, it is incredibly honest, at times approaching self-destructing mode because Meg and Nick utter a lot of truths about aging and loving without the sugarcoating that appears in other similarly-themed films. As a result the mood can switch so quickly and so dramatically that at times it almost feels like these characters are intentionally humiliated. But their words truly could not be any more honest. The second is the terrific chemistry between the two leads. In one of the video interviews included on this Blu-ray release Broadbent and Duncan explain that Kureishi’s script was so good that they did not have to add much to make the film look as real as possible. To a certain extent this is indeed true because the dialog just keeps flowing, but it is very easy to see that Broadbent and Duncan are indeed incredibly comfortable with each other. This special comfort then also makes the ups and downs in their characters’ relationship absolutely impossible to question.

Goldblum’s appearance opens up the film quite well. His life philosophy is sort of a litmus test for the entire film and also forces the viewer to reconsider Broadbent and Duncan’s frustrations. Their entire lives are summed up in two great speeches at the end of the party.

The film’s finale is excellent. Fans of the French New Wave films should be enormously pleased with it. Curzon Film World/Artificial Eye’s Blu-ray release of Le Week-End contains two different versions of the film. In addition to the color version, which has been screened at different festivals around the world, the release also contains director Michell’s original black & white version.

Le Week-End Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Roger Michell's Le Week-End arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon Film World/Artificial Eye.

The film looks terrific in high-definition. From start to finish image depth and clarity are outstanding. Especially during the daylight sequences detail can be very impressive. Contrast levels remain stable. There is a good range of cool and very natural colors that create the impression that a good number of close-ups are in fact digital photographs (see screencapture #10). There are absolutely no transfer-specific anomalies to report in this review. The encoding and compression are very good and when projected the film truly looks quite beautiful. Finally, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. All in all, this is a beautiful presentation of Le Week-End which will impress fans of the film as well as those who will see it for the first time on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Le Week-End Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Artificial Eye have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The film is complimented by a lovely jazzy soundtrack courtesy of Jeremy Sams that sounds terrific. The music is always lush, very crisp, and wonderfully mixed with the dialog. The overall dynamic intensity is rather limited, but such is the the film's sound design. On other hand, random city sounds and noises are exceptionally easy to identify.

Le Week-End Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Jim Broadbent & Lindsay Duncan - in this video interview, the two actors their collaboration with director Roger Michell, Hanif Kureishi's excellent script, and the characters they play. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Interview with Hanif Kureishi & Roger Michell - in this video interview, screenwriter Hanif Kureishi and director Roger Michell discuss the unique qualities of Le Week-End, the unusual dilemmas the two characters in the film face at some point, the nature of their relationship, etc. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Behind the Scenes - raw footage from the shooting of Le Week-End in Paris. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).

• Sketchbook - a collection of color sketches. Without sound. (8 min).

• Le Week-End - the original black & white version of Le Week-End. In 1080p with an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Without optional English SDH subtitles.

• Commentary - a very informative commentary with producer Kevin Loader and director Roger Michell. The two gentlemen discuss how specific sequences were shot in Paris, the two protagonists and their relationship, and the visual style of the film. Mr. Michell also quickly explains why there are no similarities between Ke Week-End and Richard Linklater's films.

Le Week-End Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I enjoyed every single minute of Roger Michell's romantic dramedy Le Week-End. It is incredibly well scripted, terrifically acted, and beautifully shot on location in Paris. British distributors Curzon Film World/Artificial Eye's technical presentation of the film is also outstanding. Consider adding this film to your collections, folks, and see it with someone special. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.