Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Le placard Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 20, 2010

Francis Veber's "Le placard" a.k.a. "The Closet" (2001) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Gaumont. The supplemental features offered with this release include an audio commentary with director Francis Veber; standard featurette; promotional materials; and filmographies. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles. Region-Free.

Gerard Depardieu and Daniel Auteuil

Francois Pignon (Daniel Auteuil, Jean de Florette, MR 73) decides to commit suicide after he accidentally learns that he is about to get fired. He goes back home and heads straight to the balcony – where he is greeted by Belone (Michel Aumont, A Sunday in the Country, Clara and Me), his new neighbor. Belone changes Francois’ mind and offers to help him save his job.

The plan is simple. Francois, who is divorced and passionately hated by his son, must become gay – because once his boss (Jean Rochefort, The Hairdresser's Husband, I Always Wanted to Be a Gangster) realizes that he likes men, Francois will be untouchable. After all, sacking a gay man in a company known for producing high quality condoms would not be a very smart idea, would it?

With a little bit of digital magic, Belone alters a few photographs taken in a gay bar that miraculously appear on the desks of the right people in the company. And things change immediately - Francois’ job is saved and the women begin to like him. The only person in the company who cannot come to terms with Francois’ new image is Felix (Gerard Depardieu, The Last Metro, Nathalie...), an aging gay basher.

Things become slightly complicated when Francois gets seduced by one of his coworkers (Michèle Laroque, The Anniversary, The Merry Widow), a beautiful blonde who desperately wants to prove to her friend that he is straight. Francois is also asked by his boss to appear in a large gay parade, which his son tapes. Felix also suffers a nervous breakdown and attempts to hurt Francois in the company’s cafeteria.

Those of you who have seen French director Francis Veber’s The Dinner Game should have a pretty good idea what to expect from The Closet. Filled with terrific one-liners, The Closet is just as ridiculously entertaining as The Dinner Game.

The film has a fantastic cast. Auteuil is excellent as the disillusioned, conservative, and unsure what it means to be gay employee. He quickly discovers some of the perks that come with his newly chosen sexual preference and some of the painful disadvantages a gay man should be prepared to endure. These discoveries are accompanied by a variety of brilliant facial expressions by Auteuil, something the French actor is well known for.

Depardieu is also hilarious as the homophobe Felix who also discovers that what goes around comes around. As a result, he undergoes three major character transformations. Some of the best scenes in The Closet are the ones where Depardieu attempts to befriend Auteuil’s character to prove that he is a tolerant man.

Laroque, a beautiful actress who is fairly unknown on this side of the Atlantic, plays a confident but somewhat prejudiced woman who also makes an important discovery.

The script is very good, even though a few of the secondary characters feel slightly underdeveloped (Lhermitte and Rochefort’s characters). The pacing is pleasingly tight and consistent. The Closet is also complimented by an interesting soundtrack courtesy of award-winning Romanian composer Vladimir Cosma (La boum, Diva).

Le placard Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Francis Veber's Le placard arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Gaumont.

This is a strong high-definition transfer. Fine object detail is very good, clarity pleasing and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The color-scheme is also very strong - blues, greens, yellows, reds, browns, blacks and whites look warm and natural. Edge-enhancement is never a serious issue of concern; neither is macroblocking. I also did not detect any traces of heavy noise reduction. Generally speaking, the fine film grain appears to have been preserved, though some of it is also mixed with light noise. Finally, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. I also did not see any large scratches, stains, or marks. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 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 placard Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Gaumont have provided optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is strong. The bass is rarely active but still quite effective, the rear channels intelligently used and high-frequencies not overdone. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable and very easy to follow. There are no balance issues with award-winning composer Vladimir Cosma's music score either. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or dropouts to report in this review.

I tested only a couple of scenes with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Frankly, I am unsure why anyone would want to see Le placard with the English dub as the overwhelming majority of the hilarious scenes feel very different in English - especially when Depardieu and Auteuil's voices cannot be heard.

Le placard Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are placed on a separate SDVD. They are also encoded in PAL. Therefore, you must have a Region-Free Blu-ray disc player, or Region-Free SDVD player, capable of converting PAL to NTSC in order to view the supplemental features in North America, or another territory where PAL is not supported.

La saga Pignon - a standard featurette focusing on director Francis Veber and his film. In French, not subtitled. (55 min).

Commentary - an audio commentary with director Francis Veber. In French, not subtitled.

Strategie de communication -

-- French teaser. (1 min).
-- French theatrical trailer. (2 min).
-- U.S. teaser. (1 min).
-- Behind the scenes footage. (2 min).
-- Filmographies (in text format).

Le placard Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Those of you who enjoyed Francis Veber's The Dinner Game should consider seeing his The Closet, a hilarious film about a straight man who pretends to be gay in order to save his job. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of French distributors Gaumont, looks and sounds very good. It is also Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.