Les disparus de St. Agil Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Les disparus de St. Agil Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 15, 2016

Christian-Jaque's "Boys' School" a.k.a. "Les Disparus de St. Agil" (1938) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new featurette with information about the recent restoration of the film; and video interviews conducted by cinematographer Noel Very. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The friends

Their names are Sorgues (Jean Claudio), Macroy (Marcel Mouloudji) and Baume (Serge Grave) and they are three best friends who dream of going to America. They have heard stories that it is a magical place where anything is possible. All three, however, understand that to be successful in America they need to be fluent in English -- and this isn’t easy.

Each night, after the rest of the boys in the boarding school go to bed, they meet in the big Science classroom. It is their secret place where they discuss the manifesto of chiche-capons, their newly founded secret society. Chiche-capons has rules they all agree are essential and vow to follow, but there are also policies that frustrate them. Like seasoned politicians, the three friends always vote before corrections are made.

After one of their regular meetings, Sorgues sees a mysterious man that enters the Science classroom in a most unusual way and then disappears without a trace in the thick black shadows next to the big book shelves. On the following day Sorgues attempts to explain to Professor Walter (Erich von Stroheim, La Grande Illusion, Foolish Wives) what he has seen, but is quickly scolded and sent to see Principal Boise (Aimé Clariond, The Count of Monte Cristo). Soon after, Sorgues also disappears without a trace.

The news about Sorgues’ disappearance spreads like fire and just about everyone in the boarding school offers a theory that solves the mystery. While the theories are debated, however, Macroy also disappears.

Then things get even stranger. A very unusual postcard arrives from America and the eccentric Professor Lemel (Michel Simon, Boudu Saved From Drowning) dies in a bizarre accident. Convinced that he has the most logical theory that accurately explains everything that has happened in the boarding school, Baume decides to approach the supposedly very unfriendly Professor Walter and share it with him.

Christian-Jaque’s film is based on Pierre Very’s novel Les Disparus de St. Agil which was adapted by Jean-Henri Blanchon with the assistance of the great writer Jacques Prévert. (Prevert contributed to many of French cinema’s greatest masterpieces from the early 1930s and 1940s, including Le Jour se Leve, Children of Paradise, and Le Quai Des Brumes). It is essentially a period thriller that borrows from the atmosphere of the great German expressionist films but tells its story in a manner that makes it suitable for children and adults.

The majority of the events are seen through the eyes of the third boy, Baume, who decides to take matters into his own hands and reveal the identity of the mysterious man from the Science room because he is convinced that somehow he is linked to the disappearances. The finale is somewhat predictable, but the long middle part where the boy is looking for answers is very atmospheric.

The cast is great. For a long period of time Von Stroheim makes it quite difficult to figure out the true personality of his character and this really helps to maintain the sense of uncertainty that is so crucial for the story to work as intended. Simon is also very good as his equally unpredictable colleague. Grave’s performance overflows with authentic enthusiasm.

The orchestral score has a very important role in the film. It effectively enhances the drama, but in select segments it also tones down some of the tension. The score was created by Henri Verdun (J'accuse!, Who Killed Santa?).

Les disparus de St. Agil 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, Christian-Jaque's Boys' School arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe.

Pathe restored Boys' School in 2K in 2014. The label entrusted the work to Eclair Group for the image and L.E. Diapason for the sound. Pathe's Blu-ray release of Boys' School is sourced from the recent 2K restoration.

I have nothing but great things to say about Pathe's new restoration. Despite the fact that time has left its mark in certain areas of the film, detail and clarity range from very good to terrific. Shadow definition is also very convincing and this is certainly very important because large parts of this very atmospheric film are quite dark. There are no traces of problematic degraining and sharpening corrections. Unsurprisingly, grain is well exposed and wonderfully resolved. There are a few segments where it is easy to tell that the original element Pathe worked with was clearly not in optimal condition and as a result density fluctuates, but the entire film has a wonderful organic appearance. (You can see what type of density fluctuations exist in screencapture #17). Overall image stability is very good. There are a few slightly uneven transitions, but they are not distracting. There are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, or scratches, but a few frames are a bit rough. All in all, this is yet another outstanding restoration from Pathe and their partners at Eclair Group which will undoubtedly remain the definitive presentation of Boys' School. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Les disparus de St. Agil Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Also included is a French Descriptive Audio DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Optional English and French SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Depth is modest at best but clarity is very good. The dialog is clean and balance is excellent. In fact, it is very easy to tell that during the restoration process the audio has been stabilized and rebalanced because in parts of the film where Henri Verdun's score has an important role the motifs never stick out or sound thin or distorted. (See the sequence with the mystery man around 01.15.21). The English translation is excellent.

Les disparus de St. Agil Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• La Restauration - this new featurette takes a closer look at the new 2K restoration of Christian-Jaque's Boys' School which was completed at Eclair Laboratoires. Included in it are clips from interviews with the professionals that worked on the project. In French, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Film Annonce - original trailer for Boys' School. In French, not subtitled. (5 min).

• Entretien entre Pierre Tchernia, Robert Rollis et Noel Very - in this video interview, cinematographer Noel Very (steadicam operator on Subway), son of scenarist Pierre Very, actor Robert Rollis, and actor/director Pierre Tchernia (Le Viager) deconstruct Boys' School and discuss its visual style. In French, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Entretien entre - in this video interview, Noel Very, writer and editor Francis Lacassin (Judex), and critic and anthologist Jacques Baudou discuss Boys' School. In French, not subtitled. (12 min).

Les disparus de St. Agil Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A young boy begins searching for answers when his two best friends disappear and a professor dies in a strange accident in this very atmospheric period thriller from director Christian-Jaque. It is a lovely film that years ago probably had the type of impact that Richard Donner's The Goonies and more recently the Harry Potter films have had on young viewers. Boys' School has been recently restored in 2K and looks absolutely wonderful on Pathe's new Blu-ray release. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (Christian-Jaque's very entertaining adventure film The Black Tulip with Alain Delon and beautiful Virna Lisi was also recently restored in 4K. It is already out on Blu-ray in Europe and Japan. Hopefully, this year we will see a North American Blu-ray release as well).