7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
France, 1906. Having fallen in love with the Provence countryside in his summer holidays, Marseille schoolboy Marcel longs to return, but his father, schoolteacher Joseph, insists he must work hard for his forthcoming exams... Le Château de ma mère, the second part of Yves Robert’s enormously popular diptych based on the childhood memoirs of the writer and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol, follows straight on from La Gloire de mon père, but is noticeably darker in tone.
Starring: Julien Ciamaca, Philippe Caubère, Nathalie Roussel, Thérèse LiotardForeign | 100% |
Drama | 54% |
Romance | 29% |
Biography | 22% |
Coming of age | 20% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
French: LPCM 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Film Movement's Marcel Pagnol: 2-Film Collection.
Marcel Pagnol's name is rather strangely largely unknown or at least unremembered these days, though the fact that the back cover of Film
Movement's "double feature" release of two films based on Pagnol's writings mentions Jean de Florette and
Manon
of the Spring may help to spark some recognition. I'd personally also add in other Pagnol based efforts such as Fanny and the much earlier Marius, Fanny and César that tell more or less the same story as the Joshua Logan
"non
musical film version of a stage musical". It's salient to note that Pagnol was a filmmaker himself as well as being a writer, and in fact César
was one
of his directorial efforts, but in terms of his writing, Pagnol had a unique ability to capture both a specific time and place, setting many of
his pieces in a general timeframe of the late 19th to early 20th centuries, and with at least an occasional emphasis on rustic rural types. The rural
element is very much in play in both My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle even if the socioeconomic side of things might
suggest a considerably more middle class existence. Neither of these films is long on melodrama, which is actually one of the more refreshing
things
about both of them, but they're both unbelievably evocative and heartfelt, and they have the added benefit of providing a virtual travelogue of
some of
France's most stunningly beautiful locations.
My Mother's Castle is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Film Movement tends not to have a ton of technical information included with their releases, and once again the insert booklet offers only a brief "new 4K restorations" as a data point. This is another often ravishing looking presentation, though both this film and its predecessor can have a just slightly jaundiced looking timing on occasion. That said, both this film and My Father's Glory offer a nicely robust palette and none of the gamma and/or luma oddities that I've noted in some of Film Movement's releases of Asian productions in particular. There are certainly some noticeable ebbs and flows of both clarity and grain structure, and I'd actually say that this film has a few more relatively rough looking patches than the first offering, but the overall impression left by this transfer is one of considerable organic qualities combined with a nicely suffused palette and generally excellent fine detail levels.
My Mother's Castle features a nicely expressive LPCM 2.0 track in the original French. Both of the films in this set offer abundant use of outdoor locations, where ambient environmental sounds help to establish the scene, but both also benefit from the incredibly lush scoring offered by Vladimir Cosma, which sounds full bodied and problem free throughout the track. Dialogue (including some narration) is always rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional English subtitles are available.
If you're like I am, you might find yourself surprised toward the end of the film by the size of the lump in your throat, as various characters' fates are disclosed. This is another beautifully rendered story that may not offer much in the way of traditional conflict, but which is a loving homage to a very unique childhood. Technical merits are solid and the main supplement very appealing. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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