7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When Nelly, a woman being just divorced, meets by chance M. Arnaud, a mature salesman just retired, begins a strange and special relationship between the two personalities.
Starring: Emmanuelle Béart, Michel Serrault, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Claire Nadeau, Françoise BrionForeign | 100% |
Drama | 46% |
Romance | 26% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Claude Sautet's "Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud" (1995) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and exclusive new audio commentary by critic Kat Ellinger. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked'.
What do they think of us?
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
During the DVD era, In France the folks at StudioCanal produced a R2 DVD release of this film that was English-friendly. I have it. This Blu-ray release is not sourced from an old DVD master. It is sourced from a brand new master, and if I had to guess, I would say that it was finished in 4K. Why? Because the density levels of the new master are exceptional, and because the fluidity has the type of consistency that only very high-quality masters deliver.
My one and only minor criticism pertains to a few small fluctuations of the gamma settings. Basically, there are a couple of darker shots where some nuances could have been exposed better; they appear somewhat flattened now (see screencapture #3). However, the overall appearance of the film is lovely. Depth and clarity, in particular, look very strong, which means that if viewed in native resolution the new master is almost certainly a stunner. I like the color grading as well, though this is the area where some careful adjustments could have been made to eliminate the gamma inconsistency that I mentioned above. Regardless, this film looks gorgeous now, the absolute best it ever has. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The outstanding lossless track has me convinced that this film has undergone a complete makeover at StudioCanal. It is flawless. Clarity, depth, and stability are outstanding. Obviously, dynamic intensity is rather limited, but such is the film's original sound design. There are no encoding anomalies to report in our review.
Most critics would argue that A Heart in Winter is an all-around better film than Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud. I disagree. The former is a really good film as well, but it has a dramatic edge that occasionally erodes its casual sincerity, and this is the one quality that I think makes Claude Sautet's work truly special. (Hopefully, The Things of Life will soon transition to Blu-ray on this side of the Atlantic because it is the biggest Sautet film but never received a legit DVD release). Kino Lorber's recent release of Nelly and Monsieur Arnaud is sourced from a fantastic restored master, which I think was finalized in 4K. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Cesar & Rosalie
1972
Jules et Jim
1962
Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho
2014
Aimer, boire et chanter
2014
L'amour l'après-midi / Chloe in the Afternoon
1972
Préparez vos mouchoirs
1978
1988
一一
2000
Mikaël
1924
오아시스 | 4K Restoration
2002
Les Salauds / Slipcover in Original Pressing
2013
1945
Et Dieu... créa la femme
1956
Dabba
2013
Fire and Ice | Limited Edition
1962
Los Abrazos Rotos
2009
La fille seule
1995
Summer / Le rayon vert
1986
La carrière de Suzanne
1963
Les roseaux sauvages / Slipcover in Original Pressing
1994