Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 22, 2013

Winner of Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Maurice Pialat's "Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble" a.k.a. "We Won't Grow Older Together" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Gaumont. The supplemental features on this release include the film's original theatrical trailer; new and exclusive video interviews with cinematographer Luciano Tovoli, actress Macha Méril, and production manager Alain Coiffier; archival interviews with actress Marlene Jobert, Francois Truffaut, and Maurice Pialat; a short documentary film; and more. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Maybe we are not right for each other...

Jean (Jean Yanne, Le Boucher, Weekend), an aspiring documentary filmmaker in his early forties, and Catherine (the elegant Marlene Jobert, Masculin Féminin, Rider on the Rain), a temp office worker in her mid-twenties, have been together for six years. They’ve had their fair share of serious disappointments but never felt the need to put an end to their relationship – until now. They are still in love, but not like they used to be.

Jean has recently started wondering whether Catherine was the right girl for him. When they first met she definitely was, but now Jean is unsure. There are days when he feels that he could have had a more satisfying relationship with a more attractive and more ambitious girl.

Catherine has also started wondering whether Jean was the right guy for her. Her parents and friends used to tell her that he wasn’t, but she did not trust their judgment. She always felt that their love was special, that together they were invincible. But Jean’s recent violent outbursts have forced her to reevaluate her relationship with him. She still likes making love to Jean, but is unsure if this is a good enough reason to spend the rest of her life with him.

While spending time with Catherine, Jean also regularly sees Francoise (Macha Meril, Belle de jour, Mortelle randonnée), his ex-wife. They are still officially married, but both have agreed that their marriage is irreparably broken. They have also agreed not to divorce because they don’t want the unnecessary drama their lawyers would bring in their lives. Occasionally, when they feel lonely Jean and Catherine still make love.

Like the rest of Maurice Pialat’s films, Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble a.k.a We Won’t Grow Old Together is raw and bursting with energy. It is about the end of a long and intense romantic relationship, but without all the sugary sentimentality that is typically infused in similarly themed Hollywood productions.

The film is based on Pialat’s novel of the same name, which chronicles a similarly intense relationship the French director had with a younger woman. Like the novel, the film is essentially a series of episodes in which the lovers repeatedly attempt to reignite the passion between them and debate the strengths and weaknesses of their relationship. Some of these episodes are calm and beautiful; others are enormously intense and even borderline disturbing.

The sense of authenticity never leaves the film. Whether they make love, argue or abuse each other, the lovers always look enormously convincing in front of the camera. Their words and actions never feel pre-scripted. They just happen while the camera observes the lovers, and exactly as they would between two people who have feelings for each other.

At times the episodes end abruptly. Pialat simply turns the camera away from the lovers because there is nothing more the viewer needs to see at that particular moment. A new episode then begins where there is more of substance to be seen. Many documentary films are shot exactly in the same manner.

Still, at its core We Won’t Grow Together remains a romantic film. However, it is probably the type of romantic film only adults will appreciate.

Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Maurice Pialat's We Won't Grow Old Together arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Gaumont.

Aside from some minor artifacts that pop up early into the film, the high-definition transfer is wonderful. I did a few quick comparisons with my R2 DVD release and can comfortably state that there are substantial upgrades in every single area we traditionally address in our reviews - from detail to depth to color reproduction to contrast stability and image fluidity. The many close-ups in the film look simply terrific (see screencaptures #3 and 13), but there are also some wider shots where image depth is very good (see screencapture #4). More importantly, however, there are no traces of excessive degraining corrections. Also, there isn't even a whiff of problematic sharpening corrections. Unsurprisingly, the film has a very stable, enormously pleasing organic look. Lastly, large debris, damage marks, cuts, and stains have also been carefully removed. To sum it all up, this truly is a very solid presentation of Pialat's film, and I personally could not be any more pleased with it. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. 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).

Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. For the record, Gaumont have provided optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The lossless track is very impressive. The film does not have a prominent music score, but there is still a very good range of nuanced dynamics. Casual sounds and noises are very well exposed. For a 41-year-old film shot with a modest budget, depth and overall balance are also surprisingly good. The dialog is very crisp, stable, and easy to follow. There is absolutely no distracting background hiss whatsoever. The English translation is very good.

Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Blu-ray

• Bande-annonce - original trailer for We Won't Grow Old Together. In French, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Entretien avec Luciano Tovoli - new and exclusive video interview with cinematographer Luciano Tovoli, conducted by Dominique Maillet in 2012. In French, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080p).

• Entretien avec Macha Meril - new and exclusive video interview with actress Macha Méril (Françoise), conducted by Dominique Maillet in 2012. In French, not subtitled. (34 min, 1080p).

• Entretien avec Alain Coiffier - new and exclusive video interview with production manager Alain Coiffier, conducted by Dominique Maillet in 2012. In French, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).

DVD

• Entretien avec Marlene Jobert - archival video interview with actress Marlene Jobert, conducted by Serge Toubiana in 2003. In French, not subtitled. (20 min, PAL).

• Entretiens avec Maurice Pialat, Jean Yanne et Macha Meril - archival video interviews with director Maurice Pialat and actors Jean Yanne and Macha Meril from 1972, when the We Won't Grow Older Together won Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival. In French, not subtitled. (5 min, PAL).

• Entretien avec Francois Truffaut - an extract from an archival video interview with acclaimed director Francois Truffaut conducted in 1972. In French, not subtitled. (8 min, PAL).

• Entretien avec Lucien Bodard, Andre Labarthe et Maurice Pialat - extracts from archival video interviews with actor Lucien Bodard, producer Andre Labarthe and director Maurice Pialat from 1972. In French, not subtitled. (13 min, PAL).

• La Camargue (1966) - a short documentary film directed by Maurice Pialat in 1966. In French, not subtitled. (7 min, PAL).

Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Gaumont's release of Maurice Pialat's We Won't Grow Old Together is simply fantastic. Recently restored, the film looks very, very healthy. The release also comes with brand new and exclusive video interviews conducted by Dominique Maillet, as well as plenty of archival content placed on a separate DVD. I know it is only March, but I have to say that this release will be on my Top 10 list at the end of the year. For French speakers, it is undoubtedly the definitive release of Pialat's film. For English speakers, it should be one of the year's most exciting imports. Bravo Gaumont. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.