On Guard Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

On Guard Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 24, 2016

In a way it’s a testament to the versatility of Philippe de Broca that the two films collected in a new release from the Cohen Film Collection really have very little in common other than the fact that they’re both directed by de Broca. Despite a long and varied career, de Broca may still be best remembered on this side of the pond for either That Man from Rio (available in its own double feature from Cohen, That Man from Rio / Up to His Ears) and/or King of Hearts, two films (or perhaps more accurately, two more films) which simply further prove de Broca’s ability to segue fairly effortlessly between genres and even styles. This particular two-fer offers 1961’s Five Day Lover, a kind of sex comedy with hints of farce, along with the much later On Guard from 1997, a surprisingly ebullient swashbuckler. While de Broca contributed to the writing of both films, and (obviously) directed both of them, the two are manifestly different in about every other imaginable way, including the fact that Five Day Lover is in black and white while On Guard is in color. While a kind of odd pairing, therefore, this Cohen double feature is nonetheless rather instructive in highlighting the versatility of de Broca, a director who is still kind of oddly underappreciated outside of his native France.

Paul Henri Corentin Féval is probably a name not well recognized by many reading this review, but for those who aren't obsessive Francophiles (and you know who you are), he helped to formulate what became known as the swashbuckler genre, way back in the 19th century (interestingly, he also helped develop some redolent tropes in what ultimately became known as vampire fiction). Le Bossu is what might be termed historical fiction, in that it blends real life characters with figments of Féval’s imagination. While appearing about a decade and a half after Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers, Le Bossu has become a paradigmatic work in French swashbuckler literature, perhaps eclipsing even the famous Dumas novel for some ardent French readers.

Anyone thinking that George R.R. Martin was the first person to think up a massacre at some nuptials (as fans of Game of Thrones: The Complete Third Season may recall) may have forgotten similar plot conceits in offerings as far flung as Dynasty and, yes, Le Bossu (hereinafter referred to by its Americanized title On Guard). On Guard very quickly introduces a set of characters in its first scenes, including Lagardère (Daniel Auteuil), an aspiring swordsman who asks the Duke of Nevers (Vincent Pérez) to show him Nevers’ signature swashbuckling move which has been dubbed the Nevers Attack. The Duke kindly obliges, more than capably revealing that Lagardère still has a thing or two to learn about swordplay, but in the process forging a friendship with a now willing acolyte. Meanwhile, Nevers is being shadowed by his cousin, the Comte de Gonzague (Fabrice Luchini), who is in line to inherit the Duke’s holdings—except that it turns out the Duke actually has a bona fide heir, an actual child of whom he was previously unaware. The child is currently illegitimate, but the Duke wants to marry the child’s mother, which would put the Comte’s nefarious schemings in jeopardy. Hence, this film’s version of the Red Wedding.

That then leaves Lagardère as the supposed protector of Nevers’ baby, who turns out to be an incredibly sweet little girl named Aurore. Lagardère manages to escape the incursion of Gonzague and his minions by joining a band of traveling players, and the film segues forward several years to find Aurore (Marie Gallain), now an incredibly gorgeous young woman, and Lagardère still plying their thespian wares. Those abilities turn out to be valuable when Lagardère assumes a “secret identity” in order to infiltrate Gonzague’s inner circle.

On Guard is a lot of fun, though it tends to veer a little wildly in tone at times. There’s sufficient action and adventure to satisfy most adrenaline junkies, and de Broca stages several sword fights with considerable skill. The characters often come off as types or cartoons, though, with emotional dividends subsequently a bit harder to come by. Like a lot of swashbucklers, that ends up not really mattering all that much, as both some lovely scenery and effective combat sequences will keep most folks adequately diverted.

On Guard Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

On Guard is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cohen Film Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.37:1. Cohen's website touts a new 4K restoration for this title, and while there are a few intermittent issues, on the whole this is a beautifully organic presentation, one which emphasizes the gorgeous scenery de Broca and cinematographer Jean-François Robin offer as Lagardère treks through both cities and the wilderness. FIne detail is often exceptional in close-ups (see screenshot 4) and generally speaking detail levels are excellent across the board. The film has a tendency to deal in hazy yellow tones a lot of the time, often caught in rather diffuse lighting situations, and that tends to add a gauzily soft ambience to several shots, with detail levels falling at least minimally (see screenshot 9). When not bathed in saffron colors, the palette is quite warm and natural looking, and (especially in outdoor scenes) nicely suffused and vivid. Grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation, and there are no issues with image instability and similarly no compression anomalies.

On Guard Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Two steps forward, one step back—again? That's right, folks, we're back to Dolby Digital 2.0 mixes on these two de Broca films in what continues to be Cohen's really perplexing use of lossy tracks on what should be titles obviously aimed at more discriminating collectors who (one assumes, anyway) are going to want lossy audio on their Blu-ray releases. It's especially problematic here, since Philippe Sarde's pastiche laden score is so enjoyable, but the "good" news is that dialogue and effects are rendered cleanly, if without much force a lot of the time. I continue to be perplexed by Cohen's "retreat" to lossy audio (with occasional forays back into lossless audio) and hope this situation will be remedied, and soon, for upcoming releases.

On Guard Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Philippe de Broca and the Cast of On Guard (1080p; 5:37)


• Interview with Daniel Auteuil (1080p; 5:24)


• Interview with Fabrice Luchini (1080p; 5:37)


• Interview with Marie Gillain (1080p; 3:40)


• Interview with Patrick Godeau (1080p; 5:53)


• Interview with Philippe de Broca (1080p; 7:22)


• Interview with Philippe Noiret (1080p; 1:48)


• Interview with Vincent Perez (1080p; 3:37)


• Promo Reel (1080p; 3:34)


• Original Trailer (1080p; 1:56)


• Behind the Scenes (1080p; 16:36)


• 2016 Re-Release Trailer (1080p; 1:34)

On Guard Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's a wonderfully ebullient quality to a lot of On Guard, and lovers of (American) swashbucklers will no doubt find a lot to love here. Auteuil might be accused of hamming it up a bit too much at times, but the flow of the film works extremely well, and de Broca keeps the pace brisk, with several inventively staged sword fights. Video quality is great, but Cohen continues to perplex this particular reviewer by offering lossy audio on many of its recent releases. As a whole, though, On Guard comes Highly recommended.