6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The story begins with Pierre, a young man unexpectedly confronted with his own mortality. For the next 24 hours, his tour through the city will weave with those of his beloved sister, his neighbours (some known, some not), their friends and workmates, and their interconnected stories of love, familial bonds, loneliness and compassion come together in unexpected ways.
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Romain Duris, Fabrice Luchini, Albert Dupontel, François CluzetDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 91% |
Romance | 37% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, English SDH, French
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, C (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Best known in the U.S. for his youthful euro-pudding rom-coms, L'auberge espagnole (The Spanish Apartment) and its sequel, Les poupées Russes (Russian Dolls), Gallic director Cédric Klapisch’s latest film, Paris, is a grown-up affair, its romance tinged by death and desperation, the comedy less of hormonally charged exuberance and more of manners and social awkwardness. It’s not so much a love letter to—and from—the City of Light as it is a celluloid essay on the lives, losses, norms, and values of a stratified French society. An essay, it should be said, that’s enjoyable, but somewhat overambitious and overlong. Featuring one of Klapisch’s characteristically large, Altman-esque ensemble casts, Paris is subject to a detrimental amount of cinematic urban sprawl, spreading out in all directions like the city itself as it tries to follow a few too many characters.
"They don't know how lucky they are..."
No, Paris wasn't shot on that strip of Super-8 that Pierre is examining above. The film makes it way from 35mm to Blu-ray via a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that, if not a shockingly revelatory high definition experience, is definitely easy on the eyes. The image is never blurry, but as a whole it is slightly soft, lacking the extreme fine detail—the individually discernable pores and whiskers and clothing fibers—that you might see in a glossier production. Still, it's a pleasing softness, well suited to the tone of the film, and complemented by a rich and untouched grain structure that swathes the image in cinematic warmth. More impressive is the use of subdued, realistic color to set a mood, from the almost mournful blue cast as Pierre scans Paris from his balcony, to the gilded halls of Baudelaire's Hashish Club, with skin tones that are consistently natural. Black levels are strong but never oppressive, and contrast is nicely balanced, giving the image sufficient presence and depth. Importantly, the picture is unmarred by compression artifacts, banding, ringing, blocking, or other corrupters.
From what I knew about Paris—a quiet drama, the harbinger of a front-heavy, uninvolving audio experience—I wasn't expecting to be as impressed as I was by the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track included here. The film is definitely dialogue driven, but whereas many movies would be content to mix the voices to an appropriate level, toss in some quiet environmental noises, and leave it at that, Paris continually comes alive with immersive and realistic ambience. Nearly every scene feels accurate to what you might hear if you were there with the characters—street sounds drift up to Pierre's balcony, traffic coughs and putters through the rear channels, and the clangs and bangs of a construction crew fill out the site of the architect's latest project. It's never particularly loud or showy, but I was continually impressed by what I heard. Likewise, the film's music all sounds excellent, with depth and definition, from the wheezy French accordions and smoky jazz to downtempo chill-out and the LFE bass pulse of fashion runway dance tunes. The mix is clean, clear, and definitely more engaging than you might imagine. Do note that the subtitles appear in easy to read, bright yellow lettering.
Behind the Scenes of Paris (SD, 50:48)
I love behind-the-scenes footage, but at 50 minutes, even I felt this production
documentary ran overlong, mostly because there's no discernible structure to it. It's just endless
B-roll footage, with no narration and few interviews with the cast or crew. Still, if you like
watching how films are made, this is a proper cornucopia.
The Music of Paris (SD, 7:24)
Here, the director Cédric Klapisch and composer Loic Dury discuss the concept of the score, while
some dude named Robert Chicken Burke—I'm not sure if Chicken is a nickname or not—lays
down some guitar tracks.
The Production Design of Paris (SD, 6:03)
Director Cédric Klapisch discusses how he didn't want to shoot everything on location, New Wave
style, but wanted to mix real places with studio constructions, explaining that having some
artifice in the sets allows the viewer to focus on the emotions of the characters. We also watch
the production crew hard at work building the sets.
Table Read (SD, 10:41)
Watch Cédric Klapisch mediate a scene between three of the actors, offering his suggestions and
giving the expected directorial guidance.
Deleted Scenes (SD, 53:54)
Yes, you read that correctly. There are 53 minutes of deleted scenes, introduced by the director,
who explains that the initial cut was over four hours long. There are whole excised subplots
contained here, including the complete story of the "tracksuit man," the homeless guy who
whistles at Juliette Binoche on the street, and the immigrant from Cameroon.
Trailer (1080p, 1:58)
Paris is no undisputed masterpiece—it's long, obsessed with too many characters, and never aims for the profound—but it's as full of life and charm as the city itself. Fans of breezy foreign dramas should take note, and if you've enjoyed any of Klapisch's previous films, you'll find a lot to like here. Buoyed by a solid technical presentation on Blu-ray, Paris is certainly worth at least a rental.
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