7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
Through the neighborhoods of Paris, love is veiled, revealed, imitated, sucked dry, reinvented and awakened. A group of internationally renowned directors rediscover the city of Paris in a collective work about love.
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Willem Dafoe, Nick Nolte, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bob HoskinsDrama | 100% |
Romance | 68% |
Foreign | 21% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
French: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 2.0
from playback - also mentioned in Blu-ray.com review in Audio section
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Twenty one different directors - Olivier Assayas, Frédéric Auburtin, Emmanuel Benbihy, Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Gérard Depardieu, Christopher Doyle, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Bruno Podalydès, Walter Salles, Oliver Schmitz, Nobuhiro Suwa, Daniela Thomas, Tom Tykwer, and Gus Van Sant - contribute to eighteen short stories inspired by the City of Lights in “Paris je t’aime” (2006). Courtesy of First Look Studios.
Love, pain, hope, and despair, are amongst the key themes in a colorful collage of 18 short stories meant to highlight the timeless allure of Paris. Each story is approximately 5 minutes long (the original intent was to have 20 stories for each of the city’s 20 districts, but two stories, one by Chtistoffer Boe and one by Raphael Nadjari, did not make the final cut) and captures the city as seen by those who live in it, those who wish to live in it, and those who have lived in it but moved elsewhere.
As mentioned earlier, Paris je t’aime is fractured into tiny little stories lacking a common theme. None of the main characters appear again once we see them leave. As a result, each story plays out more as a slice of life, a glimpse at the humongous cosmopolitan mosaic the city of Paris is, which is only effective if seen in context (screened individually these shorts will hardly impress as much as they do when seen together).
Furthermore, the film effectively shows that Paris is a cultural and social magnet where life simply happens. The bitter with the sweet, the beautiful with the ugly, and the real with the unreal coexist here in a strange but glorious harmony everyone contributes to.
On the Seine
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC, and granted a 1080p transfer Paris, je t'aime arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of First Look Studios.
Before I address the transfer of this Blu-ray release, I would like to quickly note that there are some minor errors with the technical specifications announced by the distributor, which I am going to address as I move further along in my analysis. First of all, unlike what the back cover of the disc states – an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 - Paris, je t'aime actually arrives in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Furthermore, the 1080p presentation is a vast improvement over the flawed transfer found on the SDVD released by the same distributor. Unlike the weak, standard-def, PAL-NTSC port revealing an abundance of "ghosting" issues and a dull looking color-scheme, the Blu-ray transfer is progressive and, obviously, eliminating all of the conversion flaws the SDVD was plagued with. Having seen this film theatrically, I can also confirm that the Blu-ray disc preserves the same look I witnessed in the cinema. Contrast and clarity here vary from segment to segment (different directors opted for different looks), but the manner in which they are captured is undoubtedly pleasing. This being said, you won't notice any digital sharpening, contrast boosting, or DNR manipulations either. The color-scheme is fantastic as well. In fact, depending on the director's preference, you would notice a variety of key colors (Vincenzo Natali's segment is a great example) symbolizing an important aspect of the director's vision about the City of Lights (love, pain, humiliation, fear, etc all seem to be linked to specific colors). This being said, neither edge-enhancement nor macroblocking appear to be issues of concern here. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing scratches, marks, or debris on the actual print either. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" release which you will not be able to play on Region-B hardware).
As I mentioned earlier, there are a few labeling errors on this Blu-ray disc, and this time around you will find two of those in the audio department. Unlike what the audio menu announces - English: Dolby True HD 5.1 and English: 2.0 - what we have here is French: Dolby True HD 5.1 and French: 2.0 (with bits of English and Arabic). This being said, Paris, je t'aime isn't a film that will impress you with an exceptional surround activity, or powerful bass sequences, but what is actually part of the film is treated very well. The Dolby True HD 5.1 reveals excellent clarity and depth, and I was certainly pleased with the balance between music and dialog. As I noted above, none of the eighteen segments would test the muscle of your audio equipment, though admittedly some reveal better activity in the rear channels than others. As far as the French 2.0 track is concerned, I could only state that it is certainly acceptable, as I did not detect any disturbing issues with it during the selective tests I performed, but not the preferable option here. This being said, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings on the Dolby True HD 5.1 track either. Finally, First Look Studios have supplied optional English and Spanish subtitles for the main feature (which I find to be a bit too large for my taste).
The only supplemental materials you will find on this disc are a gallery of trailers for other First Look Studios projects and a featurette titled "At The Heart Of Paris je t'aime" where the directors participating in this project as well as some of the actors share their thoughts. Most of the comments are rather generic, but there are some interesting clarifications that are being made as well. It was truly fascinating to hear how everyone got involved with Paris, je t'aime and what the actual project meant to a lot of people from all around the world.
A stylish, intriguing, and at times impossible to fully comprehend mosaic of short stories Paris je t'aime celebrates the City of Light as seen through the eyes of twenty one of modern cinema's best directors. The Blu-ray presentation, courtesy of First Look Studios, replicates the theatrical look of the film flawlessly. For those of you debating whether or not to upgrade from SDVD, yes, you should, this is certainly the best Paris je t'aime has looked in any region. Highly Recommended.
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