Péril en la demeure Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Péril en la demeure Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 8, 2014

Michel Deville's "Péril en la demeure" a.k.a. "Death in a French Garden" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Gaumont. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; video interview with actor Richard Bohringer; and documentary film featuring interviews with Michel Deville and actors Nicole Garcia, Christophe Malavoy and Michel Piccoli. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Lovers

Lonely musician David Aurphet (Christophe Malavoy, Madame Bovary, La Balance) is hired by a wealthy couple to teach their daughter how to play the guitar. Almost immediately, David is seduced by the mother, Julia (Nicole Garcia, Beau Pere, 38 témoins), who quickly reveals to him that her relationship with her husband, Graham (Michel Piccoli, Belle de jour, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie), has become quite complicated. She also makes it clear to David that she isn’t planning to part ways with him.

While David and Julia make love someone tapes them. After a compromising VHS cassette is placed in David’s mailbox, Anemone (Edwige Ledieu, The Grand Highway), another sexually frustrated neighbor who has been flirting with him, begins teasing him and eventually confesses that she has been following closely his encounters with Julia. Visibly frustrated, David decides to find out if the tape came from Anemone or another voyeur that has discovered his affair with Julia. Around the same time, David also befriends Daniel (Richard Bohringer, Subway, Diva), a jaded middle-aged hit man who has come to town to do one last job before he retires.

Based on René Belletto’s novel, Michel Deville’s thriller Death in a French Garden has an atmosphere that reminds of Claude Chabrol’s later films and a visual style that is very similar to that of Claude Miller’s best films. (See Merci pour le Chocolat and Mortelle randonnée). What gives it a unique identity is its rather unusually bold sexual energy.

Indeed, the focus of attention is clearly on the role David is given in the giant puzzle that emerges after he is hired by the wealthy couple -- there is a murder, relationships evolve and different personalities are revealed that effectively redirect the film -- but Deville is just as interested in the sexual element that brings David and Julia together, keeps Julia and Graham’s relationship alive, and makes David’s young student an important factor in the puzzle. In other words, Death in a French Garden isn’t just a straightforward thriller in which the scattered pieces of the puzzle are eventually properly arranged.

The film looks deceivingly calm and relaxed. At times it seems like the camera is nonchalantly observing the main protagonists, but the looks/framing are very precise. A seemingly casual look at a pair of shoes or holding hands, for instance, actually reveals quite a lot about the main protagonists’ true intentions.

The script is very good. A good dose of subtle dark humor very effectively spices up the story. The various twists throughout the film are perfectly timed as well.

The cast is excellent. Malavoy’s character transformation is thoroughly believable and while surprising at times his decisions make perfect sense. Garcia is equally impressive as the frustrated housewife. Piccoli’s time in front of the camera is rather limited, but he leaves a lasting impression. (See the sequence where he humiliates Garcia’s character in front of her lover). It is Bohringer’s jaded hit man, however, that makes this film the gem that it is.

In 1986, Death in a French Garden won Cesar Awards for Best Director and Best Editing (Raymonde Guyot). It was also presented with Best Film Award by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics.

Péril en la demeure 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, Michel Deville's Death in a French Garden arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Gaumont.

The high-definition transfer has been struck from a recent in-house restoration of the film. (In recent years titles from Gaumont's vast catalog have been slowly restored and this is clearly one of them). Generally speaking, detail and sharpness are very good. The film is now also properly framed. (On the old R2 DVD release it is not). Contrast levels remain stable. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Compromising sharpening adjustments have not been applied either. Colors are lush and stable, but they are a bit too warm for my taste. Still, there are no distracting anomalies and the film's overall appearance is the best that I have seen to date. Lastly, the encoding is very good. (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).

Péril en la demeure Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono). There are optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The film does not have an elaborate music score. There are no memorable special effects either. Rather predictably, overall dynamic intensity is quite limited. However, depth and clarity are outstanding. Also, various random sounds and noises are incredibly easy to identify (birds chirping, the wind blowing, etc). The dialog is exceptionally clean, stable, and very easy to follow. For the record, there are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.

Péril en la demeure Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Film-annonce - original restored French trailer for Death in a French Garden. In French, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Autour de peril en la demeure - this archival documentary focuses on the production history of it Death in a French Garden. Included in it are interviews with director Michel Deville and actors Nicole Garcia (Julia Tombsthay), Christophe Malavoy (David Aurphet), and Michel Piccoli (Graham Tombsthay). The documentary was produced for Gaumont in 2008. In French, not subtitled. (46 min).

• La grande famille du cinema - in this archival interview, actor Richard Bohringer (Daniel Forest) discusses his contribution to Death in a French Garden and Michel Deville's directing style. The interview was conducted for Gaumont in 2008. In French, not subtitled. (25 min).

Péril en la demeure Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The films of Michel Deville are quite difficult to see on this side of the Atlantic so this recent Blu-ray release of his excellent thriller Death in a French Garden is most welcome. Those of you who enjoy Claude Chabrol and Claude Miller's work should consider importing this French release as a North American release is unlikely to appear any time soon. The Blu-ray is Region-Free, English-friendly and very attractively priced. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.