7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In the south of France, Jean, a shy young bartender, is mistaken for a millionaire by a beautiful, scheming opportunist named Irene. When Irene discovers his true identity, she abandons him, only to find that a love-struck Jean has no intention of letting her get away. Jean's comical attempts to gain her affections gradually evolve into setting himself up as a gigolo at a luxury hotel, until Irene finally starts to warm to her persistent, persuasive suitor.
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Gad Elmaleh, Marie-Christine Adam, Vernon Dobtcheff, Jacques SpiesserRomance | 100% |
Foreign | 12% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
French: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A modest bartender-server and do-it-all loner (Gad Elmaleh) falls for an ambitious and beautiful gold digger (Audrey Tautou) in Pierre Salvadori’s chic comedy “Hors de Prix” a.k.a. “Priceless” (2006). The film is cluttered with clichés, some quite well repolished, but it is nevertheless enjoyable. Courtesy of First Look Studios.
The gold digger
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with VC-1 and granted a 1080p
transfer, Priceless arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of First Look Studios.
This fairly recent French comedy has received a lovely Blu-ray treatment – contrast is
pleasing, clarity and detail exceptionally strong, and edge-enhancement not a major issue
of concern. The color scheme is also terrific. Yellows, reds, blues, greens, whites, and blacks
look lush and well saturated. They are also as impressive during the daylight scenes as
they are during the nighttime scenes. Furthermore, detail is consistently strong, and there
are more than a few scenes in Priceless that I definitely think will make an
impression on those of you who like the marquee popping look newer films transferred in
1080p tend to reveal. I certainly did not detect any DNR alterations to report here either,
and, as far as I am concerned, the film looks as natural and uncompressed as I was hoping
it would. This being said, I detected a bit of video noise during a few selected scenes but,
again, Priceless looks very healthy, and I have absolutely no problem recommending
it to you. For the record, I did not detect any disturbing specks, debris, or dirt. (Note:
This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release which you will be able to play on your PS3 or SA
regardless of your geographical location).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and French Stereo
2.0. I opted for the French Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track and did random comparisons with the
French Stereo 2.0 track for the purpose of this review.
The difference in quality between the two tracks is enormous. Not only is the Dolby True HD
5.1 more active (the rear channels surprisingly get quite a bit of activity), but also more
effective. Priceless isn't a dialog-driven comedy and there are quite a few key scenes
in this film that truly benefit from the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. Furthermore, balance isn't an
issue here either. Dialog and music are adequately mixed, and I certainly did not detect any
serious problems to report here. On the contrary, I thought that it was tremendously easy
to follow the crystal clear dialog (which shouldn't be a surprise given that this is a relatively
new film). Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or dropouts to report here.
Switching quickly to the French Stereo 2.0 track, well, I don't believe that there is a technical
aspect of it that matches even partially what the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 delivers - depth is
lacking, the music isn't as immersive, and the dialog comes off the speakers in quite an
ordinary fashion. To sum it all up, there really isn't any need for you to consider the French
Stereo 2.0 track. For the record, First Look Studios have provided optional English subtitles
(they appear inside the image frame), but they do tend to be a bit too wild for my taste. The
subtitles switch from the right side of the screen to the left side in a somewhat puzzling
manner. Slightly smaller subtitles, placed towards the center-bottom of the image frame,
would have been far more appealing.
Aside from trailers for other First Look Studios films, on this Blu-ray disc you will find two sections with deleted scenes (I counted well over 15) and outtakes. Unfortunately, none of these offer optional English subtitles.
Priceless is an enjoyable French comedy that will certainly appeal to those who are still fascinated with Audrey Tautou. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of First Look Studios, is of very good quality. The 1080p transfer is certainly amongst the best I have seen from the US distributors. Given the dramatic improvements the Blu-ray disc offers over the distributor's corresponding DVD release, and the terrific price tag it comes with, I cannot but HIGHLY RECOMMEND it.
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