The African Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The African Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 18, 2015

Philippe de Broca's "The African" a.k.a. "L'Africain" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe. The supplemental features on the disc included an original trailer for the film and new documentary program featuring interviews with film editor Henri Lanoë, executive producer Pierre Grunstein, actor Jean-Francois Balmer, and cinematographer Jean Penzer, as well as archival content with the French director. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The African

The late Philippe Noiret is Victor, an aging Frenchman who has relocated to Africa to rebuild his life. Here he has met a local woman who genuinely loves him, he has built his dream home (a small boat named African Queen II), and found new friends who like him as he is -- temperamental but fair, friendly and always willing to help others.

The seemingly perfect balance in Victor’s life is disrupted when a woman from his past arrives in the area. Initially, Victor attempts to ignore Charlotte (Catherine Deneuve, Belle de jour) and her assistant (Jean-François Balmer, The Swindle), but when he discovers that the corporation she represents plans to develop the area and bring hordes of wealthy tourists, he decides to sabotage her work and force her to go back to France. Much to Victor’s surprise, however, Charlotte vows to complete her work even if it turns out that she has to risk her life. Then, as if to test her determination, someone places a monkey head on her pillow (a serious ‘message’ from the locals that Charlotte and her assistant are not welcomed).

Meanwhile, Victor begins suspecting that a shady businessman might be responsible for the mass killings of elephants in a picturesque area. The businessman helps Charlotte move across the area, but Victor warns her to stay away from him because she may never be able to return home. Then gradually Victor and Charlotte warm up to each other and realize that even though they have gotten older and moved on with their lives, they still have feelings for each other.

The African is a minor work in Philippe de Broca’s canon, but a very enjoyable one. Its overall lightness and especially its sense of humor are distinctively French, but large parts of it actually remind of Howard Hawks’ Hatari! and John Huston’s The African Queen. It is based on a very good script by Gerard Brach, who frequently teamed up with Roman Polanski (Repulsion, Tess, Bitter Moon) and contributed to a number of films that are now considered classics of French cinema (Jean de Florette, Manon of the Spring).

The film’s greatest strength is the terrific chemistry between its two stars, Noiret and Deneuve. Much like Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen, Noiret and Deneuve come from two very different worlds and find romance while trying to overcome a series of obstacles. Of course, the big difference here is that they have a history together which infuses The African with a sense of nostalgia that isn’t present in The African Queen.

The technical credits are excellent, with Jean Penzer’s fluid camerawork in particular making the journey through the jungle quite fascinating to behold. The film maintains a steady tempo as well, thanks to the solid work done by veteran editor Henri Lanoe (The Outside Man, Flic Story).

The film is complimented by a wonderful score composed by the great Georges Delerue. The main theme appears in a couple of different variations that are beautifully arranged and performed. American actress Vivian Reed also sings the lovely “Face to Face”.

The African Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Philippe de Broca's The Affrican arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe.

Recently restored in 2K, this little seen in North America film from Philippe de Broca looks quite beautiful on Blu-ray. Despite the fact that different parts of it were shot under different conditions, clarity and fluidity are consistently very pleasing. Without exception the panoramic shots also impress with excellent depth. I feel that the film looks a little bit too warm, but more often than not the various nuanced yellows and browns actually seem most appropriate. There is also a healthy range of nuanced greens, blues, and grays. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Sharpening adjustments have not been applied either. Image stability is outstanding -- there are no transition issues, general stability issues, or shimmer around the edges of the frame. The film is also completely free of specks, scratches, dirt, debris, stains, and warps. Finally, there are no encoding anomalies to report in this review. All in all, this is a very pleasing organic presentation of The African that makes it exceptionally easy to appreciate its creator's vision. (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).

The African Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 and French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono). Also included is a French Descriptive Audio DTS 2.0 track. For the record, Pathe have provided optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

It is very easy to tell that the audio has been fully restored -- balance is excellent and depth and clarity are outstanding. I viewed the film with the 2.0 track and later on did a few comparisons with the 3.0 track. In terms of dynamic intensity and depth the two tracks are identical, as they should be. Because of the minor expansion the 3.0 track offers, Georges Delerue's soundtrack can appear slightly better enhanced, but obviously its core is still in Mono (listen to the gentle music around the 00.50.44 mark). The dialog is crisp, very clean, and easy to follow. For the record, there are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review. The English translation is excellent.

The African Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Film annonce - original restored trailer for The African. In French, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Le Reve Africain de Philippe de Broca - new documentary program featuring interviews with film editor Henri Lanoë, executive producer Pierre Grunstein, actor Jean-Francois Balmer, and cinematographer Jean Penzer, as well as archival content with director Philippe de Broca. In French, not subtitled. (30 min).

The African Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The African is a minor work in Philippe de Broca's canon, but a very enjoyable one. The late Philippe Noiret and Catherine Deneuve are wonderful together, the visuals are frequently breathtakingly beautiful, and Georges Delerue's soundtrack is a treasure. The film has been recently restored in 2K by Pathe and looks lovely on Blu-ray. The release is also English-friendly and Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (Later this year, in the United States Cohen Media will also release on Blu-ray a new restoration of Philippe de Broca's That Man from Rio, with Jean-Paul Belmondo and Françoise Dorléac).