7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.3 |
During the Nazi occupation, a beautiful actress hides her Jewish husband in the theater they both run.
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Jean Poiret, Paulette Dubost, Jean-Louis RichardDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 83% |
Romance | 27% |
War | 12% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: LPCM Mono
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
"The Last Metro" (1980) is François Truffaut’s greatest commercial success. In 1981 the film won a total of ten Cesar awards – including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress (Catherine Deneuve), Best Actor (Gerard Depardieu), and Best Cinematography (Néstor Almendros) – and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. The film was also Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu’s first collaboration in front of the camera. Courtesy of Criterion.
At the Theatre Montmartre
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Francois Truffaut's The Last Metro arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-eay release:
"This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm interpositive struck from the original negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. Presented in its original monaural format, the soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm magnetic track, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle.
Telecine supervisor: Maria Palazzola.
Telecine colorist: Jean-Marc Moreau/Vdm, Paris."
As expected, Criterion deliver yet another fantastic package. I really did not have any doubts that this film would look superb on Blu-ray, but having seen how strong the actual high-definition transfer is, I am simply ecstatic; in the future, we should be able to see some remarkable treatments from Criterion. Contrast, clarity and detail are very impressive. Furthermore, there are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. As a result, The Last Metro boasts a very film-like look with plenty of film grain that should please the purists amongst us. The color scheme, however, is arguably the most impressive feature of this new Blu-ray transfer; the reds are so lush and rich that at times I had a difficult time believing that the film was shot in the early 80s. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not an issue of concern. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing scratches, debris, or stains to report here either. To sum it all up, Criterion's Blu-ray release of The Last Metro is very close to being absolutely perfect. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
The only audio track available on this Blu-ray disc is French: Uncompressed Monaural. Generally speaking, this is a very pleasing mix without any serious issues that I could detect. Aside from a few tiny fluctuations during the opening scenes (more than likely source related) the rest of the mix is just about perfect -- the French dialog is crisp, crystal clear and very easy to follow. Georges Delerue's music also comes off the speakers in a very pleasing fashion. Finally, there are no cracks, pops, or audio distortions. For the record, Criterion have provided optional (white) English subtitles.
On this Blu-ray disc, you will find a deleted scene with Valentin (Rene Dupre) and Marion (Catherine Deneuve) which was removed from the original cut of the film, but was later on reinserted in the 1982 video release of The Last Metro. Les nouveaux rendez-vous - Francois Truffaut, Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu talk about The Last Metro in this excerpted 1980 interview from the French television program. The majority of the comments here pertain to the characters each of the actors plays as well as the very intimate nature of the story. Pasez donc me voir is another interview from a 1980 episode of the French TV program where Francois Truffaut and actor Jean Poiret discuss their work on The Last Metro and their memories of the occupation. Performing "The Last Metro" is a curious interview with actors Andrea Ferreol, Paulette Dubost, Sabine Haudepin, and second-assistant director Alain Tasma where they recall their work with Francois Truffaut. Visualizing "The Last Metro" offers an interview with camera assistants Florent Bazin and Tessa Racine where they recall their work with legendary cinematographer Nestor Almendros. Working with Truffaut: Nestor Almendros is a rare interview with cinematographer Nestor Almendros that was conducted in Paris in April 1986. It was excerpted in Rainer Gansera's 1086 documentary Arbeiten mi Francois Truffaut, produced by WDR, but for this edit, made exclusively for the Criterion Collection, Truffaut expert Robert Fischer constructed the interview in full from the only surviving elements.
Une histoire d'eau is a 1958 short film by Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut about the joy of filmmaking (shot in black and white, 1.33:1). Furthermore, this Blu-ray disc also contains two commentaries – the first commentary is by film scholar Annette Insdorf (Francois Truffaut; Indelible Shadows: Film and the Holocaust) and was recorded excessively for the Criterion Collection in 2008; the second commentary is with actor Gerard Depardieu and historian Jean-Pierre Azema and moderated by Truffaut biographer Serge Toubiana. Both commentaries are very informative, but I personally prefer the second one with Mr. Azema, Mr. Depardieu and Mr. Toubiana as it is really more intimate in nature than the first commentary (the French commentary arrives with optional English subtitles). Finally, this Blu-ray disc also contains the original theatrical trailer for the main feature.
In addition to all of the extras found on the Blu-ray disc, Criterion have also provided a lovely booklet containing the very informative essay Truffaut's Changing Times by Armond White, a film critic for the New York Press and 2009 chairman of the New York Film Critics Circle.
This is a marvelous presentation of Francois Truffaut's The Last Metro. It is very much up to Criterion's high standards. The Blu-ray disc also offers an abundance of excellent supplemental materials (I strongly recommend that you listen to the commentary with Gerard Depardieu, Jean-Pierre Azema and Serge Toubiana). Very Highly Recommended.
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