8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
On the way to school one morning, a small boy finds a red balloon that attaches itself to him with a human-like intent.
Starring: Pascal Lamorisse, Georges Sellier, Vladimir Popov, Paul Perey, Sabine LamorisseForeign | 100% |
Surreal | 8% |
Short | 8% |
Family | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
French: LPCM 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival, French director Albert Lamorisse's "Le ballon rouge" a.k.a. "The Red Balloon" (1956) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Network. The disc also contains the director's "Crin blanc: Le cheval sauvage" a.k.a. "White Mane" (1953), as well as two long and very informative documentary features, "Mon Pere un Ballon Rouge" and "L'enfant Qui ne Souriait Pas." With imposed English subtitles. Region-Free.
Pascal Lamorisse
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Albert Lamorisse's Le ballon rouge arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Network.
I've seen Le ballon rouge a number of times during the years, and I feel very comfortable stating that this is the best this wonderful French film has ever looked. Fine object detail, clarity and contrast levels are lovely. The film's color scheme is also a lot more convincing here -- the blacks, browns, blues and reds are a lot richer; on the Criterion DVD release, for example, they look weak. Furthermore, there is a healthy dose of grain that is noticeable throughout the entire film, and even though there is a bit of digital noise that pops up occasionally, when blown through a digital projector, The Red Balloon looks absolutely terrific. Finally, I noticed a few tiny flecks but did not see any large cuts, debris, or warps.
Network's Blu-ray disc also contains director Lamorisse's Crin blanc: Le cheval sauvage. The British distributors included the film as a bonus (initially, Crin blanc: Le cheval sauvage was not supposed to appear on the disc), and I am delighted to have it on Blu-ray.
This said, Crin blanc: Le cheval sauvage does not look as strong as Le ballon rouge -- contrast levels and clarity are somewhat inconsistent -- but I believe that the original elements, which most European distributors apparently have access to, are quite problematic (Criterion's DVD release, for example, also conveys a lot of the same issues that you would notice on this transfer). As you can see from our captures, around the edges the film looks rough. Grain exposure is inconsistent as well. Contrast levels, however, are pleasing. Still, considering that Crin blanc: Le cheval sauvage is practically a gift from Network, I really can't see how anyone could be disappointed with the presentation. (Note: Even though the back cover of this Blu-ray disc indicates a Region-B "locked" status, this is actually a Region-Free release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no PAL content preceding the disc's main menu).
There is only one audio track for each film: French LPCM 2.0. For the record, the English subtitles are imposed (but in The Red Balloon there are only a dozen or so lines in French).
Le ballon rouge - Maurice Leroux's wonderful orchestral score sounds quite good; the strings are gentle, and the woodwinds and brass crisp and clear. The wonderful clarinet solos, in particular, sound a lot better here compared to the DVD. Understandably, the dynamic amplitude is rather limited, but the overall quality of the French LPCM 2.0 track is indeed very good.
Crin blanc: Le cheval sauvage - the dialog is clear and easy to follow, but occasionally there is mild background hiss that you would notice. Again, Maurice Leroux's score is very effective, though a bit uneven. Still, the overall sound quality is good.
Note: All of the supplemental features on this disc are in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view them.
Mon Pere un Ballon Rouge - a wonderful documentary on director Albert Lamorisse and the unique spirit of his films. In French, with optional English subtitles. (52 min).
L'enfant Qui ne Souriait Pas - a detailed and somewhat controversial portrait of Alain Emery, the principal actor in White Mane. The actor recalls his work on the film, the time he spent at Cacharel, etc. In French, with optional English subtitles. (44 miin).
This is a fantastic package by British distributors Network. It is now one of my favorite Blu-ray releases. If you have never seen these two stunningly beautiful films, please consider adding them to your libraries. I guarantee you will watch them over and over again! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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