The Tobacconist Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

The Tobacconist Blu-ray Movie Review

Your Freudian slip is showing.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 5, 2020

Some European cities like London or perhaps especially Paris probably consider themselves to be cultural bulwarks against the madness of the world, but in the early to mid 20th century, Vienna may arguably have reigned supreme as the continent’s paradigm of both intellectual and artistic life. The number of famous thinkers and creators who called Vienna home, even if in passing, is like a “who’s who” of the decades in question, and among the most notable Viennese figures of that time period was Sigmund Freud. Freud was evidently a regular habitue of many coffee shops and the like in Vienna, and was also evidently widely recognized by the public at large in his forays out of his private office or home. In The Tobacconist, famed cigar smoker Freud (Bruno Ganz) also regularly visits a tobacco shop where a young man named Franz (Simon Morzé) has come to work. Franz, a naive young man with lots of questions about the opposite sex, turns to Freud as a mentor on romantic relationships, especially after a girl named Anezka (Emma Drogunova) catches his eye.

Franz has ended up in Vienna for what might be cheekily called pretty Freudian reasons, and his psychological issues suffuse the film, often in slightly surreal scenes which evoke the turmoil in his subconscious. But there's another, much more overt, turmoil that The Tobacconist details, as the German forces arrive in Vienna and begin upending everything, including by arresting Franz's boss at the shop, a World War I vet named Otto (Johannes Krisch). The film rather bracingly delves into both the personal story of Franz, and therefore tangentially Freud, as it also documents the growing Nazi menace. There's a "meta" aspect to this film that may appeal to those who are fans of World War II films, or at least World War II films that then become what amount to viral memes online at sites like YouTube. Many will no doubt know that Bruno Ganz portrayed Adolf Hitler in Downfall, a film which matriculated to YouTube with some often hilarious "alternative fact" subtitles or dubbing appended that made the film ostensibly about everything from StarCraft to American elections. It's therefore rather interesting to see Ganz portray one of Hitler's more famous nemeses, and Ganz comes off as a rather avuncular and just maybe slightly salacious at times Freud.

The Tobacconist Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Tobacconist is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Menemsha Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. I haven't been able to dredge up any authoritative technical data on the shoot, but this was obviously digitally captured and I'm assuming was finished at a 2K DI, though this is another presentation where overall excellent detail and fine detail levels are such that I frankly wouldn't be surprised if a 4K DI was done. Aside from a few iffy "effects" moments, notably in some of the "subconcious" imagery emanating from Franz, this is a really sharp and well detailed looking transfer, even given a glut of kind of drab, gray and green hues that permeate the story. Fine detail on elements like Freud's natty beard is typically exceellent, and textures on fabrics look precise throughout. There is a recurring use of underwater imagery that can understandably look a bit hazy at times (see screenshot 4).

The Tobacconist Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Tobacconist features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 tracks. The surround track offers some really nicely realized immersion in scenes like the opening violent storm where lightning crackles the sky, and in later scenes detailing the bustling urban environment of Vienna. Dialogue is always presented cleanly and clearly throughout the presentation. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Tobacconist Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers includes The Tobacconist (1080p; 2:24), along with trailers for other releases from Menemsha Films.

The Tobacconist Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A few years ago a local casting agent, who probably quickly regretted it, but who knew about my piano playing abilities (such as they are), which were required for this part, hired me to supposedly "act" in a huge production of a play that involved Viennese cafe society reacting to the Nazi incursion. I played a character based on real life Austrian Jewish pianist Adolph Baller, who had his hands purposefully destroyed by the Germans, but who ended up being Yehudi Menuhin's accompanist later in life. (The playwright's great-grandmother had actually purchased a tiny painting in Vienna from a crazed art student named Hitler, a piece which the playwright still has.) The play also included a lot of other real life supporting characters, including a frequently squabbling Sigmund Freud and his wife Anna (a character also in this film), so for me personally The Tobacconist was a really interesting exercise in revisiting this general milieu and the character of Freud in particular. This may not be an overly "heavy" treatment of the onset of Nazism, but as a story about relationships straining under epochal forces, it's often quite well done, and it boasts both excellent performances and a really handsome physical production. Technical merits are solid, and The Tobacconist comes Recommended.