Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.5

Trances Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 30, 2013

Ahmed El Maanouni's "Trances" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The only supplemental feature on this disc is a short video introduction by director Martin Scorsese. In Arabic, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The band

Note: Trances is part of Eureka Entertainment's World Cinema Foundation: Volume One Blu-ray box set.

The very first film to be restored by the World Cinema Foundation at Cineteca di Bologna/ L’Immagine Ritrovata is a favorite of director Martin Scorsese. It is titled El Hal a.k.a. Trances and was directed by Moroccan filmmaker Ahmed El Maanouni in 1981.

The film, which apparently inspired the construction and many of the designs in director Scorsese’s acclaimed The Last Temptation of Christ, follows closely the four members of the Moroccan band Nass El Ghiwane – Abderrahman Kirouche (Paco), Allal Yaala, Omar Sayed, and Larbi Batma -- as they discuss their music and travel across Morocco and Tunisia to perform in front of their passionate fans. Between the concert footage and the discussions there is also rare archival footage highlighting important and controversial events from Morocco’s troubled past. (Interestingly, a portion of one such very intriguing archival clip is masked to hide the identities of some apparently divisive political figures).

Western viewers will likely need a bit of time to get used to the music’s rhythmic structure, but its intensity should immediately overwhelm even the most conservative amongst them. Indeed, during the concerts the energy and pure passion on display are quite remarkable. What is even more impressive, however, is the perfect coordination between the musicians who, like many of their fans, frequently seem to be on the verge of switching into a trance mode. (There is one intimate performance where an elderly woman actually enters the trance state of jadba).

The texts of the songs are equally powerful. Some are angry, targeting political subjects; others praise the beauty of Morocco and its ancient culture. As the camera frequently zooms over the crowds, it is easy to see that these are texts many people know by heart.

There are two types of discussions in the film. The more casual ones typically take place during practice sessions where the members of Nass El Ghiwane improvise or experiment with different traditional instruments. From time to time they would also recall their early days as struggling young troubadours. What these discussions reveal is that there is a great deal of respect between the men and a clear understanding that together they are indeed capable of creating special music. Occasionally, some of the musicians are also seen explaining to kids and young men how to play traditional songs.

The non-concert footage is primarily from the legendary city of Casablanca. But in Trances Casablanca isn’t the elegant and prosperous city one would discover in foreign travel guides and business brochures. It is a chaotic, polluted, and somewhat lonely city full of people struggling to make ends meet.

Much like D.A. Pennebaker's legendary Monterey Pop and Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin's Gimme Shelter, Trances was shot on 16mm. Later on, it was blown up to 35mm. Unsurprisingly, the entire film has a distinctive raw look that feels most appropriate for the type of music Nass El Ghiwane perform.

Trances has been restored from the original 16mm camera and sound negatives, preserved by producer Izza Genini. The restoration has been supported by the World Cinema Foundation launched by director Scorsese at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007.

Trances Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ahmed El Maanouni's Trances arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.

Restored in 2007 with the participation of producer Izza Genini and director Ahmed El Maanouni, Trances looks very good in high-definition. Because the film was shot on 16mm (and later on blown up to 35mm) under different conditions, small density and clarity fluctuations are present. During the concert footage, where light is often restricted, image depth occasionally fluctuates as well. During the raw archival footage there are additional source limitations, such as fading and weaker definition. Generally speaking, colors are stable never and natural. Contrast levels are also stable. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections, but because of different source and age-related limitations occasionally minor fluctuations in the grain structure are visible. There are absolutely no compromising sharpening corrections. Finally, early into the film, during the concert footage minor wear and damage marks are present (they usually appear in the upper left corner). A few very small warps also pop up. Overall image stability, however, is very good. There are no large cuts, splices, or debris to report in this review. All in all, this is a competent restoration that makes it very easy for the viewer to immerse in the fascinating world of Nass El Ghiwane. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Trances Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Arabic LPCM 2.0. For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

There are some very small fluctuations in the high-frequencies and the dynamic intensity of the concert footage, but this should not be surprising considering the fact that the footage was shot under different conditions (the crowd noise, in particular, definitely affects the quality of the sound). Still, depth and clarity are consistently very pleasing. The dialog is stable, clear, and easy to follow. The English translation is excellent.

Trances Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - director Martin Scorsese introduces Ahmed El Maanouni's Trances. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

Trances Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It isn't difficult to understand why Martin Scorsese was so overwhelmed by Ahmed El Maanouni's Trances -- it is a raw and at times indescribably intense film about a legendary band from Morocco that managed to transform an entire generation of people with their music. The visual style of the film reminds of Gimme Shelter, but its atmosphere is unlike anything I have ever experienced. Needless to say, Trances is a tremendous discovery for me. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.