Un balcon sur la mer Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Un balcon sur la mer Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 21, 2011

Nicole Garcia's "Un balcon sur la mer" a.k.a "A View of Love" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors EuropaCorp. The supplemental features on the disc include a documentary film; making of featurettes; screen tests; deleted scenes; and more. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Marie-Josée Croze - Cathy

Real estate agent Marc Palestro (Jean Dujardin, Lucky Luke, Les petits mouchoirs) has everything men his age dream about - a beautiful wife (Sandrine Kiberlain, Love me, Mademoiselle Chambon), and daughter and solid career. He is also in great health. From time to time he thinks about the past and whether his life could have been even better, but he is grateful for everything that God has given him.

One day, Marc is asked to assist a client, a beautiful and very successful business woman (Marie-Josée Croze, Tell No One, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), who has been looking to buy an upscale property in the countryside. When they meet, he is immediately attracted to her -- there is something that reminds him about a girl he once loved, years ago, when his family was still living in Oran, Algeria.

After the meeting, Marc visits the hotel where the woman lives. They talk and realize that they both grew up on the same street in Oran. Eventually, Marc even remembers her name - Cathy. Then, driven by an irresistible desire, they make love.

Overwhelmed by the encounter and feeling guilty, Marc visits his mother (Claudia Cardinale, The Leopard, Once Upon a Time in the West) and reveals to her that he has met his childhood girlfriend. Much to his surprise, however, she informs him that the girl he once loved was killed in a terrorist attack after their family left Algeria. Confused and befuddled, Marc heads back to Cathy’s hotel, where he is told that she was never a guest there.

Directed by actress-turned-director Nicole Garcia, who was born and raised in Algeria, Un balcon sur la mer a.k.a A View of Love is a stylish and clever film that tells a complex story about love and a troubled past, which could potentially confuse some viewers on this side of the Atlantic who are not familiar with the Franco-Algerian conflict (1954-1962).

The film is formally divided into two halves - one focusing on Marc’s successful life, career, and relationships; the other revealing bits from his past and that of a conflict that changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Both halves have strong twists that are used to effectively redirect the narrative and eventually tie up its loose ends.

While as a thriller the film works well, as a socio-political commentary it lacks the depth it could have had. More often than not, Marc’s memories rehash old sentiments, some of which often feel out of touch with the rest of the film. His reactions, and especially the anger outbursts, after he temporarily loses Cathy also seem slightly out of place.

Still, the film maintains a strong level of suspense that climaxes with a decent, though quite abrupt, finale. Especially during the final third of the film, the atmosphere is outstanding, reminding about the films of the great Claude Chabrol.

Dujardin, who typically appears in lighter and faster films, often with a strong comedic flavor, looks impressive, though his character transformation should have been less dramatic. Even though her Sharon Stone/Kim Novak look is a bit over the top, Croze, a naturally beautiful actress, still looks incredibly sexy in front of the camera. Kiberlain is as reliable as ever.

Jean-Marc Fabre’s (Nathalie..., Le code a changé) sharp lensing gives the film a lovely contemporary look. Oscar winner Stephen Warbeck’s (Shakespeare in Love, Billy Elliot) soundtrack also compliments the narrative well.

Un balcon sur la mer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Nicole Garcia's Un balcon sur la mer arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors EuropaCorp.

With the exception of some mild sharpening that is noticeable during some of the daylight scenes - for example, early into the film, when Cathy arrives at the house she wishes to purchase - the high-definition transfer looks solid. Fine object detail is very good, even during the dark crash sequence, while clarity and contrast levels are consistent throughout the entire film. Color reproduction is also convincing, with the variety of yellows, greens, blues, and browns looking particularly rich and healthy. Furthermore, I did not see any signs of excessive noise reduction - on the contrary, the image conveys wonderful depth and fluidity. Heavy artifacting, banding, or other similar anomalies do not plague the high-definition transfer either. Finally, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Un balcon sur la mer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, EuropaCorp 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.

Surround activity is rather limited, but the French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track still manages to open up the entire film quite well. There are various sequences where Stephen Warbeck's music score shines, as well as a couple of scenes (such as the crash scene) where the bass impresses. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and very easy to follow. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or audio dropouts to report in this review. Finally, the English translation is excellent.

Un balcon sur la mer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Nicole Garcia, Des ombres a la lumiere - director Nicole Garcia returns to Oran and discusses Un balcon sur la mer. In French, not subtitled. (52 min, PAL).

• Scene coupee - deleted scenes with a commentary by director Nicole Garcia. In French, not subtitled. (4 min, PAL).

• Oran - a look at the beautiful Algerian city, where Marc, the main protagonist in Un balcon sur la mer, and director Nicole Garcia, grew up. With a commentary by director Nicole Garcia. In French, not subtitled. (6 min, PAL).

• Le personnage de Marie-Jeanne - director Nicole Garcia discusses Marie-Josée Croze's character. In French, not subtitled. (3 min, PAL).

• Les essais des enfants - a couple of tests with the young actors who play Marc's daughter, young Marc, his girlfriend in Algeria, etc. In French, not subtitled. (5 min, PAL).

• La droguerie - With a commentary by director Nicole Garcia. In French, not subtitled. (5 min, PAL).

Un balcon sur la mer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I expected Nicole Garcia's Un balcon sur la mer to explore slightly different themes, particularly in regard to the Franco-Algerian conflict. Still, as a thriller the film works very well, and I enjoyed it a lot. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of French distributors EuropaCorp, looks and sounds very good. It is, however, Region-B "locked", so keep that in mind if you reside in a Region-A territory. RECOMMENDED.