7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
Set in France near the end of World War I in the deadly trenches of the Somme, in the gilded Parisien halls of power, and in the modest home of an indomitable provincial girl and her relentless search to find her fiancée, who has disappeared. He is one of five French soldiers believed to have been court-martialed under mysterious circumstances and pushed out of an allied trench into an almost-certain death in no-man's land. All an investigation into the arbitrary nature of secrecy, the absurdity of war, and the enduring passion, intuition and tenacity of the human heart.
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, Dominique Pinon, Marion Cotillard, Jodie FosterForeign | 100% |
Romance | 34% |
War | 29% |
Drama | 16% |
Melodrama | 15% |
Period | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French SDH, English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Gallic director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Un long dimanche de fiançailles" a.k.a. "A Very Long Engagement" (2004) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner-France. Amongst the supplemental features on the disc are: an audio commentary by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet; a behind the scenes featurette; making of; gallery of deleted scenes and more. With the exception of the audio commentary and the trailers, all of the supplemental features arrive with optional English subtitles. Region-B "locked".
Mathilde and Manech
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner-France.
This Blu-ray release represents a very serious upgrade over the SDVD set Warner released in France a couple of years ago. Detail is excellent, clarity fantastic and contrast consistent throughout the entire film. It is the color-scheme, however, that impresses the most - the lush yellows and rich blacks A Very Long Engagement is known for look stunning in 1080p. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not a serious issue of concern. There are no disturbing digital artifacts plaguing the transfer either. When blown through a digital projector, A Very Long Engagement also looks pleasingly stable. Finally, there are absolutely no disturbing scratches, debris, cuts, or stains that I noticed while watching the film. All in all, this is a fantastic presentation of a unique film that should impress even the most demanding of its fans. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Warner have provided optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The audio treatment is impressive. The numerous battle scenes, for example, convey some terrific surround effects as well as excellent bass activity. On the other hand, the dialog is clean and exceptionally easy to follow. Award-winning composer Angelo Badalamenti's lovely music score also benefits tremendously from the loseless audio; the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track gives it depth and acoustic fluidity that certainly isn't present on the DTS 5.1 track found on the SDVD release of the film. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review.
Bande-annonces - two trailers, French (2 min) and international (2 min), and an international teaser (1 min).
Scenes Coupees - a gallery of 14 deleted scenes, with an optional commentary by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, and optional English and French SDH subtitles.
Tableux Parisiens - the tech crew discusses the unique Parisian locations that were used for the beautiful panoramic Parisian scenes seen in the film. With optional English and French SDH subtitles. (14 min).
Avant que tout explose: L'hopital de Combples - a look at the special effects, and specifically the massive hospital explosion, seen in the film. With optional English and French SDH subtitles. (13 min).
Une annee au front: Les coulisses du tournage - a behind the scenes featurette focusing on different aspects from the the film's production history. With optional English and French SDH subtitles. (74 min).
Commentary - an audio commentary with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Not subtitled in English.
Warner's Blu-ray release of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement represents a notable upgrade over previous SDVD releases of the film. In addition, with the exception of the audio commentary and the trailers (two of which are in English), all of the supplemental features are English-friendly. Yes, this one is very, very easy to HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
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