Who Killed Santa Claus? Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Who Killed Santa Claus? Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 22, 2016

Christian-Jaque's "Who Killed Santa Claus?" a.k.a. "L'assassinat du Père Noël" (1941) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new featurette with information about the recent restoration of the film; and filmed conversation between professor Jean-Pierre Bertin-Maguitm, cinematographer Noël Véry, and Eric Le Roy. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"Why did I go so far away? To find someone. Someone who was just nearby."

Director Christian-Jaque completed Who Killed Santa Claus? three years after Boys' School. Its story once again comes from a popular novel by Pierre Véry, but this time the great writer Jacques Prevert was not involved with the project. It was the first film that was produced in France after the Nazis invaded the country and the Vichy government came to power.

The film is set in a small village somewhere in the French Alps. Christmas is around the corner and heavy snow has isolated the village from the rest of the country. But this is nothing new. The locals are used to the snow and are looking forward to the traditional festivities.

The atmosphere in the village suddenly changes when someone attacks the young vicar and then steals the valuable Saint Nicolas ring from the local church. The stunned mayor immediately contacts the police station in a nearby town, but is told that it might take a few days before the only policemen in the area can reach the village. The mayor and some of the most outspoken villagers then conclude that if the policemen can’t reach the village the thief cannot leave it either, which would mean that he is still amongst them.

The men begin looking for the mysterious thief and eventually agree that the handsome Baron Roland de la Faille (Raymond Rouleau), who has recently returned to the village after years of living and traveling abroad, should be questioned. But this isn’t something they are willing to do because he has admitted to his only servant that he has developed leprosy.

Meanwhile, another shocking event rocks the village. This time someone attacks and kills Santa Claus. Initially, the villagers assume that the cold body belongs to the bubbly globe-maker Gaspard Cornusse (Harry Baur), who has been dressing up as Santa Claus for years, but when he reappears slightly inebriated they realize that the body in the red costume actually belongs to someone else -- a stranger no one has seen before.

The tone and especially the atmosphere of Who Killed Santa Claus? are very similar to those of Boys’ School. Also, the ‘mystery’ is again seen and analyzed from two completely different angles. The children who are waiting for Santa Claus to deliver their presents are convinced that he is late because the heavy snow has slowed him down somewhere in the mountains, while the adults are looking for clues that would point them in the right direction but quickly become frustrated and begin questioning each other. In the ensuing chaos, the viewer is left to ponder various what-if scenarios. In Boys’ School the narrative structure is exactly the same.

The script for this film, however, isn’t as strong. There are key elements that are clearly underdeveloped. The most obvious one is the Baron’s supposedly important relationship with Cornusse’s beautiful daughter, Catherine (Renée Faure), who suddenly falls madly in love with him. Another one is the role of the old Lady Michel (Marie-Hélène Dasté) who keeps looking for her missing cat, Mistou, in a manner that is quite misleading.

The terrific atmosphere, however, makes the film very easy to recommend. In a way it reminds of the work of the great German expressionists, though stylistically it really has a lot more in common with Henri-Georges Clouzot’s early films.

Who Killed Santa Claus? Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with ,MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Christian-Jaque's Who Killed Santa Claus? arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe.

Pathe restored Who Killed Santa Claus? in 2K in 2015. The label entrusted the work to Eclair Group for the image and L.E. Diapason for the sound. Pathe's Blu-ray release of Who Killed Santa Claus? uses as a foundation the new 2K restoration.

Very large portions of the film are quite dark -- there is plenty of nighttime footage as well as footage that was shot indoors with restricted light. However, clarity and detail very good. In fact, during various close-ups depth is consistently great and it is quite easy to see even very small objects and details. Grain is wonderfully distributed and resolved. Even during quick transitions density remains very good. There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Color balance is good. Perhaps the blacks could have been slightly elevated, but the the whites and grays are convincing and the current balance is indeed very convincing. Overall image stability is excellent. Lastly, large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains and other imperfections have been carefully removed. Indeed, the folks at Pathe have produced yet another terrific restoration that looks quite wonderful in high-definition. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to access its content regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Who Killed Santa Claus? Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Also included is a French Descriptive Audio DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Optional English and French SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Clarity and depth are consistently very pleasing. There are a few sections where some marginal "thinning" can be noticed in the upper register, but it is not distracting. Some very light buzz occasionally sneaks in as well -- typically during the some of the quarrels -- but it will not affect your viewing experience. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in our review.

Who Killed Santa Claus? Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Film annonce - original trailer for Who Killed Santa Claus?. In French, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080).

• La restauration - an in-depth look at the recent 2K restoration of Who Killed Santa Claus? with clips from interviews with the specialists that worked on it. In French, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Conversation autour du film - presented here is a filmed conversation with Professor of Cinema Studies (University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle) Jean-Pierre Bertin-Maguitm, cinematographer Noël Véry (Immoral Tales), and Eric Le Roy (Centre National du Cinema et de L'image Animee). In French, not subtitled. (10 min).

Who Killed Santa Claus? Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Christian-Jaque's Who Killed Santa Claus? was the first film to be produced by the notorious Continental Films after the Vichy government came to power. It is a very atmospheric film that I think would appeal to viewers who enjoy Henri-Georges Clouzot's early films. If you decide to add it to your collections, I also recommend picking up Christian-Jaque's even better period thriller Boys' School. French label Pathe recently restored these films in 2K and they look wonderful on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.