7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
The young and patriotic student Demachy joins the French army in 1914 to defend his country. But he and his comrades soon experience the terrifying, endless trench war in Champagne, where more and more wooden crosses have to be erected for this cannon fodder.
Starring: Pierre Blanchar, Charles Vanel, Gabriel Gabrio, Raymond Aimos, Antonin ArtaudForeign | 100% |
Drama | 50% |
War | 11% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.19:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
French SDH, English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Raymond Bernard's "Wooden Crosses" a.k.a. "Les Croix de Bois" (1932) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe. The supplemental features on the the release include an original trailer for the recent restoration of the film; archival interview with the French director; video interviews with film historians Marc Ferro and Laurent Veray; archival interview with writer Roland Dorgelès; archival documentary footage from Pathe's vaults; stills from the film; and more. The release also arrives with a 44-page illustrated booklet with writings on the film and archival materials. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The cemetery
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.19:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Raymond Bernard's Wooden Crosses arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Pathe.
Wooden Crosses was recently restored in 4K at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna, with the support of Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC). Pathe's new Blu-ray release uses as a foundation the 4K restoration of the film.
The film looks lush and notably healthy. There are select areas of it where it is easy to see that time has left its mark, but it is clear that efforts have been made to rebalance the image as best as possible. In some cases -- most notably during some darker sequences -- some careful denoising adjustments have been applied, but the integrity of the image has not been compromised. Grain is retained and well distributed, though there are some density fluctuations where it could appear either underexposed or overexposed. Obviously, however, these fluctuations can be traces back to the different elements that were used during the restoration process -- the original B negative, nitrate copy of the better known B version of the film preserved at Archives francaises du film, nitrate copy of the B version preserved at Cinematheque francaise, an incomplete copy of the A negative, and a nitrate copy of the A version preserved at UCLA. There are no traces of problematic sharpening corrections. Contrast and color stability are very good. Perhaps the most impressive improvements, however, are in the area of image stability. On the R1 DVD release there are numerous sequences where edge flicker and transition issues are quite easy to spot. During the 4K restoration, virtually all of these issues have been addressed. Finally, debris, scratches, dirt, cuts, and specks have been meticulously removed. The end result is a wonderful and very convincing organic presentation of Wooden Crosses which is guaranteed to remain the film's definitive presentation on the home video market. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (Mono). Also included is a Descriptive French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. For the record, Pathe have provided optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature.
Dynamic intensity is quite limited, but this is hardly surprising considering the fact that the film was produced in the very early stages of the sound era. There are some depth and sharpness fluctuations as well, with the high frequencies in particular occasionally appearing somewhat flat. These fluctuations are most obvious during the large battle scenes where there are plenty of explosions. However, while time is most likely responsible for some of the fluctuations, one has to keep in mind that the filming equipment is also responsible for a lot of the unevenness. This being said, there are no serious balance issues that would affect negatively your viewing experience. Also, there are no pops or audio dropouts to report in this review.
Blu-ray
I included this very beautiful Blu-ray release of Raymond Bernard's Wooden Crosses on my Top 10 list last year because Pathe and L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna have literally given the film a new life. I really hope that it is a major success for Pathe so that the studio continues to expand its classiques catalog. At the moment I am unaware of any plans for an upcoming North American release, but I assume that at some point Criterion will most likely upgrade their DVD release. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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