4 French language films on LDs Laser Discs

The elegant French epic is about the end of colonialism in Southeast Asia.  The disc's running time matches that of the American theatrical release, at 156 minutes, but a longer version of the film played in Europe and the movie's one significant flaw is that the narrative leaps from event to event without allowing the viewer time to absorb the drama's effect on the characters.  The film is in French with yellow English subtitles and some of this condensation is disguised by the language shift--viewers tend to be more accepting of voiceover narration, for example, when it is presented in a foreign language and the movie uses a lot of voiceover to keep up with the plot.  The two-and-three-quarter hours that are presented, however, are gorgeous to look at, an ideal extension of the movie's star, Catherine Deneuve.  While the plot (mostly about her adopted Asian daughter, who runs away with a French military officer and becomes a communist) does seem excessively rushed, the film is still rich in romanticism and political fatalism, providing a fascinating view of two cultures that mix but refuse to blend.  The disc's picture transfer is supportive of the film's beauty.  The program is letterboxed with an aspect ratio of about 1.85:1 and always looks perfectly composed.  The colors are rich and the image is sharp, except when the film itself chooses to appear soft.  The stereo surround sound, however, is extremely disappointing.  Although it does register as stereo, the separations are subdued and the audio is never forceful.  It is evident, however, that the film's sound mix is quite sophisticated and that the Dolby soundtrack has not been well served by the transfer.  We would like to end on a positive note, however, by pointing out that the jacket cover provides an excellent thumbnail historical sketch of France's involvement in the region.

Jesus of Montreal:

Despite a somewhat gruesome ending, the film is a highly entertaining fable about a group of Montreal actors who are putting on a Passion Play and the vague similarities that develop between their own experiences and the events in the story they are enacting.  It explores the historical roots of Christianity with an inviting, contemplative enthusiasm, and it takes equal delight in examining the tribulations of maintaining a small theater company in a big city.  The film stock looks inexpensive and the contrast levels are lacking in detail.  When the cinematography attempts to look artistic, the disc usually lets it down, appearing grainy or over-saturated.  The stereo surround sound creates a mildly atmospheric dimensionality but remains subdued except for a few choice echoes.  The film is mostly in French and has yellow English subtitles which are not intrusive, along with small white French subtitles for the major English dialog passages.

Cyrano:

With his relaxed embodiment of the title character, Gerard Depardieu solidified his position as France's greatest living actor.  There may be more talented performers and periodically there are more popular stars, but no one else has managed to straddle the realm of artistic accomplishment and box office stature with quite the same panache.  Depardieu's roles have ranged from slapstick comedy--which on appearance he seems ideally suited for--to historical figures--from Danton to Rodin--and in each he has brought his characters to life vividly and, on appearance, effortlessly.  That is the wonderment he performs in Cyrano, speaking in verse as if he really thought that way, managing with ease the physical requirements of the fight scenes, but also, with the help of director Jean-Paul Rappeneau who keeps the camera distanced, carrying the awkwardly prolonged death in the final act with an ideal blend of vitality and introspection.

The film is a more fully realized interpretation of the Edmond Rostand story than the previous the English language renditions available on disc.  Filmed in Hungary, the period details are lush and the battle scenes are elaborate.  The film is more than just Depardieu's show, with all the principal performers, including Jacques Weber, Anne Brochet and Vincent Perez, delivering entertaining and compelling performances.  As for the wonderfully conceived narrative, we never realized before how much it shares with the French fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast.

The color transfer looks very nice, though the picture is mildly cropped.  The stereo surround sound is also well-produced.  The film is in French with yellow English subtitles, which are tolerable, although trying to follow such a work that way would be like trying to follow a Shakespeare play in translation.  Side three--the final act, is in CAV with two unsteady still frames out of every five.  The jacket text, incidentally, contains an embarrassing error concerning the lapse of time between events it is describing

Veronique

Krzysztof Kieslowski's equally intriguing The Double Life of Veronique has met with a much more disappointing fate in the hands of Paramount Home Video (LD15122, $35).  Cropped, damaged, drained of color, and presented with a stereo surround soundtrack that is virtually monaural, its condition is not only debilitated, but it makes one further appreciate the moderate accomplishment achieved on the image transfer of Blue.  With so much going against it, the narrative, an intriguing doppleganger tale about two female musicians, played by Irene Jacob, is less stimulating or involving.  Where, on Blue, Kieslowski's style held the viewer to the drama, Paramount's debasing of Veronique is alienating and the emotional pull of the film is destroyed.  Otherwise, the two films would make a fine double bill, since they both involve music, feature a strong heroine in the central role, and share certain images, notably that of a hunched over, elderly lady who has difficulty walking.  The movie is in Polish and French with white English subtitles.  Closed captioning is used as a supplement to the subtitling, though not all significant sound effects are noted.