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Potiche (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Studio Canal Review written by and copyright: Jon Meakin (23rd October 2011). |
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The Film
 What a sad state cinema distribution is in. I’m resigned to the fact that art-house and foreign titles will never get the advertising exposure they deserve because they are squeezed out by the big studios, but it adds insult to injury that a film like Potiche isn’t allowed to struggle in dignified silence. No, it has to be perverted by bloody Orange and their annoying adverts, paraded on the big multiplex screens that would never dream of advertising such a niche film properly. Oh, I get the irony. Mobile phones ruin films, so Orange ruin this one too. Ha-ha, how droll. And I’m not so naïve that I don’t assume the distributor was paid handsomely for allowing the travesty to happen. The optimist in me hopes that their blood money helps some struggling film elsewhere, but let’s be realistic that the reputation of Potiche might not recover. The average audience member will forever label it “Ooh, it's that Orange film!”. That is, if it ever falls across their path by accident, because Orange and the multiplex chains have made damn sure their vision isn’t disturbed by not showing the real trailer, and therefore forever hide the fact that, yes, it is a real film. And I hope you make the effort because when you actually watch it, mobile phones are a distant memory. Potiche is an unassuming French farce that is an absolute delight, thanks to a wonderful cast and some great dialogue. Set in the late 1970s, it features the elegant Catherine Deneuve as Suzanne Pujol, the ‘Trophy Wife’ of an ambitious factory owner, Robert Pujol (Fabrice Luchini) who thinks he loves her, but pays her little respect nor considers she misses it anyway. She seems to be taken for granted by her grown-up children too and the mayor, Maurice Babin (Gérard Depardieu), with whom she has some interesting history. It is set in a politically volatile time and Robert is forced out of the factory by striking workers and heart trouble. Suzanne takes over while he recuperates and proves her worth considerably. Building on her natural compassion and hitherto unseen business acumen, she revitalises the factory and wins over the workers, her children and even Robert’s secretary who he is having an affair with (of course!). On his return, Robert is not pleased. Feminism, decency and communism threaten his mini-empire, but he has some tricks up his sleeve. It is fantastic fun to watch Suzanne pull this coup off, though it is no surprise to us. Deneuve plays her brilliantly pitched as a calm and elegant lady from the start, who enjoys life and seems content that others are happy, despite her own potential remaining unrealised, even to the extent that she seems fully aware of her husband’s indiscretion with the secretary Nadège (Karin Viard), but ignores it. Perhaps it keeps him quiet! It is possible that Deneuve plays her too straight as the script does seem to attempt to express some complaints from her character, but it quickly subsides. I liked this though because it simply continues that consistent and effective view that she infects almost everyone around her so completely that even the narrative can’t bear to disturb her inspirational sense of ‘C’est la vie’! Another one helplessly affected is the mayor. The scenes between Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu are without exception, superb. The film is as much about sexual politics as any other kind and the delicate to and froing of their characters is perfectly delivered. Touching and hilarious, often at the same time, their relationship is the heart of the film. And in another example of the playful narrative mirroring the characters, Luchini’s Robert refuses to be sidelined and fights his way back into the film! Watch out for the subtle scene in which he brings back presents for his wife and secretary. His quiet petulance is fantastic. He is great as a sort of villain, but because the ever content Suzanne never entirely condemns him, neither do we. It is here that some accuse the film of a misstep and technically, it does falter. The story seems to come to an end, so the shift into the last act can be awkward, but if you expect it and have faith in the character of Suzanne, I defy you not to end the film with a huge grin! An overall problem with the film is that it could be seen as lacking relevance and there is a sense that it inhabits a bubble, especially when the principal characters are fairly privileged. Being set in the 1970s, the political climate it realises is long past (not that I’ve kept up with French politics! It may be seen as at least ironic in its host country) and the battle of the sexes has moved on a great deal too. So you can only take it for what it is and not find some deep meaning. Contrarily, that is to its and ours benefit because it’s thoroughly enjoyable. While it is very French, especially in the sharp dialogue and outrageous mini-twists (it certainly embraces farce!) I was pleasantly surprised to find it also had a lot in common with Ealing comedies, in particular The Man In The White Suit which had a similar conscience. Adapted from a play that somewhat explains the reflective and neat plot, it is an actor’s film and rarely rocks that boat, but director François Ozon brilliantly evokes the 70s period. The opening titles and title font could not be more suited. And then there is the great soundtrack especially during a club scene when the mayor takes Suzanne dancing, while the score also could have been lifted straight from the period.
Video
The film is presented in a with a 1.85:1 AVC MPEG-4 image and it is gorgeous. It looks like a remastered 70s film, which of course is perfect! Despite the period being known for its garishness, colours indoors have excellent contrast but are muted somewhat so it doesn’t appear harsh, especially in the soft natural lighting Ozon uses. Outdoors, it is pin-sharp and bright. Look at the cars parked outside the house in particular. It’s also a handsome film because Ozon favours a lovely deep focus effect, even in dialogue heavy scenes between two characters.
Audio
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 French audio track is excellent, though as you’d expect from such a film, not very adventurous. Still, there is a nice balance between the speech and the music, and a moment in a kitchen is particularly noteworthy as the radio Suzanne is listening to becomes part of the score for us the viewer and then fades back to the radio. There is also a LPCM stereo French track and English subtitles, though they cannot be turned off.
Extras
No truly insightful extras, but there are 21 minutes of outtakes that vary in quality, 6 minutes of footage of the cast doing costume tests and the teaser trailer (thankfully not featuring mobile phones!).
Overall
It’s easy to assume Potiche is a dated exercise for dated actors to simply act out a play on film that has no current social relevance, but the fantastic cast, inventive production, sharply clever dialogue and a sense of abandon in the plot continually defy expectations to make for a gently farcical story that is frequently touching and very funny.
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