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Amour Fou
R2 - United Kingdom - Arrow Films Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (6th March 2015). |
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The Film
 ***This is an A/V and Extras review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Love can't be chosen. Berlin, the Romantic Era, Young poet Heinrich (Christian Friedel, White Ribbon) wishes to conquer the inevitability of death through love, yet is unable to convince his sceptical cousin Marie to join him in a suicide pact. It is whilst coming to terms with this refusal, ineffably distressed by his cousin’s insensitivity to the depth of his feelings, that Heinrich meets Henriette (Birte Schnöink), the wife of a business acquaintance, Henrich’s subsequent offer to the beguiling young woman at first holds scant appeal that is until Henriette discovers she is suffering from a terminal illness. AMOUR FOU is a “romantic comedy” based loosely on the suicide of the poet Henrich von Kleist in 1811.
Video
Independent British distributor Arrow Films have released the German film "Amour fou" on to DVD in the United Kingdom using the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The disc is in PAL format, and the transfer looks as expected for a new feature. For the majority of the run time, the feature takes place within the household, and the period decor looks fine. You might think the smaller details, such as the intricate stitching on the pillows at 25:01, or the various patterns of the wallpaper, may suffer from a lack of clarity on DVD, and although these details can appear to be a little dense at times, they are generally sharp and without issue. Blacks are relatively deep, with only negligible crush, whilst the occasional velvety reds stand out against a palette that features a lot of blacks and bieges. Close-up details are pretty average for a new film, with no issues, yet nothing worth particular praise either. There is some light aliasing here and there, generally along the long straight edges of some of the furniture, whilst there is also some light edge enhancement and ringing present at times. None of these issues are a cause for concern, but they are occasionally noticeable. The film was shot using an Arri Alexa camera, which gives the digital film a more filmic look than the sheen of other digital cameras. There are no obvious issues with digital artifacts, and no signs of damage. This is a good transfer without any big problems, but there isn't anything that sets it apart from similar releases. The feature is uncut and runs 91:44.
Audio
A single Dolby Digital 5.1 track is available here in the original German language. This is a pretty uneventful track overall, but it does suit the tone and location of the film perfectly. With "Amour fou" being heavily dialogue driven, it comes as no surprise that this is very much a track that is 98% of the time located at the front of the sound stage. The surrounds barely get a look in, but this isn't down to anything other than the fact there are very few moments where they are required (light wind in one of the outdoor shots for example). Dialogue is clear at all times, and piano music sounds fine. There aren't any issues with drop outs, scratches, or pops, and I didn't notice any background hiss at all. The optional English subtitles are white, and are easy to follow. They are free of any obvious errors.
Extras
Just a couple of start-up trailers: - "Like Father, Like Son" (2:06) - "Stations of the Cross" (1:58)
Overall
I struggled to get into this Jessica Hausner film as easily as I did with the underrated "Hotel" or with "Lourdes", but it did pull me in during the final act.
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