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Suite Française
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Entertainment One Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (10th July 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.*** France 1940. As Hitler’s armies take control of Paris and bring total occupation to France, Lucile (Michelle Williams) awaits news from her husband who is being held a prisoner of war. Living with her mother-in-law (Kristin Scott Thomas) and leading a stifled existence, in a town struggling to cope with their terrifying German rulers, Lucile’s life is turned upside down when a handsome and charming German officer (Matthias Schoenaerts) is posted to live with them. Despite their hopeless situation, they find themselves drawn to each other until the desperate realities of war threaten to destroy them.
Video
Entertainment One release the well-received wartime drama "Suite Française" on to Blu-ray in the United Kingdom using the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The transfer is 1080p and receives an AVC MPEG-4 encode. As to be expected for such a new title, the picture quality is generally pleasing. Palette wise, the film uses a similar tone to that of the majority of war time dramas, with a lot of earthy browns and drained colours. Black levels are fine and are deep and inky throughout (especially clothing), though there is some occasional minimal crush when in darker settings. Shot on 35mm by cinematographer Eduard Grau ("A Single Man"), the transfer features a fine layer of grain throughout which is slightly more distinct in external scenes. Details are generally very strong, especially in close-ups which show every blemish in faces, and every stitch and intricacy in the clothing. Mid-range details also delight, though often backgrounds in dialogue scenes are purposefully out of focus, so they don't always get a chance to shine. Details in backgrounds are above average, though not reference quality, with grassy fields and woodland foliage of particular note. The transfer isn't all plain sailing though. The picture suffers from some compression artefacts on more than one occasion, with 65:38 being the worst of the bunch. There is also some light banding in some skylines, though to be honest, barely noticeable, and a light moire pattern in the red jumper at 70:35. There aren't any signs of damage to the print itself though, with no dirt or scratches to note. Apart from the compression artefacts, the other problems are miniscule and forgiveable. The feature is uncut and runs 107:25.
Audio
Three options: - English/German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 - English/German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo - English Audio Descriptive Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo The film is a mix of English (~80%) and German (~20%), and the English/German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track I opted to view the film in was very good. Dialogue is perfectly clear at all times and channel separation solid. The film is generally dialogue based, but there are scenes with some action in which utilise the sound field very well, whether it be planes flying overhead, or gunshots during an execution. Effects are well directed with great depth, an example being when several German soldiers cock their guns at the same time from slightly different distances, and speech is never overpowered. The LFE is used well where required, and the score is subtle yet powerful. There are no issues to speak of such as pops and crackles, and no background hiss. English subtitles are forced for German dialogue, and optional English HoH subtitles are available for the rest of the feature.
Extras
We start the extras with "The Cast" featurette, running 5:57. This is a pretty standard and straightforward featurette that takes a look at the actors and actresses that play the key roles in the film, and interviews a mix of cast and crew about the characters they play, and why they were cast. It's more in-depth than a typical TV snippet you might see on the likes of Sky Movies, but still relatively basic. Next up, we have "The Story" featurette which clocks in at 5:12. This looks closer at the way the story looks at the radicalisation of a young woman via military occupation. This featurette also approaches the characteristics of various people in the film and how it effects the story. Surprisingly, we don't hear enough at all about the differences between the film and the original story by Irène Némirovsky. The "Production Design" featurette (8:34) looks at the authenticity of the look of the film for the era and location. We learn here that the film was a full location shoot in Belgium and France. This is probably the most interesting of the featurettes, and it is intriguing to see the processes in making sure the feature had a convincing look. We hear that the people that live in the French village that was transformed even decided to keep some of the vintage looking lamp posts and other bits and pieces after filming had finished. Although the earlier story featurette didn't look at the original story, this featurette entitled "The Book" (6:05) certainly does. The novel was actually unfinished after sixty years, as the daughters of Irène Némirovsky did not look at the book that was left to them. It is essentially a snapshot of what life was like for people who lived through Nazi occupation, and we hear about the processes in bringing the story to the big screen after it was a best seller around the world. The final featurette is "The Look", and comes in at 6:27. There isn't really any crossover between this and the production design featurette, as this is more about the cinematography by Eduard Grau. Both Grau and director Saul Dibb give a few sound bites about the way they joined together to form a successful team to make the film look authentic. We hear that Grau really doesn't like greens so they limited greens as much as they could (hence no green dresses, or green furniture etc). There are also some start-up trailers: - "The Water Diviner" (2:35) - "Child 44" (1:58) - "The Good Lie" (2:03)
Overall
"Suite Française" is an above average war time drama with an excellent cast. The A/V quality is strong overall, and there are some intriguing if short extras. Recommended.
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