The sort of film it seems comes out of Hollywood only as a fluke, but emerges regularly out of Europe: the intellectual romantic comedy.
Synopsis
Camille, leading lady of an Italian-language theatre troupe, has returned to Paris for the first time in three years. Though her lover is the director Ugo, she seeks out her ex, Pierre, and her feelings are not exactly simple. Ugo, meanwhile, is searching for a rare play, and is attracted to the daughter of the woman who owns the manuscript. The set-up is…traditional farce, but is played out in a very leisurely (over two-and-a-half hours) and low-key style.
Audio
The soundtrack is presented in the original French only. The English subtitles are accurate, and are, unfortunately, pretty much necessary even if your French is up to snuff, since there is a fair bit of Italian dialogue as well. The sound is very clear, and gets off to a very nice ambient beginning, one of the most delicately produced but effective surround mixes I’ve heard. The quality of the mix is not quite consistent however, and once the dialogue kicks in much of the surround effect disappears, and there are some lost opportunities for rear sound FX (audience applause, for instance).
Video
The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 widescreen. It is grain-free, very sharp and crisp. The night scenes, however, have perhaps been over-enhanced. At any rate, the colours are rather pale, approaching the monochrome. The skin tones are generally rather greyish as well. So the result is clean, but unprepossessing.
Features
The menu is silent and still, and the only extras are trailers for Va Savoir, The House of Mirth and Me You Them.
Closing Thoughts
A quiet, assured film with a no-frills release.
Special Features List
- Theatrical Trailers
