Amélie
(2001/Lionsgate Blu-ray/U.S. Release)
Picture:
A- Sound: A- Extras:
B Film: A-
French
director Jean-Pierre Jeunet has quietly yet consistently compiled a diverse and
interesting filmography since his feature debut in 1991 (Delicatessen). Amélie, his most critically and
commercially successful film, is now finally available on Blu-ray in the United
States thanks to Lionsgate’s acquisition of key titles from Miramax’s now
independently owned catalog. Jeunet’s
first film after his misunderstood Alien
Resurrection (reviewed on Blu-ray elsewhere on this site) is a return to
form and to the French language.
Amélie is the type of film that Hollywood is afraid to
make. Most times when a film is sold as
“guaranteed to put a smile on your face” you can be certain that it will
feature a former lead from Sex and the
City limping her way to another paycheck.
That being said, I am going to say that this is truly the type of film
that will put that smile on your face. Original,
colorful, fun, and heartwarming are the first words that come to mind if I had
to sell someone on Amélie. You might get one of those adjectives from
most Hollywood productions, but as soon as
more then one of them are used the result is a kid’s movie with Jason Lee and
some CGI blobs. We get the experiences
and life of the title character shown in a witty way that sets the film apart
from so many female-lead films that are just phony and often obviously made by
men who do not know what they are talking about and Audrey Tautou is great
throughout.
Jeunet,
who takes great care when preparing his films for Blu-ray, is irate with Fox
for not asking him to be involved with mastering of Alien Resurrection for the Alien
Anthology Blu-ray set. Luckily for
fans of Amélie, he was involved in
the remastering for Blu-ray and it shows. Bruno Delbonnel’s Oscar Nominated
Cinematography shines in Lionsgate’s new MPEG-4 AVC 1080p transfer. The 2:35:1 golden-green stylized image pops
off the screen with the detail one might expect from a newer release. This US release seems to have used the
same source material as Jeunet’s officially approved French release with a few
minor differences. I have been fortunate
to compare this release side by side with the French disc. The US release is just slight bit
brighter and warmer as well as having just a bit more digital noise. Both the
French and U.S. releases
look excellent, but I would choose the French (TFI Video) over the U.S.
due to Jeunet’s direct involvement. Unfortunately,
the French release does not have English subtitles, which may distract many
enthusiasts from importing the superior transfer. I would like to thank Jeunet for staying true
to the film’s original theatrical presentation by not changing the color timing
as other directors have unfortunately been doing with recent remasters. The French Lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix
is excellent and ranges from subtle to active surround. The dialogue is crisp and Yann Tiersen’s
memorable score is well represented.
All of
the extras from the Miramax’s two-disc DVD have been ported to the new Blu-ray
in standard definition. This disc is a
must own for fans of the film who appreciate the Blu-ray format. Listed at $19.99 upon its initial release, I
wasn’t sure what to expect from this Lionsgate catalogue title. I am ecstatic at the treatment it has been
given and look forward to rest of the Miramax films to be released in the
future form them. Note some titles are
going to Echo Bridge for Blu-ray and the results have
been awful so far.
One final
note regarding this release: Amélie
has previously been released twice in Canada
and many people are going to be upgrading from the Alliance and TVA Films releases. If you are planning on picking this title up
at a movie exchange type store, please make sure to not purchase the inferior
TVA Films 1080i version as it is universally regarded as a disaster. The Alliance
version is 1080p and generally regarded as comparable to the new Lionsgate/Miramax
disc.
- Jimm Needle
www.jimmneedle.com
