I've Loved You So Long [Blu-ray] by Philippe Claudel, starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Elza Zylberstein, Serge Hazanavicius, Laurent Grevill, Frederic Pierrot: DVDNear.com

I've Loved You So Long [Blu-ray]

I've Loved You So Long [Blu-ray]
by Philippe Claudel

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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Elza Zylberstein, Frederic Pierrot, Kristin Scott Thomas, Laurent Grevill, Serge Hazanavicius
Director: Philippe Claudel
Brand: Sony
Writer: Philippe Claudel
Blu-ray: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); French (Original Language); English (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 117 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: 2009-03-03
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

Movie Reviews of I've Loved You So Long [Blu-ray]

Movie Review: 'Cinema Verite' at its finest, presented in crystal-clear HD
Summary: 5 Stars

The film:

I don't want to spoil this film for you, as a great deal of enjoyment is to be had in the slow unfolding of its characters' lives to the viewer. So, in the briefest terms possible, it is about a French woman who is returning to society after a stay in prison. Through the course of the film we see the main character Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas) attempt to reintegrate herself into the world of her sister and her sister's family.

It's hard to find the superlatives for Kristin Scott Thomas' work here. Simply put, she is an actor of the highest rank. She completely inhabits her character, and gives us exactly what we need to have a look into the character's soul, but without bludgeoning us over the head with obviousness, as some actors are wont to do. Every facial muscle is in her control, giving us slight twitches and smiles, movements of eyelids, all of the cues we would see in a real person of our acquaintance, that we would use to clue us in to their internal state.

Equally good is the writing. Instead of bald-faced expository scenes, we are given the story in the sort of real conversational threads that we might be presented with if we were a fly on the wall, not a stupid audience member being instructed. There is no narration, no summary, just real scenes, as if we were witnessing them in real life. This was very refreshing, when so many films deign to hold the viewer's hand through the entire run time.

In concert, the acting, the writing, and the directing/cinematography create what is called "cinema verite." Nothing pulls you out of the reality of the portrait we are given of the character. It is utterly absorbing, and the desire to find out everything easily propels the viewer through the 1:50 teleplay.

The Blu-Ray:

Sony has presented us with a video transfer that, at first, I thought was shot on video. The reason I thought this was that there was such clarity of detail and dimensionality to the picture that it couldn't be from celluloid. In fact, this movie was shot on film. A very slight but persistent grain structure is evident upon closer inspection, and it is very nice that they did not slather the image with digital noise reduction, but instead left it the way it is.

Detail starts out stunning, and generally holds up throughout the film. This is a movie with a lot of close ups of faces and hands, and it really makes you look at people differently - so many movies are spit-shined, air-brushed, and stars are made up to within an inch of their lives. Here, we see every wrinkle, vein, sinew, knuckle, and dark circle under an eye. It is perhaps a little jarring at first, but eventually I was reminded that this, in fact, is how real people look. This realism adds to the aforementioned "you are there" feeling.

There are a few scenes which get a tiny bit soft, but they are few and far between. Overall, this is a sterling HD presentation. The depth and clarity of the image help the process of drawing the viewer in - complementing an amazing performance to a tee.

Audio is unspectacular, but this is of course and extremely dialogue-driven film. French and English dubs are available, with the English dub featuring Thomas' vocal work, in a nice touch. I would recommend the French track with subtitles, though, since almost the entire film is acted in French, including all of Thomas' lines. Extras include a few deleted scenes.

*******

So in the end, I suppose the questions are two: should you see this film? I would say that unreservedly, anyone who is a fan of acting, art, performance, drama, and realistic character portraits of human beings should see this film. If you want explosions and one-liners, you might be better served by a Nicolas Cage vehicle.

The other question is: should you own it? That's a bit thornier. After you've seen it once, you know the backstory of the main character, and thus a fair amount of your drive to see the film has been satisfied. Why watch it again?

Fans of Kristin Scott Thomas, or of truly great acting performances in general, should have this on their shelf. This is a two hour master class, pressed onto a disc.

Everyone else might benefit more from a rental. The subject matter is a bit of a downer, although there is a fair amount of bittersweet uplift by the end. It's not the kind of thing you'll pop in on a rainy day to liven things up.

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Summary of I've Loved You So Long [Blu-ray]

Juliette Fontaine (Kristin Scott Thomas, Golden Globe® Nominee for I've Loved You So Long, Oscar® nominee for The English Patient) is a frail, haunted woman, an ex-doctor who's a shell of her former self. Having served 15 years in prison for an unspeakable crime, she's back on the "outside." With nowhere else to go, she comes to live with her loving but estranged sister Lea (Elsa Zylberstein). Together the sisters embark on a painful but redemptive journey back from life's darkest edge in this gripping drama of struggle and salvation.

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I've Loved You So Long [Blu-ray]