Le Beau Serge (Criterion Collection)

Many Stars for ~Le Beau "Francois"~
I feel that "Le Beau Serge" is a very sweet and well thought out film. It tells a story of a young student (Francois Bayon) who returns to his countryside hometown to recuperate. Upon arrival, he runs into a drunkard whom he recognizes to be his childhood friend (Serge). Francois' friend Michel tells him how Serge is on the verge of self-destruction after failing to get his architectural degree. Later, both friends are reunited and have an opportunity to catch up on old times. Francois observes Serge's inconsistent and erratic behavior and tries to help him mend his way. Along the way, Francois meets Serge's wife (Yvonne) and her sister (Marie). Francois has a brief affair with Marie before finding out she is raped by her "father". One night during the village dance, their affair ended with everyone humiliating and ridiculing Francois. Serge, angry with Francois for coming to his life while he's at his lowest point begins to despise beat him up in public. After the incident,...

Handsome Serge
Credited as the first feature of the French New Wave, Claude Chabrol's first film as writer/director has little of the controlled tension that defines his best work. This study of a village which witnesses the return of Francois, who left 12 years ago to seek a future in Paris, has Chabrol's customary exploration of the class divisions in French society, with the prodigal son the bourgeoisie, and the villagers the pagan primal proletariat. Francois is determined to "help" his friend Serge and the lifestyle Francois clearly disapproves of. However the idea that these people need help is a sign of superiority and impertinent presumption, signified by Serge's wife's claim that Serge wasn't disatisfied with his life until Francois returned and pointed out that he should be. Chabrol makes Serge's wife pregnant, with her first child born mongoloid and dead, so that the condition of the unborn child symbolises the future, at least as seen through Francois. Chabrol's dialogue has...

Subtle Hints of What Chabrol Would Become
Having seen several films by Claude Chabrol (-IE- "Les Biches", "Le Boucher", "La Rupture", "La Cérémonie", "Merci Pour Le Chocolat") before having viewed this one -- "Le Beau Serge" seems like the work of another filmmaker. Technically this was the first film of the French New Wave. As such, it features (1) some very good black and white cinematography (the snowy scenes towards the end of the picture are especially beautiful); (2) crude and quirky provincial characters that are well delineated; and (3) an excellent score by Émile Delpierre; Chabrol cleverly and effectively used the orchestrations of this score to highlight dramatic moments and character appearances via musical punctuation. Yet in spite of everything I like about this picture -- Its style is not yet Chabrol to me. Although there is an innocence about this film that is refreshing -- Especially in contrast to the sinister direction Chabrol would take to create his unique...

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Les cousins (The Criteron Collection) [Blu-ray]

Love triangle of the fifties
A story of French cousins-students sharing a passion to a girl, where the sexier is the luckier, which finished in a tragedy of not accepting a way reality presented.





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The Phantom Carriage (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

A man who spoke through silence
**EDIT 9-27-11** The overall quality of the Blu-ray is fair, not quite as good as I had originally hoped, but it's still decent. As with most silents, the tell-tale signs of aging are still present even after the restoration, mainly age spots and vertically running scratches. But don't let this discourage you from purchasing this silent masterpiece. Although it's not perfect, Criterion still did a good job on the restoration (as they normally do) and the overall quality is better than previous versions that I've viewed.

The Phantom Carriage is a silent Swedish film made by legendary actor/director Victor Sjöström. While Sjöström is known more for his acting performances later in life, namely as the protagonist in Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries, he originally made his mark as a prolific and very innovative director, beginning in the silent era and spanning into early talkies. This film is considered by many to be one of his very best and is a perfect...

No wonder Bergman loved this film!
I saw The Phantom Carriage on TCM not too long ago and was enthralled. This movie is one of the gems of silent cinema, and for American audiences it's still mainly an unseen gem. I hope this Criterion release will change that. The print quality is superb; even with higher-contrast orthochromatic film there is good tonal range in this restoration. This is a boon because the lighting is often subtle. I'm not familiar with the source material, but the way Sjostrom directs his actors makes me wish he'd done a silent adaptation of Crime and Punishment; The Silent Carriage is a Dostoevskyan drama that turns the protagonist's soul inside out. It's a masterpiece of direction and restrained acting, and makes me appreciate again the sophistication Scandinavian film-makers brought to the early development of the motion picture.

A Swedish Silent Classic That Shouldn't Be Missed.
It delights me no end that Victor Sjostrom's THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE is finally getting a Region 1 release and from Criterion no less. I have had the Region 2 version of this for a few years (complete with mislabeled discs) but now I will be able to enjoy the additional extra supplements that Criterion offers. Since it is also being offered in Blu-Ray I can assume that it has a digital upgrade from my release which is from the Swedish Film Institute and was already a decent restoration although I confess that I didn't care much for the modern KTL score. In my opinion, the Matti Bye score suits the material better. An improved English subtitle translation is always a plus as well. KORKARLEN, the film's original title and the name of the book it is taken from, translates as "The Coach Driver" and is an accurate description as the carriage and driver appear throughout and are the key symbol on which the plot hinges.

THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE is one of those silent movies to show...

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Carlos (Criterion Collection)

A Mini-Series, A Long Form Movie, A Two Part Movie, Or An Abridged Version--Criterion Serves Up The Full 339 Minute Mini-Series
More than any other film in 2010, Olivier Assayas "Carlos" has made the rounds. This comprehensive biopic about renowned Venezuelan terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (also known as Carlos) has swept the globe in various editions at various lengths. Shown on the film festival circuit (Cannes, Telluride, New York) largely intact and running over 5 hours, there is also an international film version (or more than one) clocking in at about 3 hours, a U.S. film presentation in two parts, and there is the U.S. television mini-series presentation (by Sundance Channel) that came with three distinct parts and ran about 5 and a half hours. For the purposes of this discussion, I will be referencing the U.S. mini-series presentation because, at least in length, it seems to be the definitive and comprehensive version and the edition Criterion is covering in the Director's Approved release. However, we in the U.S. still seem to be confused about whether we call this a film or a TV event...

Rich, heady, exciting, brilliantly acted political character study
Fascinating 5 hour plus, 3 part film about Carlos the Jackal (although
he never actually called himself that) the headline grabbing terrorist
of the 70s and 80s.

With little exposition, we're dropped into a whirlwind of violence,
self-aggrandizement, sexual seduction, and power games, moving at an
almost dizzying speed. The film allows us to slowly figure out Carlos,
instead of explain him in a simple facile way.

While never sympathetic, somehow the amazing Edgar Rameriez allows us
to feel for this id and ego driven creature, powered far more by the
need for attention and adulation (whether from women or the press) than
by true belief. Indeed, one of the most interesting things about the
film is how (intentionally) shallow and hollow Carlos's political
monologues ring.

The last 1/3 is the slowest and hardest to sit through. Carlos's slow
decline into ineffectiveness and unimportance is sometimes...

Brilliant film on infamous terrorist given Deluxe Criterion treatment!
Carlos is a towering achievement, a fascinating study of a man who was a reflection of the times in which he lived in and is embodied by Edgar Ramirez's powerful performance spanning several decades.

The first disc includes a theatrical trailer.

The second disc starts off with "Shooting the OPEC Sequence," a 22-minute featurette examining how Olivier Assayas shot Carlos and his team's raid on the OPEC headquarters on December 21, 1975. The director offers his thoughts on what he hoped to achieve with the film over the footage of the cast and crew working on location. This extra provides some insight into his working methods.

There is an interview with Denis Lenoir, one of the film's two cinematographers. He shot the second half of Carlos and talks about his approach towards the job. He didn't prepare much for the film because he came in halfway through and goes into some of the technical aspects (i.e. film stock, lighting, etc.). Lenoir also talks...

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