The Movie
Language barrier aside, foreign films have a tendency to put off American viewers, many of whom are turned off by a reputation for, well, at least occasional pretentiousness. Amélie (full French title Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain) therefore came as a happy surprise, a warm and welcoming movie that entertains us from the very start with its wit and wisdom.
It's the story of a crafty, unspoiled girl (the lovely Audrey Tatou, her porcelain face and dark shoebutton eyes deftly manipulated in her many wordless scenes) who, surprised by her success with a premeditated act of kindness for a total stranger, becomes a self-styled do-gooder. She even takes a bit of well-motivated revenge along the way, always with a staggering creativity. Her track record isn't perfect, although she does manage to fix a few lives, but what about her own loneliness?
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet shows an obvious love for all of his characters, even the bit parts, with their varied quirks and imagination. This new Blu-ray presents the 122-minute R-rated (for sexual content) version, there is apparently a seven-minute-longer cut that I've never seen, unfortunately.
The Picture
A significant step up from DVD, this high-def presentation brings a pleasing level of detail but also some slight grain and softness to the 2.35:1 image, with blacks that are largely flat and lifeless. Dark scenes in particular can grow quite noisy, and out-of-focus backgrounds can go a little mushy. But in general the exquisite use of light and color shines through.
The Sound
Don't even think about watching this movie in any language other than its original French. In fact, that's the only option we're given, in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 quality.
There are aggressive touches like whooshing and other artful enhancements, as well as credible resonance and enough bass to assure us that our subwoofer still works. Wind, rain, and a deluge of marbles exploit the surrounds, we can enjoy some directionality to skipping stones and zipping mopeds, and there is an impressive clarity in the clinking glasses at the café. The entire movie meanwhile is lifted by the mostly light but superbly emotive score.
The Extras
The bonus features all appear to be borrowed from the excellent two-disc DVD, although not 100% of that DVD content has been ported over to Blu-ray. There's an audio commentary by Jeunet, but the DVD actually had two, one in English the other in his native French.
All of the video extras are in lackluster standard definition, a collection of featurettes and more in either English or English-subtitled French. A full listing appears below.
Final Thoughts
A comedy, a character study, a love story about dreamers in a dreamy French town, Amélie is ultimately a celebration of originality, ably captured in this surprisingly affordable Blu-ray edition.
Product Details
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