Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17074 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-01-26
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: French, Portuguese
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 78 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
One of the more surprising critical hits of 2003, Sylvain Chomet's Belleville Rendezvous is a French animation that combines occasional beauty and charm with sardonic grotesquerie. People have commented about its bitchy portrait of a USA where everyone is overweight and over-helpful; it is equally nasty about a provincial France, where everything is grey and nothing is convenient. A grandmother and her dog set out to rescue a cyclist who has been kidnapped by the French Mafia and is forced to race endlessly into a receding projected landscape; she is helped by a superannuated trio of female close-harmony chansonniers marooned in American poverty.

Nothing in this film is mere chance--almost everything we see turns out to be relevant. There is also little dialogue--most of the time, sound effects and music take its place, from the irritating squeak of a mechanic's breathing to the sublimity of Mozart's "Kyrie" as a storm rages at sea. Belleville Rendezvous uses the best of traditional animation techniques and modern technology to produce something sharply funny and beautifully composed; it is not quite like anything you have seen before. --Roz Kaveney

DVD Description
Noticing that her grandson, Champion, is a lonely little boy, Madame Souza buys him his first bicycle. Years go by, and with Madame Souza putting him through his paces, Champion becomes worthy of his name. Now he is ready to enter the world’s most famous cycling competition, the Tour de France. But no sooner than the race begun, two mysterious men in black kidnap him and it is up to Madame Souza and her faithful dog, Bruno, to rescue him.

Soon, their quest takes them to a giant metropolis called Belleville, where they encounter three eccentric female music hall stars of the 1930s and do battle with the evil French mafia. But can they rescue Champion? A visual treat for young and old alike, this stunning film has captured the imagination of audience the world over with its unique blend of classic animation and razor-sharp wit.

Special Features

• Scene selection
  
• Original theatrical trailer
  
• Making of … documentary
  
• Interview with Director and Art Director
  
• Animation lesson
  
• Music video
  
• Making of … the music video
  
• Belleville Theme by M
  
• 3 scenes with commentary

DVD Technical Information:

• Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic 1.77:1
  
• Running Time: 78 mins approx.
  
• Language: English and French
  
• Subtitles: Some English (optional)
  
• PAL
  
• Disc Format: DVD-9
  
• Region Code: 0 (all)
  
• Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround/DTS Digital Surround 5.1

Customer Reviews

I got this in a ewspaper for free!!!
The film is 5 star, get it when it's cheap, but I got it free in a newspaper about a year ago, shouldn't it be like, £1.98?

dark and comic - do the French really see themselves like that?
Whatever else anyone likes or hates about this fmin, its the small details that really make it work.
The very weird music hall scene with the Triplets - featuring Django Reinhardt (the guitarist playing with his foot), Josephine Baker getting attacked by monkeys after the bananas, and Fred Astaire getting eaten by his own tap shoes, for one.
Next, the passage of time, with the sudden appearance of the railway bridge, pushing Madame Souza's house aside.
Then there is the impossibly steep road Champion cycles up, followed by Grandma on his old trike.
The massive ocean liner - straight from an art-deco poster with its sleek and stretched lines.

Belleville Rendez-Vous [2003]
Belleville Rendez-Vous (The Triplets of Belleville)

A quirky french animation about a young boy who realises his dream. It's a movie I haven't seen which I have been meaning to see for a while and strange quality about it drew me in. Its interesting to see the relationship develop with the young boy and his grandemother over the years, the funny clockwork barking of the dog and I like the way the beginning mirrors the ending. Its caricatural nature and the musical tie-in make it a funny and enjoyable watch. Cracking 'silent movie', a must see for those into the wierd and wonderful.