Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #406 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-02-02
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: French
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 125 minutes

Synopsis
The City of Lights gets further illumination in this film from L'AUBERGE ESPAGNOL director Cedric Klapisch. The director, frequent collaborator Roman Duris, Juliette Binoche, and a host of France's finest actors create a film that celebrates the city with a number of interconnected narratives.

Customer Reviews

Souvent On Ris Pa A Paris
There's a lot that can be said about Paris, the city; it's great historical buildings, the landmarks, excellent new and exciting architecture, music, art - really I could go on. OK Paris isn't perfect, it has all the problems of the other capitals, but it's the historic architecture that really makes Paris what it is today, from what it started as, a small village, which has now sprawled into a 20 arrondissent city.

As I have said, Paris isn't perfect, and Cédric Klapisch sets out to show us why, in a very complex - multi persona movie, which can make you dizzy if you loose your place. The lead, Pierre (Romain Duris), is a young dancer who has got a serious and devastating heart condition; he's looking for a donor, but it's only got a 40% chance of working. His sister, Élise has decided to help him (played by Juliette Binoche (Les Amants Du Pont-Neuf)) and helps him with day to day things.

On the other side of Paris, we mainly see people's lives, like an architect, a young student, and a father who's dealing with a loss. But in Cameroon, we see a guy making his way to France.

This film is terribly complex, but very good. I watched it twice, once to get the gist, the second time to actually enjoy the film, so it does have a great come back to factor. Both Binoche and Duris show great potential, but sometimes Duris doesn't seem to be as occupied with the problem in hand, and it feels a bit dreamy - though sometimes people with a life-threatening disease do go into dreams, mainly due to pain or just so the mind can get away from the real issue.

The cinematography is just breath taking - this film has some of the best shots I've seen in ages of Paris, and really did take my breath away. Christophe Beaucarne should have won an award for this work. Even the duller scenes in the factory with the ugly graffiti on the van looks glorious - and I love the 3D world created during the middle of the movie.

This DVD isn't bad, I have to give credit to Optimum/Canal Studios for putting the English subtitles as separate entities - REALLY annoys me when studios think everyone in the UK cannot understand French, it's patronising, but thankfully the team have made it possible to turn them off! Well done guys, please, keep this up!

We're also treated on the audio front: 3 tracks in total, 2.0, which is pretty good, 5.1 and 5.1DTS, which is well mixed and is more expanded. Some people may argue this is gimmicky, but I like the option to watch this on 2.0 on the portable, and then 5.1 DTS on the big TV. Plus through my good speakers this is clear as a bell, I feel like I'm watching this for the first time when it was filmed on location.

Shame there are no other extras on this UK release, hopefully the French DVD has much more on it, I still have to investigate this.

I can't sing the praises high enough for this movie and the DVD, it's glorious and well presented, the dark scenes look fantastic, and the light scenes even better. Now all you need is a quiet moment where you won't be disturbed - and enjoy the marvel which is Paris.

5/5 on all fronts - except for the extras - BUY it!

Worth the wait
My wife and saw this film being advertised on the billboards in Paris last year but missed the opening...as it did not seem to be on general release in the UK we decided that it would bought as a dvd.
We are lovers of all things parisienne and this film captures the colours,the architecture and perhaps most of all the "quirkiness" of French filmaking...all the acting is top drawer and if you are at all a fan of Juliet Binoche add this to your collection...oh I forgot to mention the soundtrack! Stunning and mood capturing..

Ray Tough
Leeds

An unequivocal masterpiece
I have just watched it on the big screen at the GFT in Glasgow. Cinema at its finest. The city itself is featured spectacularly and the stories of the main characters are told with warmth and humour in a masterful screenplay. The subtitle translation for English speaking viewers captures all of the subtle pathos and comedy and the soundtrack is sublime. You wait a long time for gems like this.