A Christmas Tale

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Synopsis

In Arnaud Desplechin’s beguiling A Christmas Tale (Un conte de Noël), Catherine Deneuve brings her legendary poise to the role of Junon, matriarch of the troubled Vuillard family, who come together at Christmas after she learns she needs a bone marrow transplant from a blood relative. That simple family reunion setup, however, can’t begin to describe the unpredictable, emotionally volatile experience of this film, an inventive, magical drama that’s equal parts merriment and melancholy. Unrequited childhood loves and blinding grudges, brutal outbursts and sudden slapstick, music, movies, and poetry, A Christmas Tale ties it all together in a marvelously messy package.

Picture 9/10

Making its debut on Blu-ray through Criterion, Arnaud Desplechin’s A Christmas Tale is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this dual-layer Blu-ray disc. The transfer is presented in 1080p.

The DVD edition looks strong but this high-def version clearly blows it out of the water. Sharpness and detail is vastly superior here, more than I had actually expected. Grain is much more noticeable and also much more natural looking. Colours were also strong on the DVD but they’re a bit better here, specifically reds. Black levels also look a little deeper and bolder. Skin tones look natural but again, like with the DVD, they can lean a little towards red on occasion but I suspect this is intended. The print is in perfect condition as far as I could see, with no noticeable flaws or marks.

A rather large improvement over the DVD, I’m happy Criterion came to their senses and released the film on Blu-ray along with the DVD (the film was originally announced as DVD only.) It looks quite striking.

Audio 8/10

The Blu-ray presents the film with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track. It’s a noticeable upgrade from the DVD’s Dolby Digital track in that it sounds a little crisper, more natural, and bass is a tad more effective. But it’s certainly not a dazzler, remaining front heavy, only creeping to the backs on occasion (though the back speakers are a little more noticeable when compared to the DVD’s track.) But it’s sharp, presents crisp dialogue and music. It’s subtle and overall quiet but effective for the film.

Extras 6/10

This is where the disc disappoints. Criterion’s DVD and Blu-ray for Gomorrah (another new film licenced from IFC Films) wasn’t up to the level of Criterion’s strongest editions but it still offered a rather full platter of strong supplements. Unfortunately this release offers only a couple and is still priced higher. The features are all found under the “Supplements” section.

The big feature, and the best one on here, is L’Aimée, a 2007 documentary by Arnaud Desplechin. Reading the brief synopsis on the back of the DVD package, which indicates this film is about “the sale of [Desplechin’s] family home,” I can’t say I was looking forward to it. Thankfully it’s much more than that and at an hour (66-minutes to be more precise) it actually feels too short. Narrated and “hosted” (I guess you could say) by Desplechin, the documentary, that doesn’t feel at all like it’s a documentary, begins by stating that his father is selling the family home. Desplechin then more-or-less interviews his father, going through family photos, talking about his father’s mother, who died from TB when he was very young. It ends up becoming quite an engaging piece and a decent examination of family and memories. And as I said it doesn’t feel at all like a documentary at all thanks to Desplechin’s style. While this may seem like an odd inclusion for the set it actually is a perfect addition; after watching A Christmas Tale you can see L’Aimée as a lead-up to that film, covering some of the same themes, but also containing some of the same stylistic choices including framing and use of music. An excellent documentary and a great inclusion.

The only other big supplement is an exclusive making-of put together by Criterion called Arnaud’s Tale. Running 36-minutes it gathers together director Arnaud Desplechin, and actors Catherine Deneuve and Mathieu Amalric. It’s a decent piece, covering the film’s production in a decent amount of detail. A good chunk of it focuses on the characters and the family, the presentation of them, and their issues, plus the actors talk about their roles in particular. Desplechin does talk about the influences (Midsummer Night’s Dream and the film Only Angels Have Wings, though no mention of The Royal Tenenbaums or Saraband, both of which he mentioned in an interview I read) and also talks about his style of filmmaking. He has a majority of the segment, with Amalric and Deneuve disappointingly receiving less screen time. The two speak fondly of the director (and Desplechin likewise speaks fondly of his performers) and mention what attracts them to his films. There was surprisingly very little about Deneuve, but both Amalric and Desplechin talk quite a bit about their working relationship. It’s unfortunate Criterion couldn’t get the three to do a commentary, even if they were all recorded separately, as that probably would have been a little better. It’s a good piece, worth watching and offers some decent insight into Desplechin’s work, but I guess I felt it wasn’t as focused on this particular film as I would have liked.

The disc then concludes with two theatrical trailers, the original French trailer and then the American trailer. The American trailer is rather awful, enhancing the film’s more quirky elements, possibly trying to sell it to a more hipster base. The French trailer captures the film a little better.

Exclusive to the Blu-ray release (and all Blu-ray titles from Criterion) is the Timeline. You can open it from the pop-up menu, or by pressing the RED button on your remote. This is a timeline that shows your current position in the film and can be used to jump through chapters. You also have the ability to “bookmark” scenes by pressing the GREEN button and return to them by selecting them on the timeline. You can also delete bookmarks by pressing the BLUE button. This is a common tool found on Blu-ray and HD DVD titles but I’ve always liked Criterion’s presentation.

The accompanying booklet comes with a nice essay by critic Phillip Lopate that covers the film and Desplechin’s body of work. It’s a pretty decent read, though must admit I was a little taken aback when he compares the film to The Family Stone.

Unfortunately lost is the cute chapter menu presentation, which presented chapters in the form of an advent calendar (see the DVD review for more details.) Instead Criterion’s Blu-ray sticks to the usual bland presentation that lists the chapters in the fly-out menu.)

And that’s unfortunately it. I understand $39.95 is the standard price for Criterion Blu-rays but considering the limited number of features I do find this one particularly overpriced, similar to how I feel about the DVD edition. The features are decent, but at only 106-minutes worth of material it’s a bit of a letdown.

Closing

Similar to how I feel about the DVD the Blu-ray is disappointing. The transfer looks absolutely incredible and it sounds good, but the small list of supplements do make this release feel a little overpriced. I can give it a mild recommendation (a better one if you can find it really cheap.)

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