French Exit Blu-ray Review

Sony's Blu-ray release of "French Exit" delivers a visually engaging experience, captured with technical precision and artistic flair. The film is presented in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio, utilizing an MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50 with a disc size of 34.77 GB. Shot on the Arri Alexa Mini by cinematographer Tobias Datum, the visual presentation boasts remarkable clarity despite its often dimly lit interiors and overcast Parisian exteriors. The subdued lighting, including candle-lit spaces, adds a unique atmospheric depth to the film, capturing the essence of New York and Paris' autumnal landscapes effectively. The encode maintains a mean video bitrate of 30915 kbps, ensuring a high-quality visual rendition that reflects the film's aesthetic intentions.

The Blu-ray’s technical authoring is commendable, offering seventeen scene selections across the 113-minute runtime, which allows viewers to navigate the film efficiently. The HD encode captures a natural color palette with precision, where flesh tones appear lifelike and detail remains exceptionally fine. Despite some familiar visuals of Paris, the execution ensures these scenes resonate with a refined elegance that is visually satisfying. While Michelle Pfeiffer's performance is highlighted by the clarity and natural warmth in the flesh tones, the overall presentation of the film's visuals remains compelling throughout.

In essence, Sony's Blu-ray presentation of "French Exit" effectively preserves the director's visual narrative while offering a technically sound and aesthetically pleasing viewing experience. The disc's high-quality encoding ensures that every atmospheric detail, from dimly lit interiors to the overcast hues of Paris, is captured with exactness, providing an immersive cinematic experience for viewers.

The audio presentation of the "French Exit" Blu Ray is anchored by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, clocking in at 3379 kbps and 24-bit depth. This setup impressively utilizes directionality, particularly noted in scenes involving doors and footsteps, which offer an immersive sense of spatial awareness within the film's scenographic environment. The track effectively uses these sound elements to guide the audience through the on-screen and off-screen action. Dialogue clarity is emphasized, with English conversations predominating, and appropriate subtitles provided for intermittent French exchanges. Nicholas deWitt's score, characterized by its lighthearted piano and oboe compositions, complements the auditory experience without overwhelming it.

However, this audio mix, though well-executed, is ultimately designed for a dialogue-heavy narrative rather than an immersive, system-testing showcase. The center channel carries the load, ensuring crisp and clear vocal delivery that remains sharp throughout the film. Ambient surround effects are present but understated, providing subtle enhancements rather than transformative auditory experiences. The provision for optional English SDH subtitles alongside standard English, French, and Spanish language options highlights an inclusive accessibility approach.

In summary, while the "French Exit" Blu Ray may not push high-end audio setups to their limits, it provides an admirably clean and precise soundscape that serves its dialogue-driven story with finesse and an artfully balanced, if understated, musical score.

The Blu-ray extras for "French Exit" offer modest additions to the film's viewing experience, providing a glimpse into scenes and conversations left on the cutting room floor. The Extended Opening and various Deleted Scenes delve deeper into character dynamics and backstory, presented in high-definition with clear sound quality, catering to English-speaking audiences with subtitle options. The Theatrical Trailer provides a well-mixed audio-visual representation of the film’s essence, capturing Sony's promotional efforts. Bonus Previews expand the disc's offering with over 11 minutes of trailers for other intriguing Sony Pictures Classics productions. These extras, while not extensive, are well-produced and offer value for fans seeking more content.

Extras included in this disc:

• Extended Opening: Uncut scene with additional dialogue featuring Francis and the ship Captain.
• Deleted Scenes: Three scenes offering insights into character dynamics and narrative expansion.
• Theatrical Trailer: Official post-festival trailer showcasing the film.
• Previews: Trailers for other Sony Pictures Classics titles.

"French Exit" presents a creatively charged narrative driven by its somber lead character, Frances Price—played superbly by Michelle Pfeiffer. This Blu-ray release captures the tragicomic essence of Patrick deWitt's adaptation, threading elements of farcical tragedy into its pensive storyline. The plot unfolds in New York's Upper East Side, where Frances finds herself on the brink of financial ruin. Her adventures progress from liquidating assets to an abrupt relocation to Paris with her son, Malcolm (Lucas Hedges), introducing a cast of eccentric supporting characters. The film transitions from such grim undertones to whimsical interactions, creating an eccentricity mirrored by characters such as Madame Reynard and Madeleine the Medium.

Despite the intricate interplay of unique personalities and sporadic humor, the film struggles with genre identity. It oscillates between a societal critique of the wealthy's plight and a whimsical screwball comedy, leading to occasional disconnects for the audience. The narrative complexity is reflected in the growing ensemble joining Frances and Malcolm in Paris, forming a chaotic but underutilized convergence of personas. While Michelle Pfeiffer's performance shines and Lucas Hedges manages his role competently, the script limits his character's development. Nonetheless, scenes like Frances' interaction with her cat, believed to be inhabited by her late husband's spirit, add distinctive charm to the film’s narrative tapestry.

Technically, the Blu-ray presentation remains visually and audibly proficient, with ample clarity befitting its artistic episodes. However, the film’s sporadic brilliance is overshadowed by its hesitant tonal shifts and lack of resolution. Overall, "French Exit" offers glimpses of cinematic brilliance that intermittently spark curiosity but ultimately fall short of delivering a cohesive experience. This rendition embodies both flashes of high-caliber dramatic moments and delightfully quirky dialogues, even as it meanders through its narrative indecision.

French Exit Blu-Ray Review

"French Exit," centered around Michelle Pfeiffer's captivating portrayal of an aging socialite, offers an intriguing character study complemented by a competent supporting cast, including Valerie Mahaffey. While the film showcases moments of brilliance in its acting, it falls short in narrative execution, with Patrick deWitt's script seeming undecided on its direction and conclusion. The film occasionally suffers from an over-reliance on secondary characters, diverting attention from the primary relationship between Frances and Malcolm.

In terms of technical quality, Sony provides a commendable Blu-ray transfer with a dark yet crisp visual presentation. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround mix excels in delivering an immersive audio experience, enhancing the atmospheric nuances of the film. However, the disc is lacking in supplementary content, offering only an elongated opening and a modest selection of deleted scenes. The absence of commentary from key figures such as Jacobs, deWitt, or Pfeiffer is a noted deficit that could have enriched the viewer's understanding and appreciation of the film.

In conclusion, "French Exit" is a film that displays potential through remarkable performances and solid technical delivery on Blu-ray. However, it is hindered by narrative shortcomings and a barebones set of extras. This release may appeal to fans of directors like Wes Anderson or Whit Stillman, but for those uncertain, it might be wise to opt for a rental first. Nonetheless, if the film resonates with you, owning the Blu-ray could offer a visually and sonically satisfying experience at a reasonable price.