It’s not a really big week for Blu-ray releases but I guess, no matter how many new discs were unleashed today, nothing could live up to the epic nature of last week. Aside from the discs I highlight below, there are a handful of notable TV-on-Blu releases (the multi-Emmy winning Modern Family!), Alejandro Amenábar‘s The Others, Chromeskull 2, Vamp and many more. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to check them out!

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Blu-ray disc of the week: BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S

“The names Audrey Hepburn and Holly Golightly have become synonymous since this dazzling romantic comedy was translated to the screen from Truman Capote‘s best-selling novella. Holly is a deliciously eccentric New York City playgirl determined to marry a Brazilian millionaire. George Peppard plays her next-door neighbor, a writer who is “sponsored” by a wealthy Patricia Neal. Guessing who’s the right man for Holly is easy. Seeing just how that romantic blossoms is one of the enduring delights of this gem-like treat set to Henry Mancini‘s Oscar(R)-winning score and the Oscar(R)-winning Mancini-Johnny Mercer song “Moon River”.“

When Paramount gets one of their classics in their sites and really puts their heads down and gets to work on it, they deliver one hell of a stunning Blu-ray release. Breakfast at Tiffany‘s has long been recognized as one of the more iconic Audrey Hepburn performances, if not the iconic performance (I’m personally more of a Roman Holiday kind of guy, myself), but it’s so much more than that. It features a terrific straight-man turn by George Peppard, inspired direction by Blake Edwards and one of the finest Henry Mancini scores ever. And don’t forget that this picture spawned the Johnny Mercer hit ‘Moon River’! An then there’s the script, based on Truman Capote’s book and the clothes by Hubert de Givenchy and the photography by Franz Planer and Philip H. Lathrop… And the list goes on. If any film in Paramount’s library is worthy of a special Anniversary release it’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s. You’d think that this one would have been worthy of the Sapphire label, wouldn’t you? Leads one to believe we might have seen the last of that line of discs from the studio…

The transfer to Blu-ray of Breakfast at Tiffany‘s seems to have elicited something of a controversy online, in early reviews. There have been claims that the image is scrubbed to the bone by DNR, digital noise reduction, reducing detail to a minimum and skin to wax. I’m here to tell you that’s bunk. This is one hell of a great looking disc. Grain is there for the observant eye to see, not reduced but very fine in the image and always on the move. Colours pop as if the film was only lensed yesterday and detail is in crazy abundance. I can’t say enough about this presentation but that it needs to be seen to be believed. And if there’s been an overzealous use of DNR, then I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.

In addition to a fine restoration of the original mono track (sadly, only presented in compressed Dolby Digital), there’s a very respectful 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track that adds just the right amount of surround flavour to the original mix, without spicing things up to the degree that a modern track would. You won’t hear any booming bass here but Mancini’s score sounds incredible and dialogue is clean and clear up the middle. Fantastic!

The special features on the disc are a mix of new HD content and featurettes previously available on DVD editions of the film. All are worth watching, though I will say that I found the 20-minute ‘A Golightly Gathering‘ tough to sit through, as members of the cast who appeared in the famous party scene gather together years later to reminisce about the film. ‘Henry Mancini: More than Music‘ is an excellent 20-minute look at the life and work of the famous composer. ‘Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective‘ also runs around 20-minutes and deals with the controversy of Mickey Rooney‘s infamous “yellowface” performance in the film, attempting to give some modern perspective to the only black-spot on the production. The galleries and trailers are also presented in HD. The bulk of the remainder of the extras are still in SD, culled from the DVD extras. They’re short and show their age but are worth a look. Producer Richard Shepherd‘s commentary track is a pretty decent listen as well, offering tons of anecdotes and information on the production.

All in all, this is a killer package. One of Paramount’s finest Blu-ray offerings of 2011. Super extra highly recommended!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Commentary by producer Richard Shepherd
• A Golightly Gathering
• Henry Mancini: More Than Music
• Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective
• The Making of a Classic
• It’s So Audrey: A Style Icon
• Behind the Gates: The Tour
• Brilliance in a Blue Box
• Audrey’s Letter to Tiffany
• Photo Galleries
  • The Movie
  • Production
  • Publicity
• Original Theatrical Trailer

AMAZON: $19.99

LE BEAU SERGE and LES COUSINS

Criterion is releasing the first two films by Claude Chabrol on Blu-ray today. I had a chance to screen Le Beau Serge, the film that kicked off the French New Wave movement, and the disc is phenomenal! I haven’t seen Les Cousins yet but there’s little doubt that it’ll sport a similarly excellent transfer. I’ll chime in on that one once I get my hands on it. In the meantime, check out my full review of Le Beau Serge!

READ MORE: The Criterion Collection: Le Beau Serge Blu-ray Disc Review

AMAZON: $27.99 each

DUMBO

“For the first time ever, in celebration of this landmark film’s 70th anniversary, experience the daring adventures of the world’s only flying elephant with a dazzling all-new digital restoration and brilliant Disney Enhanced High Definition Theater Mix Sound. The inspirational tale of Dumbo, the courageous baby elephant who uses his sensational ears to soar to fame with the help of his clever best friend Timothy Q. Mouse, will thrill and delight audiences of all ages. And now, the award-winning music and empowering messages about friendship and belief in yourself reach new heights in this must-have Blu-ray(TM) high definition presentation of Walt Disney’s animated classic, “Dumbo“.“

This is another amazing restoration of a Disney classic, easily as stunning as the presentations on the Blu-ray disc releases of Bambi and Pinocchio. Animation collectors and film fans alike will want to pick up the Dumbo Blu-ray disc for its transfer and exceptional special features before the studio throws it back in “The Vault” for another few years! Read my full review linked to below.

READ MORE: Dumbo Blu-ray Disc Review

AMAZON: $21.99

BRIDESMAIDS

“Thirty-something Annie (Kristen Wiig) has hit a rough patch but finds her life turned completely upside down when she takes on the Maid of Honor role in her best friend Lillian’s (Maya Rudolph) wedding. In way over her head but determined to succeed, Annie leads a hilarious hodgepodge of bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to the big event. “

Our writer Chris Tucker loved Bridesmaids, claiming it’s nearly every bit as good a comedy as The Hangover, and most certainly better than Hot Tub Time Machine, the two recent comedies in its class. I didn’t get a chance to see it myself but understand that it’s the furthest thing from a “chick flick”. It’s crass, gross and hilarious – just the kind of thing that we fellas enjoy too! I don’t know if the film is one that’s good enough to own on Blu-ray, probably just a rental from the looks of things, but it’s the biggest Hollywood release of the week and deserves a place in my list of recommendations. I hope to check it out soon.

AMAZON: $21.99

SOPHIA LOREN AWARD COLLECTION

Kino is releasing a boxed set of films starring Sophia Loren on Blu-ray today, several of which, all by director Vittorio De Sica, are already available individually. Luchino Visconti‘s Boccaccio ’70 is the only new addition to the lineup and, at this time, is exclusive to the boxed set. It will be available on its own on October 11. You can find my reviews of the other films below, with the Vittorio D. DVD documentary included as part of the Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Blu-ray package. Those three individual releases come highly recommended and, if you don’t already own them, would be worth grabbing up as part of this new collection.

READ MORE: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Blu-ray Disc Review
READ MORE: Marriage Italian Style Blu-ray Disc Review
READ MORE: Sunflower Blu-ray Disc Review

AMAZON: $89.99

Exclusive to Canada: EN TERRAIN CONNUS

“Maryse works in a factory and lives a comfortable suburban life with her husband Alain. Their current obsession: selling a tractor that sits unused on their front lawn. Maryse’s brother, Benoit, lives with their convalescent father. Benoit is stuck in perpetual adolescence, but hopes to settle into a new adult life with his girlfriend, an older single mother. Then everything changes. An accident at Maryse’s workplace sparks a series of coincidences and a stranger arrives, claiming to come from the future. Suddenly the brother and sister are launched into a road trip that will change their ordinary lives forever.“

It’s funny, you know. I’ve lived in Montreal, a city within the Canadian province that produces more films annually than the rest of the country does in a decade, and I rarely get a chance to see a Quebecois film. Thank goodness for the fine folks over at eOne (Seville, here in the old QC) who sent me a Blu-ray screener of local writer/director Stéphane Lafleur‘s fantastic latest film, En Terrain Connus (Familiar Ground). It’s a darkly comic look at small town suburban Quebec, focusing on a small cast of characters this time – a family still struggling to feel settled after the loss of it’s matriarch – a grand departure from his previous multi-character opus, Continental, un film sans fusil.

This is a quiet film that’s really not laugh out loud funny at all, though apparently that was the initial intention. Lafleur began with the idea of the man who travels back from six months into the future to offer a warning to Benoit about his sister. That action still plays a pivotal role in the film but it clearly grew into much more of a character piece in the end. Aside from sporting excellent performances from all leads, the film is also notable for the wonderful cinematography of Sara Mishara and the atmospheric score by Swedish duo, Sagor & Swing.

I can’t say for certain but I have a feeling En Terrain Connus was shot 16mm and blown up to 35. The Blu-ray transfer appears soft and mostly washed out. Some of that is clearly by design but I have a feeling some is by limitation of the source material. There’s nothing particularly bad about the presentation, per se, it’s just far from impressive. That said, the transfer adds to the moodiness of the film and the composition of images is wonderful to behold throughout. The sole sound track is only available in a modest French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. There’s a lot of silence in the film but what music there is sounds exceptional and what dialogue there is sounds clean and clear. Special features are limited to two curious oddities – 10-minutes or so of fake used-car commercials starring the man from the future (in French only) and 3-minutes of outtakes of Benoit playing his bass guitar in his underwear. Oh, and there’s a trailer.

AMAZON: CDN$ 23.09

ALSO AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK
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