L'Enfant - The Child Jean-Pierre Dardenne + Luc Dardenne

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'The Child')

France / Belgium 2005

Twice garlanded by the Cannes Film Festival, the Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have a style and set of interests that are as instantly recognizable as those of any filmmakers in the world. Cine Dardenne is characterized by its hectic, rough-and-ready camerawork, impeccable performances, a concern with the urban dispossessed (specifically those living in the small industrial city of Seraing), and an unlikely affinity for Robert Bresson; the mode might be described as spiritually infused social realism.

As the brothers' 1999 come-from-nowhere Cannes laureate Rosetta suggested a Marxist remake of Bresson's Mouchette, so their second Palme d'Or triumph, L'Enfant, revisits Bresson's more abstract Pickpocket in its saga of crime, punishment, and redemption. The remarkable thing about the Dardennes—who made documentaries for two decades, years before going fictional—is their visceral single-mindedness. Each of their movies is an odyssey (toward grace?) through a world that could hardly seem more drably material.

Excerpt of J. Hoberman's review at the Village Voice located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: May 17th, 2005 - Cannes Film Festival

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Comparison:

Sony Pictures - Region 1- NTSC vs. Blaq Out - Region 2 - PAL vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL

(Sony Pictures - Region 1- NTSC - LEFT vs. Blaq Out - Region 2 - PAL MIDDLE vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL RIGHT)

DVD Box Cover
Distribution	Sony Pictures Region 1 - NTSC	Blaq Out Film - Region 2 - PAL	Artificial Eye Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	1:35:27	1:31:15 (4% PAL speedup)	1:31:20 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.66:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.8 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.66:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.38 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.66:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.37 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Sony
Bitrate: Blaq Out
Bitrate: Artificial Eye
Audio	French (Dolby Digital 5.1)	French (Dolby Digital 2.0) French (Dolby Digital 5.1)	2.0 Dolby Digital French, 5.1 Dolby Digital French
Subtitles	English, French, None	English, Dutch, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Sony Pictures Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.66:1 Edition Details: • Interview with Jean-Pierre Dardenne + Luc Dardenne(29:41) In French with optional English subtitles • Trailers DVD Release Date: August 15th, 2006 Keep Case Chapters: 28	Release Information: Studio: Blaq Out Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.66:1 Edition Details: • Interview with Jean-Pierre Dardenne + Luc Dardenne(29:44) In French with optional English subtitles • The Image Factory - featurette (17:34) in French with optional English subtitles • Trailer (1:20) DVD Release Date: April 20th, 2006 Transparent Keep Case inside cardboard box Chapters: 12	Release Information: Studio: Artificial Eye Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.66:1 Edition Details: • Interview with Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (29:44 / 16x9) • Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Biography • Trailers DVD Release Date: July 26, 2006 Transparent Keep Case inside cardboard box Chapters 13

Comments:

ADDITION - Sony Pictures - Region1 - NTSC - August 06' - the anamorphic , progressive 1.66 images do not have enough differences to make issue. The variances in the packages are:

1) The Sony has only 5.1 Audio (other two editions have a 2.0 channel option as well).

2) The Sony has ghastly intrusive yellow subtitles (they look awful - see below).

3) The Blaq Out also offers Dutch (along with English) and the Sony also offers French subtitles (along with English).

4) All 3 have the half-hour Dardennes interview but the Blaq Out also offers the 18 minutes Image Factory featurette (which is good!). The Sony offers some unrelated trailers.

On the basis of that - I would recommend the Blaq Out as the most complete package. AE would be second choice - mostly dependant on price. If you are region locked to NTSC then the Sony is your only option.

Gary W. Tooze

****

The Artificial Eye appears to be identical to the Blaq Out transfer, this is most likely a port.

- Henrik Sylow

Image is duplicated - extras on the Artificial Eye miss out on the Dutch subtitle option and the 17 minute Image Factory featurette (which I feel does have value).

If price is essentially the same - go for the Blaq Out!

Gary W. Tooze

****

Fans of the Dardenne's have been the fortunate beneficiary of all of their feature films rendered with very acceptable digital transfers (in every region they exist) . This holds true for L'Enfant as well. The image looks exactly as I recall seeing it at the Toronto Film Festival. I see no evidence of digital manipulations of any kind. The subtitles and audio (I only listened to the 2.0 channel option) are excellent. The handi-cam modulations create intended haze (on occasion) and the colors look perfectly balanced and bright.

Blaq Out have maintained the 1.66 aspect ratio anamorphically (a ratio that so many DVD production companies have trouble with fearing the side black bars will confuse some purchasers). I was excited and very happy to see the extras - an impressive interview with the director brothers and a short featurette with keen discussion - all have optional English subtitles. This DVD is perfect - missing only a commentary.

Regarding the film - I don't know where this will eventually stand in the Dardenne's 'gritty realism' oeuvre, but it impacts as well as any and I was taken at how memorable so many sequences are. A deserved winner of Cannes and an essential film.

Gary W. Tooze

DVD Menus

Sony Pictures - Region 1- NTSC

(Blaq Out - Region 2 - PAL LEFT vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL RIGHT)

Subtitle Sample