Rendez-vous in Paris Blu-ray

Search DVDBeaver

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

(aka 'Rendezvous in Paris ')

France 1995

Two street musicians alert us that a rendezvous can be surprising. In the first of the triptych, Esther learns her boyfriend may be cheating on her, so she arranges to meet a flirtatious stranger at a cafe. When she goes, surprises abound. In "The Benches of Paris," a couple meets in parks to stroll, kiss and talk. She already has a boyfriend, so while he's away, they plan to spend two days in a hotel, pretending to be tourists. Surprises alter their plans. In part three, a painter arranges to meet a Swedish tourist at a cafe. Then he sees a passing stranger, pursues her, and forgets the Swede. Alas, she's married, but advises him about his love life. Her advice gets mixed results.

***

Chance meetings provide the central theme for this Parisian film comprised of three loosely related episodes. The first,... Le Rendez-vous de 7 heures, centers on Esther, who tries to make her womanizing boyfriend jealous by finding her own new lover. She finds a likely candidate in a Montmartre market; they begin talking and agree to meet at the Beaubourg cafe that night. There, he steals her wallet. Later a stranger returns it. The stranger mentions that she must go to the Beaubourg to meet her ex-lover. Esther accompanies her and gets a big surprise. In the second episode, Les Blancs de Paris, two would-be lovers hold a series of conversations in various Paris locales. The problem is that she is trying to find the courage to leave her fiancé. The new man, a young professor, asks her to move in with him. Instead, they end up planning to spend three days in a Montmartre hotel while her fiancé is out of town. There the woman meets with an unfortunate coincidence. In the last vignette, Mere et enfant 1907, an artist and his Swedish lady friend go to an art gallery. There the painter sees a young woman admiring Picasso's 1907 canvas Mother and Child. He then abandons his friend and takes off after the woman through the winding streets. Eventually, he ends up at her studio where he meets with disappointment.

-Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Posters

Theatrical Release: March 22nd, 1995

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

DVD Comparison:

Ocean Shores - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL vs. Potemkine Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

1) Ocean Shores - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT

2) Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL MIDDLE

3) Potemkine Films Region 'B' - Blu-ray RIGHT

Box Covers

Distribution

Ocean Shores Video - Region 0 - NTSC

Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL

Potemkine Films
Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Presently only available in either the 25 Film (52 disc!) Eric Rohmer Blu-ray Boxset:

Runtime

1:38:03

1:34:21 (4% PAL Speedup)

1:34:26.960

Video

1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 4.43 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.33:1 Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 7.2 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1080i Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 27,228,636,014 bytes

Feature: 21,948,825,600 bytes

Video Bitrate: 28.51 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate: Ocean Shores

Bitrate: Artificial Eye

Bitrate: Blu-ray

Audio

French (Dolby Digital 2.0)

DTS-HD Master Audio French 899 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 899 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit)

Subtitles

English, Chinese (burned-in)

English, None

Features

Release Information:
Studio: Ocean Shores Video

Aspect Ratio:
Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1

Edition Details:

• none

DVD Release Date: 2001
Keep Case
Chapters: 1

Release Information:
Studio: Artificial Eye

Aspect Ratio:
Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1

Edition Details:

• none

DVD Release Date: May 10th, 2010
Transparent Keep Case
Chapters: 12

Release Information:
Studio: Potemkine

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

1080i Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 27,228,636,014 bytes

Feature: 21,948,825,600 bytes

Video Bitrate: 28.51 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Edition Details:
• Jeux de Societe (57:10) Rohmer short

• Interview with Diane Baratier(17:58)

Blu-ray Release Date: November 19th, 2013
Bookstyle cardboard Blu-ray Case inside a large box

Chapters 14

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Potemkine Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray (January 2014): I have already stated- I now own the Coffret Rohmer intégral combo blu ray + livret + pochette photos [Blu-ray] - it is 25 Rohmer films and 52 discs, book and more! So it will take a while to go through. My take so far is very positive. I will continue and, hopefully, at one point do a page on the entire set including the bonus discs (although extras don't seem to be English-friendly the features I have checked so far have optional English subtitles).! So it will take a while to go through. My take so far is very positive. I will continue and, hopefully, at one point do a page on the entire set including the bonus discs.

Perhaps not as noticeable an increase in image quality with this title. Nice to see the grain and colors. It is transferred at 1.66:1 and we lose some information on the top and bottom - gaining a fraction on the sides. The 1080i (interlaced) image is paler. There is lossless mono sound, and the only music is 'live' as Rohmer preferred. There are optional English subtitles. We get a rare Rohmer short (well, an hour long) and an interview with cinematographer Diane Baratier - both in French with no subtitles.

Not up to Rohmer's usual films (or part of a specific group) but it still has appeal and I am still glad to own in on Blu-ray.

***

ADDITION: Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL - January 2011: Vast improvement as the screen captures should attest. The Artificial Eye is dual-layered and progressive - skin tones lose their orange hue and everything is sharper. I had forgotten what a MAGNIFICENT film this is - which one remembers simply by re-watching it. As Mike D'Angelo states "When it comes to making movies about the travails of young people in love, or hoping to be in love, there is nobody on the planet who can touch Eric Rohmer". As a huge bonus - at the writing of this review - the DVD is 60% OFF! - they are practically giving it away - STRONGLY recommended! Don't miss this, another, Rohmer classic!

***

Ocean Shores DVD: Well, I don't even know where I got this DVD from, but strongly suspect it of being illegally licensed by Ocean Shores. I can't find it available anymore anywhere, except a non-English subbed version in a Boxset at Amazon France HERE. This is interlaced with burned-in dual Chinese and English subtitles, no menus, but I've definitely seen worse straight video transferred images. I don't think there is another English subbed DVD of this film anywhere, but I can't even recommend that you buy it as there is nowhere that sells it online. Maybe your local Asian Mall if you are desperate.

Gary W. Tooze

Menus

Ocean Shores - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL RIGHT