Chocolat Blu-ray - Giulia Boschi / Isaach De Bankolé

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

Directed by Claire Denis
France / West Germany / Cameroon 1988

A young woman named France (Mireille Perrier) returns to Cameroon to visit the former colonial outpost she grew up in during the last days of French rule. Upon arrival, she recalls her childhood in Mindif. The only child of a sole white family, the Dalens, France forms a strong connection with their ‘houseboy’ Protée (Isaach de Bankolé). A quiet and observant child but still too innocent to fully understand the simmering sexual and racial tensions in the adults around her, France finds her idyl shattered when a plane full of strangers makes an emergency landing nearby.

Claire Denis’ quasi-autobiographical exploration of the colonial power struggle in Cameroon is the first in a series of her films exploring French colonialism and racism in West Africa. A Palme D’Or nominee, Chocolat is a remarkably assured directorial debut featuring all the tension, subtlety and sophistication that characterize Claire Denis’ films.

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A young French woman returns to the vast silence of West Africa to contemplate her childhood days in a colonial outpost in Cameroon. Her strongest memories are of the family's houseboy, Protée a man of great nobility, intelligence and beauty and the intricate nature of relationships in a racist society.

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Theatrical Release: May 1988 (Cannes Film Festival)

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Review: BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:44:37.166
Video	1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 48,943,938,356 bytes Feature: 30,456,693,888 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.39 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	LPCM Audio French 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 320 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps / DN -31dB
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: BFI 1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 48,943,938,356 bytes Feature: 30,456,693,888 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.39 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Audio commentary by film scholar and critic Kate Rennebohm • Claire Denis à propos de Chocolat (2023, 18:10): Claire Denis discusses Chocolat and its new restoration • Claire Denis in Conversation (2019, 48:47): the filmmaker looks back over her career Childhood Memories (Mary Martins, 2018, 4:09): a multi-layered autobiographical animation exploring memories of a childhood visit to Lagos, Nigeria • Original theatrical trailer (1:37) • 2023 trailer (1:38) Illustrated booklet with new essays by Cornelia Ruhe, Catherine Bray and Kevin Le Gendre and writing on Childhood Memories by director Mary Martins Blu-ray Release Date: April 29th, 2024 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 12

Comments:

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

ADDITION: BFI Blu-ray (April 2024): BFI have transferred Claire Denis's Chocolat to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "new 4K restoration - Film restored in 4K with the participation of ARTE France Unité Cinéma". Chocolat was part of Artificial Eye's The Claire Denis Collection on DVD, reviewed by Eric Cotenas HERE, with some captures compared below. The 1080P is a significant bump with better color balance, it is darker, sharper and has consistent grain support. This is quite an impressive bump over SD with the drab browns turning more blue in outdoor sequences.

Jon-Paul tells us in email "...the review of the BR of Chocolat, as it seemed clear that a cyan filter, at a fairly high level, had been applied (smeared might be a better word) to the image." (Thanks Jon-Paul).

NOTE: We have added 46 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, BFI use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original French with some English, Hausa and Arabic languages in the film. Chocolat has few aggressive moments but a delightful and passive score by Abdullah Ibrahim (Closed Circuit, No Fear, No Die), that was released in 1988 as Mindif. It is quite resonant. There is consistent dialogue in the uncompressed transfer. All good. BFI offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-ray.

The BFI Blu-ray offers a new commentary by film scholar and critic Kate Rennebohm, the Jill Beck Professor of Film and Assistant Professor of Film Studies at Lawrence University. She talks about the book that inspired the film, cites author Judith Mayne - Claire Denis (Contemporary Film Directors,) the non-linear timeline, how much Denis enjoyed working with the actors, that the director was born in Paris but raised in West Africa plus much more. It is a laid back commentary with some narration. We also get Claire Denis à propos de Chocolat from 2023; 18-minutes of Denis discussing Chocolat and its new restoration (in French with English subtitles). Also included from 2019 is Claire Denis in Conversation as the filmmaker looks back over her career - running over 3/4 of an hour. Mary Martins' Childhood Memories is a short multi-layered autobiographical animation exploring memories of a childhood visit to Lagos, Nigeria from 2018. Combining 16mm color footage of Lagos from the 70s with stop-motion and 2D hand-drawn animation, this multilayered autobiographical animation by Mary Martins explores personal memories and the cultural elements of our earliest childhood reminiscences. It offers an optional descriptive audio track. Lastly, are an original theatrical trailer and a spanking new 2023 trailer for the 4K restoration. The package has an illustrated booklet with new essays by Cornelia Ruhe (The Memory of Conflicts in Contemporary French fiction), Catherine Bray and Kevin Le Gendre (Soul Unsung: Reflections on the Band in Black Popular Music) and writing on Childhood Memories by director Mary Martins.

Claire Denis's Chocolat was her directorial debut. It's a remarkable film and has stunning Italian film and television actress Giulia Boschi (The Sicilian) as Aimée, Isaach de Bankolé (Lars von Trier's Manderlay, a villain in the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale and as River Tribe Elder in the Marvel Cinematic Universe among other roles) as Protée - and, as Marc Dalens played by François Cluzet - who has worked with Claude Chabrol (in L'Enfer), Bertrand Tavernier ('Round Midnight), Agnieszka Holland (Olivier, Olivier), Robert Altman (Prêt-à-Porter) and Olivier Assayas (Late August, Early September.) Denis makes the distinction, subtly through barren visuals, between wealthy and impoverished, male and female, servant and employer, with the glaring colonization themes utilizing semi-autobiographical memories and minimal dialogue against the prosaic, Cameroonian desert vistas. Brilliant. The BFI Blu-ray is a superb upgrade of an important film - which they augment with a commentary, and over an hour's worth of director included content, booklet and more. Absolutely recommended!