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

The good news about this new Blu-ray is that, unlike the SD-package, it is progressive as opposed to interlaced. Quite handily the 1080P visual transfer, expectantly, shows a vast superiority over the SD in the areas of color and detail. We should also note that a healthy amount of information appears in Blu-ray frame the over the SD. It doesn't show as much depth as some modern films to high-definition, that we have seen, but this may be a function of the manner in which it was shot. However it still looked exceptionally good on my system - outdoor day-lit scenes were brilliant. Some shorts are a bit more detailed than others - and some darker - but I'd say the variance in the image presentation wasn't huge although it does exist. The Blu-ray is single-layered with the feature taking up over 20 Gig. As one example of the power of the higher resolution - I couldn't help but notice how 'fake' the blood looked, in the 'vampire segment, on this Blu-ray - which never initially crossed my mind when watching the SD-DVD.

Audio gets a strong bump to TrueHD and it sounds beautifully crisp and clean.  There is some nice background music in these short films and it made for quite a room-filling presentation. There is no rip-roaring action effects but I'd have to say that I enjoyed the aural as much as the visual for this Blu-ray. You also get an option for 2.0 and subtitles in English or Spanish.  

Supplements, strangely, do not add all the bonus features of the 2-disc'er. We only have the 25 minute At the Heart of Paris, Je'taime featurette and some First Look trailers. We lose the storyboard and the 18 Short Making of's for each segments. They were only about 8 minutes each but still held my interest to watch all of them.

I believe I enjoyed the film even more than my initial visit a year ago. What I said below still stands - "I enjoyed many of the segments - Isabel Coixet's "Bastille", Alfonso Cuarón's "Parc Monceau", Chris Doyle's "Porte de Choisy", even Wes Craven's "Père-Lachaise" etc.. "

Bottom line here is the audio/video transfer - which is a significant and dramatic improvement. It was like watching the films all over again. Even if you were on the fence about many of these shorts I strongly suggest watching in 1080P for a much more enhanced viewing experience. I was quite taken with this and will use a few of the mini-films as a prelude to a movie-night with friends over.

NOTE: Chris in email says: "Just wanted to clarify that in your comparison of the "Paris, Je T'aime" discs you make mention of the English and Spanish subtitles... but you make no mention of the blu-ray only having English subtitles for the hearing impaired, which means that viewers of the film are also subjected to the [speaking indistinctly] subtitles." Thanks Chris !

***

ON THE SD-DVD: Aside from the First Look DVD being interlaced - everything else is quite good. The feature disc and the bonus disc are both dual-layered - the feature is anamorphic and detail and colors seem quite good. I was anticipating some greater variance in the segments but they all seem about the same (image quality-wise). There are 20 chapters (opening credits, one for each of the 18 segments, and the closing credits). Aside from the combing, I noted no unintentional anomalies although there were perhaps some varied filters utilized. Overall the only complaint is the interlacing - a real black-mark on an otherwise competent film-DVD presentation.

There are 3 audio flavors - English/French (Dolby Digital 5.1), English/French (DTS) , English/French (Dolby Digital 2.0). I listened to the underused DTS of which I had no complaints. There were a few pointed instances of separation.

NOTE: There are forced English subtitles when non-English dialogue is spoken. Close-captioned English subtitles are optional for the entire film.

On disc one (assuming same for the single disc edition) is a 25 minute featurette entitled At the Heart of Paris, Je'taime. It has input from Binoche, Coixet and others bout the genesis of their particular involvements. Nothing ground breaking but interesting. Disc one also offers trailers for some other First Run Features projects. Disc 2 offers an astonishing 'Making off...' sequence for all 18 segments of the feature. These range from about 7 1/2 to 10 minutes long each and usually include some production footage. This must have been quite an undertaking assembling this and those very keen on the film may appreciate the ability to access certain specific segments. Also included are some short storyboard stuff (for Quartier de la Madeleine and Tour Eiffel) and a theatrical trailer.

I enjoyed many of the segments - Isabel Coixet's "Bastille", Alfonso Cuarón's "Parc Monceau", Chris Doyle's "Porte de Choisy", even Wes Craven's "Père-Lachaise" etc.. I'd find it hard to believe that someone couldn't enjoy quite a few of these shortish pastiches. Maybe it's on the pretentious side but the appeal lies beyond all the famous names associated. I thought it was all pretty cool, but someone should help First Look identify interlacing - this could have been taken from DC instead of a 35mm bump - I don't know, but it could also be as easy as checking a box on the computer software that transfers the DVD.      

Gary W. Tooze