(aka "A Time to Live and a Time to Die" or "Fuoco fatuo" or "The Fire Within" or "Will o' the Wisp")
Directed by Louis Malle
France 19
After garnering international acclaim for such seminal
crowd-pleasers as The Lovers and
Zazie dans le métro, Louis Malle gave his fans a
shock with The Fire Within (Le feu follet),
a penetrating study of individual and social inertia.
Maurice Ronet (Elevator
to the Gallows), in an implosive, haunted
performance, plays Alain Leroy, a self-destructive
writer who resolves to kill himself and spends the next
twenty-four hours trying to reconnect with a host of
wayward friends. Unsparing in its portrait of Alain’s
inner turmoil and shot with remarkable clarity, The
Fire Within is one of Malle's darkest and most
personal films. *** Arguably the finest of Malle's early films, this is a calmly objective but profoundly compassionate account of the last 24 hours in the life of a suicide. Ronet gives a remarkable, quietly assured performance as the alcoholic who, upon leaving a clinic, visits old friends in the hope that they will provide him with a reason to live. They don't, and Malle's achievement lies not only in his subtle but clear delineation of his protagonist's emotions but in his grasp of life's compromises; his portrait of Parisian society is astringent, never facile. |
Posters
Theatrical Releases: October 15th, 1963
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DVD Comparison:
Optimum Releasing - Region 2 - PAL vs. Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC
(Optimum Releasing - Region 2 - PAL LEFT vs. Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC RIGHT)
DVD Box Cover |
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Distribution | Optimum Releasing - Region 2 - PAL | Criterion Collection (Spine # 430) - Region 1 - NTSC |
Runtime | 1:43:40 (4% PAL Speedup) | 1:48:08 |
Video | 1.66:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.43 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
1.66:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.45 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate: Optimum |
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Bitrate: Criterion |
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Audio | French (Dolby Digital Mono) | French (Dolby Digital Mono) |
Subtitles | English (non-removable) | English, none |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Optimum Releasing Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratios: 1.66
Edition Details:
• Vincent Malle discusses the
film (in English) |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratios: 1.66
Edition Details: • Archival interviews with director Louis Malle (Sept 94' - German TV - 20:37) and actor Maurice Ronet (1966 - 5:58)• Malle's Fire Within, a new video program featuring interviews with actor Alexandra Stewart and filmmakers Philippe Collin and Volker Schlöndorff (27:12) • Jusqu'au 23 Juillet, a 2005 documentary short about the film and its source novel Le feu follet, by Pierre Drieu la Rochelle, featuring actor Mathieu Amalric, writer Didier Daeninckx, and Cannes festival curator Pierre-Henri Deleau (28:16) • 22-page liner notes booklet featuring new essays by critic Michel Ciment and film historian Peter Cowie DVD Release Date: May 13th, 2008 Transparent Keep case Chapters: 21 |
Comments: |
ADDITION: Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC April 08': Firstly, it was a pleasure to revisit this work after a couple of years. I saw things I wasn't fully cognizant of the first time around. Criterion bring us Malle's morose study of one man victimized by his own isolationism in The Fire Within. Their transfer is impeccable - 1.66 anamorphic, clean, strong (and probably slightly boosted) black levels, and a smidgeon of noise. Compared to the Region 2 Optimum (boxset reviewed in full HERE) it has the perception of being slightly sharper with superior contrast. I don't see any extravagant differences in the framing (the Criterion may be very slightly cropped on the left and top edges). Visually the differences will be quite minor to most. Ditto for audio although I have no quantitative way of separating the two - the Criterion sounded just as clean, clear and flawless as I recall the Optimum to be. Optimum's subtitles are non-removable where on the Criterion they are.
The most radical dividing point
between the two editions would be the supplements on the Criterion.
Criterion have included two archival interviews; one with director Louis
Malle (Sept 94' - German TV - 20:37) and another with actor Maurice
Ronet (1966 - 5:58) - both have optional English subtitles (as do most
of the extras). Malle's Fire Within, is a new 30 minute video
program featuring interviews with actor Alexandra Stewart and filmmakers
Philippe Collin and, assistant director of the film, Volker Schlöndorff.
Jusqu'au 23 Juillet, is a documentary short (about 30 minutes
again) about the film made in 2005. It discusses the source novel Le
feu follet, by Pierre Drieu la Rochelle and features actor Mathieu
Amalric, writer Didier Daeninckx, and Cannes festival curator
Pierre-Henri Deleau. Finally we have a 22-page liner notes booklet
featuring new essays by critic Michel Ciment and film historian Peter
Cowie. Let's be fair, Optimum's
Louis Malle Collection - Vol. 1 has excellent value. Competent
transfers and 5 films at a reasonable price (actually at 50% more than
the lone, but stacked, Criterion, but you get 4 more Malle films!).
Typically the Criterion looks better and offers some extensive
supplements. Bottom line is that this is an important film and, for
English audiences, has been treated decently on DVD on both sides of the
pond. *** ON THE OPTIMUM: This may be the
sharpest DVD transfer of Optimum's
The Louis Malle Collection - Vol. 1.
Shadow detail and contrast and superb.
Again it has been
anamorphically transferred in the correct aspect ratio
of 1.66. This
DVD is dual-layered. Again - subs are non-removable -
audio is clear and consistent.
Louis's brother, Vincent
Malle does some more reminiscing about the film and his
brother's opinions and temperament. This film is
fantastic. A detailed exploration of depression and life
assessment. I
enjoyed it very much.
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(Optimum Releasing - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
(Optimum Releasing - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
(Optimum Releasing - Region 2 - PAL TOP vs. Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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Criterion |
Sound: |
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Extras: | Criterion |
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DVD Box Cover |
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Distribution | Optimum Releasing - Region 2 - PAL | Criterion Collection (Spine # 430) - Region 1 - NTSC |