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The Secret of the Grain aka Couscous [Blu-ray]
(Abdel Kechiche, 2007)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Pathé Renn Productions Video: Criterion Collection - Spine # 527 vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL
Disc: Region: 'A'-locked (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player) Runtime: 2:34:32.221 / 2:27:49 (4% PAL speedup)Disc Size: 49,222,887,159 bytes / 7.25 GBFeature Size: 32,983,873,536 bytes Video Bitrate: 23.44 Mbps Chapters: 25 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: July 27th, 2010 DVD Release Date: Oct 27th, 2008
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio French/Arabic 3484 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3484 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
French / Arabic (Dolby Digital 2.0), French / Arabic (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles (both): English (SDH), none
Extras:
• New video interview with Kechiche (12:46 in HD!)
Edition
Details:
Bitrate:
Description: The winner of four César awards, including best picture and director, Abdellatif Kechiche’s The Secret of the Grain is a stirring drama about the daily joys and struggles of a bustling French-Arab family. It has the texture of a documentary but a classic, almost Shakespearean structure: when patriarch Slimane acts on his wish to open a portside restaurant specializing in his ex-wife’s couscous and fish, the extended clan’s passions and problems explode, leading to an engrossing, suspenseful climax. With sensitivity and grit, The Secret of the Grain celebrates the role food plays in family life and gets to the core of contemporary immigrant experience.
The Film:
You don't know you want to be at a movie where a dozen French Arabs sit
around and have an early Sunday dinner until you're seated at the table
with them, listening to their stories, seeing them argue, watching them
eat couscous and fish. But in "The Secret of the Grain," three minutes
after that meal is underway I wanted someone to pass me a plate. Such is
the hold Abdel Kech-iche's thrilling family drama has. [ ...]This final sequence in "Secret of the Grain" is an astounding act of storytelling, in which the delicately constructed or seemingly throwaway details we've seen over the course of the film return, lifting the entire enterprise into tragicomedy. Watching one character prepare to cook an 11th-hour meal, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so I did both. It's a finale that makes you anticipate the horror, embarrassment, and recriminations of the morning after as much as you fear them. The final shot is a masterstroke that settles nothing. Kechiche doesn't just ascend a mountain; he jumps off a cliff and leaves you in a state of cognitive dissonance. Your heart is broken, but, amazingly, your pulse is through the roof. Excerpt from Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe located HERE
The Secret of the Grain looks very impressive on Blu-ray. The hand-held camera is quite jittery for many sequences but the less kinetic moments create impressionable bonding with the characters and show incredible detail in close-ups (of which there are plenty). It is advertised as "High-definition digital master, approved by director Abdellatif Kechiche". I really can find no dominant flaws - there was some very minor noise but the grain is an even sheen across the frame. It is not glossy and the image shows some textured grit. Technically this is dual-layered and appears competent in every aspect of the video transfer showcasing consistent visuals with decent color representation and healthy contrast. It looks exceptionally strong overall and I felt it as a fabulous representation of how it looked at the many festivals that it played. Criterion continue to do what they do best...
Solid SD-DVD image from Artificial Eye - only a step or two behind the Criterion - it's a shade flatter but colors are well represented. The larger that this is projected - the more the Blu-ray will appear tighter, better depth etc.
Big thanks to Per-Olof Strandberg for the Artificial Eye Captures!
Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray TOP vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM
Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray TOP vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM
Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray TOP vs. Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL BOTTOM
More Blu-ray captures
Audio :A strong DTS-HD 5.1 track in original French and Arabic at 3484 kbps. The film is very dialogue driven with only the music as more dynamic segments. There is separation but the range is subtle allowing the depth to be more prominent. The track is flawless and the buoyancy of the music at the end runs to a create a memorable conclusion. There are optional English subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.
Criterion wins here handily with the lossless audio.
Extras :The supplements appear to duplicate the simultaneously released DVD with only the 'timeline' feature addition exclusive to the Blu-ray extras but all the video pieces are in HD. It starts with a new 13-minute video interview with director Kechiche recorded exclusively for Criterion in March of this year. He briefly discusses the narrative - in French with optional English subtitles. Sueur is Kechiche’s extended reedit of the climactic belly-dancing sequence, featuring a new video introduction by the director running about 3/4 of an hour. He discusses a new aural and video interpretation to the film's passionate climax. There is a 20-minute interview with film scholar Ludovic Cortade, author of Le cinéma de l'immobilité - He discusses themes and the style of The Secret Grain. Under the titles 20 heures - we get an 8-minutes excerpt from a French television interview with Kechiche and actress Hafsia Herzi - subtitled in English. There are interviews as well with Herzi (Rym) for 15-minutes, actress Bouraouïa Marzouk (11:02), and the film’s musicians (15:17). They discuss the making of the film and integral roles. There is a 2-minute theatrical trailer and 16-page liner notes booklet featuring an essay by film critic Wesley Morris.
The AE DVD has a 24-minute interview and a trailer but Criterion really advances in this area.
Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL
BOTTOM LINE:
As Per-Olaf says "For those of you that don't own a Region "A" Blu-ray player, Artificial Eye (UK) gives Couscous aka The Secret of the Grain in a strong DVD. The master seems to be the same that Criterion has used." Agreed. The Criterion is the definitive way to view in your home theater but the AE, released last year, is a reasonable replacement.Gary Tooze July 19th, 2010
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About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3500 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
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find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. So be
it, but film will always be my first love and I list my
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