Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Gaumont

Video: Sony

 

Disc:

Region: 'A' (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 1:52:18.314

Disc Size: 23,764,412,616 bytes

Feature Size: 21,869,678,592 bytes

Video Bitrate: 20.99 Mbps

Chapters: 18

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: March 5th, 2013

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio French 3495 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3495 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit / DN -4dB)

 

Subtitles:

English (SDH), English, Spanish, none

 

Extras:

• 5 Deleted Scenes (5:35)

• 6 Previews (13:54)

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: When Driss an ex-con from the projects is hired to take care of an eccentric French aristocrat named Philippe his newfound job quickly becomes an unpredictable adventure. Speeding a Maserati through Paris seducing women and paragliding over the Alps is just the beginning as Driss turns the often humorous world of upper-class Parisian society upside-down. As this unlikely duo overcome adversity of every flavor in this true story they also shatter their preconceptions of love life and each other. Based on the #1 international best-selling book You Changed My Life.

 

 

The Film:

It is possible to summarize the experience of watching “The Intouchables” in nine words: You will laugh; you will cry; you will cringe. The caricatures are astonishingly brazen, as ancient comic archetypes — a pompous master and a clowning servant right out of Molière — are updated with vague social relevance, an overlay of Hollywood-style sentimentality and a conception of race that might kindly be called cartoonish.

You can easily imagine this movie — you probably have already seen it — with Richard Pryor or Eddie Murphy in Mr. Sy’s role. In the post-civil-rights, post-blaxploitation era, entertainments based on the clash of white squareness and black soul had a certain novelty and charm. Nowadays they are more likely to be layered with self-consciousness, winking at their own conventions.

Excerpt from A.O. Scott at the NY Times located HERE

 

The Intouchables was a huge hit when it opened in France in November 2011. Not only did it do well at the box office, but it was nominated for nine Cesar Awards (won one: Omar Sy for Best Actor, beating out Cluzet among others). The Weinstein Company has elected to use it as "counterprogramming" for the big 2012 summer movies in the United States. This is the kind of film that can succeed in that role, offering a different, more subdued variety of pleasure from multiplex offerings. Most May and June releases are about action and special effects; The Intouchables is a notable exception and well worth seeing for that reason alone.

Excerpt from James Berardinelli at ReelViews located HERE

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

The Intouchables looks quite strong on Blu-ray from Weinstein (although Amazon claims 'Sony').  The image quality shows excellent contrast and tight detail.  This is only single-layered but with few supplements it seems adequate to handle the film's a/v requirements. Colors are true and depth is abundant. As expected from a modern film transfer to Blu-ray there are no flaws - the visuals are clean and consistent.  There is no noise and some of the sequences are impressive with their level of sharpness. I expect this is faithful to its cinematic roots and the 1080P provides a pleasing presentation.

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

The only track is a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround at 3495 kbps in the original French language. The audio transfer easily handles all the film dishes out with minimal aggressive effects and some gentle but atmospheric separations (paragliding). The original music by Ludovico Einaudi supports the film subtlety and benefits from the lossless rendering. There is adequate depth when called upon. There are optional subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked although there is a region 'B' edition available.

 

Extras :

The lone supplements is 5 deleted scenes that fans of the film may wish to indulge in if they crave more of the movie. There are also Previews, but the film is strong enough that I think it deserved more.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
I was recommended this by a friend many months ago - and his opinion coincides with my own. This is a wonderful film experience with humor, melancholy and a certain amount of the oft-forgotten joys in life. The characters are brilliantly portrayed. The Blu-ray, predictably, supplies a very worthy presentation with all the attributes of a theatrical viewing. Prepare for an excellent night in the Home Theater! Strongly recommended! 

Gary Tooze

February 20th, 2013