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A view on Blu-ray by Gary W. Tooze

You Will Be My Son aka Tu seras mon fils  [Blu-ray]

 

(Gilles Legrand, 2011)

 

 

Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Epithète Films

Video: Cohen Media Group

 

Disc:

Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 1:41:32.002

Disc Size: 24,151,804,187 bytes

Feature Size: 19,172,603,904 bytes

Video Bitrate: 21.00 Mbps

Chapters: 16

Case: Transparent Blu-ray case

Release date: February 25th, 2014

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio French 2107 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2107 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps

 

Subtitles:

English (SDH), none

 

Extras:

Interview with Lorànt Deutsch and director Gilles Legrand (14:37 in 1080P)

• Deleted Scenes (9:06 in 480i)

• Original Trailer (2:25)
• 8-page leaflet with photos, chapter titles etc.

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: The austere proprietor of a family-owned vineyard clashes with his ambitious son over the future of the wine estate in this moody melodrama from director Gilles Legrand (Malabar Princess, The Maiden and the Wolves). Paul de Marseul (Niels Arestrup) takes nothing in life more seriously than the future of his precious vineyard. He longs for a progeny to take over the business one day, but sees his son Martin (Lorànt Deutsch) as lazy, and unfit for the job. When the son (Nicolas Bridet) of Paul's moribund estate manager (Patrick Chesnais) displays the skill and drive to sustain the thriving business, the growing divide between father and son threatens to turn tragic

***

Paul de Marseul (Niels Arestrup) is the passionate, demanding proprietor of his prestigious family wine estate. But he has no faith in his son, Martin (Lorànt Deutsch), who works at the vineyard. Paul dreams of a harder-working, successful son—a dream that one day seemingly materializes when he meets Philippe (Nicolas Bridet), the son of his dying estate manager (Patrick Chesnais). Can Paul turn against his own blood and turn Philippe into the rightful heir of his family estate?

Shot on location in the French region of Saint-Émilion at the Château Clos Fourtet, You Will Be My Son deeply explores the meaning of work, love, and family.

 

 

The Film:

Lustrously photographed in a Saint-Émilion vineyard, this classic tale of father-son rivalry tackles complex issues like tradition, legacy, heredity and honour within a darkly brooding drama that’s superbly played by a fine cast led by the compelling Niels Arestrup.

Excerpt from Empire Online located HERE

The most quietly terrifying presence in film today belongs to a gray-haired, 64-year-old French actor with a Danish name. If you are familiar with Niels Arestrup's work, you don't need any convincing. If you're not, "You Will Be My Son" is all the persuading you'll need.

Best known for his two films with Jacques Audiard, "A Prophet" and "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" — both of which won him Cesars for supporting actor — Arestrup has also appeared in Steven Spielberg's "War Horse" and, more recently, Belgian director Joachim Lafosse's grueling "Our Children."

"You Will Be My Son" was directed, co-written and co-produced by Gilles Legrand and is squarely in the classic French film tradition. A strongly acted, character-driven melodrama, concerned with the dynamics of family in general and father-son issues in particular, it presents situations so emotionally supercharged that the whole story could have come straight out of Balzac.

Excerpt from Kenneth Turan at the LA Times located HERE

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

You Will Be My Son on Blu-ray from Cohen Media. The film has some beautiful shots, and the singular layered transfer, with modest bitrate, seems to pick up the vibrant outdoor colors. There is minor depth and close-ups are pleasing. I'd love to compare it to the UK or French 1080P releases because I can't help suspect that a more robust transfer would have brought out detail to a, slightly, higher level. I might have seen one or two slight instances of noise (dark cellar) but I wouldn't say it was distracting. It's a nicely shot film but I found the visuals only impressive from the cinematography standpoint - not the transfer.  This Blu-ray video is gave me a presentable viewing, but I, just, had the feeling it was 'underachieving' a little.

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

Cohen transfer the audio via a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround at 2107 kbps in original French. There aren't many effects, but the score by Armand Amar (Home, London River, Days of Glory) sounds solid. I also heard some Vivaldi in the opening that was very crisp. There are optional English subtitles (sample above) and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A' although the film in 1080P is available in region 'B'.

 

Extras :

Cohen add some supplements - a, revealing, 15-minute interview with Lorànt Deutsch and director Gilles Legrand in French with English subtitles. There are less than 10-minutwes of deleted scenes, a trailer and the package has an 8-page leaflet with photos, chapter titles etc.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Nicely performed film. I appreciated the wine-making aspects of You Will Be My Son. It adds a an highly interesting atmosphere to the storyline. I appreciate Cohen for allowing me to see the film and their Blu-ray
did that well. I certainly may revisit this one day although the family conflicts can be uncomfortable. When I do see it next time, I definitely will have a glass of wine in my hand.

Gary Tooze

February 19th, 2014

 

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 5000 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 focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction.

Gary's Home Theatre:

60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD

Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD Player
Momitsu - BDP-899 Region FREE Blu-ray player
Marantz SA8001 Super Audio CD Player
Marantz SR7002 THX Select2 Surround Receiver
Tannoy DC6-T (fronts) + Energy (centre, rear, subwoofer) speakers (5.1)

APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V

Gary W. Tooze

 

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