The Beat That My Heart Skipped Blu-ray - Romain Duris, Aure Atika, Emmanuelle Devos, Niels Arestrup

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka "The Beat that My Heart Skipped' or 'De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté" )

directed by Jacques Audiard
France 2005

In tune with the theme of the film, ”The Beat that my Heart Skipped” is more a variation of James Toback’s 1978 “Fingers”, than a reversion or remake. While characters, situations and plot elements are shared, mood and tone are different, similar to the same melody being played in two different variations and styles.

Looking solely on “The Beat that my Heart Skipped”, it (still) is a stunning and intense character study of a man torn between two worlds, the one dominated by his father and crime, the other by his talent and passion for music.

In many ways, I prefer Audiard’s variation to the one by Toback. Its tone and mood is more erratic, more distracted, having a hard time focussing, which adds strength to the struggles of Thomas Seyr, who never seem to be able to focus, except when committing acts of violence or playing the piano. His mind is not only torn between these two worlds, but also between the legacy of his late mother, who played the piano, and his gangster father, who has grown old, as well as between working on a project with some friends and his own project of playing the piano.

The mise-en-scene by Audiard is also more free and fluid than Toback, as if it doesn’t have to make a point of each composition, but just record it. One can argue that Audiard’s variation is liberated from the formulaic Hollywood style, which forces us – the audience – to pay attention, rather than the mise-en-scene to force attention upon us.

With a stunning performance by Romain Duris as Thomas Seyr, “The Beat that my Heart Skipped” is a painful character study of a man who attempts to find not only himself but also his place in the world. Not to be missed.

Henrik Sylow

***

A riveting character study in the guise of a gritty underworld thriller, Jacques Audiard’s international breakthrough features an explosive performance from Romain Duris as a real-estate broker torn between the dirty dealings of his slumlord father (Niels Arestrup) and his recently rekindled love for classical piano. Can music offer salvation from a life of sin? Winner of eight César Awards, including Best Film, this bold reimagining of the New Hollywood cult classic Fingers showcases Audiard’s gift for balancing breathtaking tension with galvanic human drama.

Posters

Theatrical Release: February 17, 2005 (Berlin International Film Festival)

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Comparison:

Artificial Eye - Region 2 - PAL vs. Curzon / Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Henrik Sylow for the DVD Review!

Box Covers			BONUS CAPTURES:
Distribution	Artificial Eye Region 2 - PAL	Curzon / Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray	Criterion Spine #1280 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:42:21 (4% PAL Speedup)	1:46:31.041	1:46:59.830
Video	1.82:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.39 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 47,174,523,991 bytes Feature: 28,163,850,240 bytes Video Bitrate: 30.00 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 47,326,856,312 bytes Feature: 33,439,617,024 bytes Video Bitrate: 36.21 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Bitrate Curzon / Artificial Eye Blu-ray
Bitrate Criterion Blu-ray
Audio	2.0 Dolby Digital French, 5.1 Dolby Digital French	LPCM Audio French 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit DTS-HD Master Audio French 1688 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1688 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)	DTS-HD Master Audio French 3404 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3404 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles	English, None	English, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Artificial Eye Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.82:1 Edition Details: Interviews • - Jacques Audiard (17:56) • - Jacques Audiard UK Exclusive (31:35) • - Tonino Benacquista (8:22) • - Alexandre Desplat (5:43) • 34 Deleted Scenes (24:44) • Rehearsal Footage (9:48) • Q&A London October 6th 2005 (49:09) • Original Theatrical Trailer (1:58) DVD Release Date: March 26th, 2006 Double Amaray Chapters 16	Release Information: Studio: Curzon / Artificial Eye 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 47,174,523,991 bytes Feature: 28,163,850,240 bytes Video Bitrate: 30.00 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: Interviews • - Jacques Audiard (18:41) • - Jacques Audiard UK Exclusive (32:53) • - Tonino Benacquista (8:43) • - Alexandre Desplat (5:58) • 34 Deleted Scenes (25:45) • Rehearsal Footage (10:13) • Q&A London October 6th 2005 (51:05) • Romain Duris (0:41) • Original Theatrical Trailer (2:02) Blu-ray Release Date: March 14th, 2016 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters: 12	Release Information: Studio: Criterion 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 47,326,856,312 bytes Feature: 33,439,617,024 bytes Video Bitrate: 36.21 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: Interviews • New interview with Audiard (16:26) • Interviews with coscreenwriter Tonino Benacquista (8:24) and composer Alexandre Desplat (5:45) • Press conference from the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival, featuring members of the cast and crew (40:08) • Deleted scenes featuring commentary by Audiard (24:27) • Rehearsal footage (10:33) • Trailer (1:58) PLUS: An essay by film critic Jonathan Romney Blu-ray Release Date: September 23rd, 2025 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters: 17

Comments

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

ADDITION: Criterion - Blu-ray (September 2025): The Criterion Blu-ray of The Beat That My Heart Skipped presents the film in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio via a high-definition digital master approved by director Jacques Audiard, delivering a solid if not groundbreaking visual experience that faithfully captures the gritty, urban aesthetic of early-2000s Paris. The 1080P transfer maintains a muted color palette dominated by earthy tones, with occasional vibrant flashes of red and blues adding punch to key scenes, while contrast levels provide decent shadow detail and depth, especially in nocturnal sequences illuminated by harsh, naturalistic lighting. However, without a new restoration or 4K scan from original elements, some viewers may notice minor limitations in sharpness and grain management compared to Criterion's more ambitious upgrades, resulting in an image that's clean and watchable but lacks the revelatory clarity of top-tier releases. It's very comparable to the 2016 Artificial Eye with slightly warmer flesh tones and margin ally heightened contrast. Overall, the video quality suits the film's raw, handheld style, ensuring Stéphane Fontaine's (A Prophet) cinematography - marked by claustrophobic close-ups and dynamic tracking shots - retains its intended intensity and emotional immediacy.

NOTE: We have added 46 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE.

On the audio front, the disc features a 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack that excels in immersing viewers in the film's sonic landscape, blending Alexandre Desplat's (Wes Anderson's Asteroid City, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom plus he has composed for The Ghost Writer, The King's Speech, Unbroken, Heal The Living, Venus in Furs, Argo, Lust Caution, Army of Crime, The Tree of Life etc.,) lush, orchestral score with classical piano pieces and ambient urban noise for a resonant, multifaceted experience. The mix offers impressive depth and separation, particularly in bustling Parisian settings where background chatter and street sounds subtly envelop the listener, while the music - ranging from Bach's toccatas to electronic beats - comes through with clarity and emotional weight, enhancing Thomas's internal conflict. Dialogue in French remains crisp and centered, with the new English subtitle translation providing accurate, nuanced rendering that captures the script's terse rhythms. Though not overly aggressive in surround usage, the track avoids compression issues and maintains fidelity to the original theatrical presentation, making it a standout element that elevates the film's thematic interplay between violence and artistry. Overall, the sound design and soundtrack create an immersive, rhythmic counterpoint to the visuals, with the "beat" of the title manifesting as both literal heartbeats and musical pulses that drive the narrative toward hopeful resolution. The Criterion Blu-ray is being a region 'A'-locked.

Criterion's Spine #1280 packs a respectable array of supplements that delve into the film's production and legacy, starting with a new 16-minute interview with Jacques Audiard discussing the challenges of remaking Fingers and cultural adaptations, alongside shorter talks with co-screenwriter Tonino Benacquista (8 minutes) on script development and composer Alexandre Desplat (5 minutes) on crafting the score's emotional arcs. Archival materials include a 40-minute press conference from the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival featuring cast and crew insights, 24 minutes of deleted scenes with Audiard's commentary explaining cuts for pacing, and 10 minutes of rehearsal footage highlighting Romain Duris's piano preparation. Rounding out the package is the original trailer and a printed essay by critic Jonathan Romney exploring the film's themes of identity and redemption, though some may find the extras lean compared to more exhaustive Criterion sets, focusing more on context than exhaustive behind-the-scenes depth.

Jacques Audiard's The Beat That My Heart Skipped (original title: De battre mon cœur s'est arrêté) is renowned not only for its narrative depth but also for its distinctive aesthetic, where the visual and auditory elements work in tandem to mirror the protagonist Thomas Seyr's internal conflict between brutality and artistry. ia gripping French drama that reimagines James Toback's 1978 American film "Fingers." As a director-approved special edition, Criterion's Blu-ray of The Beat That My Heart Skipped offers a worthwhile home-video presentation for fans of Jacques Audiard's (A Prophet, Dheepan) tense, character-driven thriller, with reliable video and superior audio that preserve the film's gritty realism and musical heartbeat, complemented by targeted extras that provide meaningful glimpses into its creation. This release strikes a balance between accessibility and appreciation, encouraging rediscovery of a film that blends pulp thrills with profound human drama.

Gary Tooze

***

ADDITION: Curzon / Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray (February 16'): The HD visuals show their superiority in the usual areas - contrast, detail and depth - all subtle improvements but visible regardless, especially in-motion. It's dual-layered with a high bitrate and no more PAL speedup. The DVD has a slight green cast but was still excellent for SD a decade ago. The Blu-ray, however, is noticeably better.

The Curzon / Artificial Eye Blu-ray of The Beat That Skipped My Heart offers the choice of a DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 1688 kbps or the option of a 2.0 channel linear PCM stereo at 1536 kbps. It has hints of separation but everything is of a gentle nature with only a couple of highly aggressive fight sequences. Aside from minor effects we get the piano music - JS Bach (Toccata en ré mineur etc.), Mozart (Sonate en do mineur), Tchaikovsky (Concerto 1), Liszt (Après une lecture de Dante), Brahms (2ème Rhapsodie) played beautifully by Caroline Duris (sister to the star Romain Duris!) - and another impressive score by Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom, The Ghost Writer, The King's Speech, Venus in Fur) - the music sounds great via the lossless. There are optional English subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'B'-locked.

Supplements duplicate the DVD with over 2.5 hours worth (now in NTSC time) of in-depth and revealing interviews, deleted scenes, rehearsal footage, a Q&A etc.

It's not often that the French remake an American film and I really enjoyed Toback’s 1978 “Fingers” with the young Harvey Keitel. It's a very interesting premise and this remake is an excellent film in its own right. Nice to see it reach Blu-ray - strongly recommended!

***

ON THE DVD: A stunning transfer. Flawless, no artifacts, original colour palette. It simply looks beautiful.

Sound comes in either 2.0 Dolby Digital or 5.1 Dolby Digital, and here I prefer the 2.0, as it sounds more "focused" than the surround.

Additional material consists of four quiet in-depth interviews in regards to film, material, source and thematics, some deleted scenes and an excellent Q&A.

- Henrik Sylow

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