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The Movie:
Vidocq
A Review by Mark McLeod
June 18th 2002
In the 1830's a man by the name of Vidocq (Gerard Depardieu) walked the
streets of Paris solving crimes and punishing all the evildoers.He was a
detective and a scientist and was the best man the Paris police had until
he quit the force and decided to work only with his long time partner
Nimier (Moussa Maaskri). As the film starts Nimier and Vidocq have almost
cracked the case of the deaths of two wealthy and high profile business men
by an assassin who wears a mask made of a circular mirror. However before
they can solve the case once and for all Vidocq is killed. A short time
after the public learns of Vidocq's death Etienne (Guillaume Canet) a young
reporter claiming to have been in contact with the late Vidocq begins to
investigate the murders in hopes of uncovering the truth behind not only
the two men's death but Vidocq's as well. Using his reporter's intuition
Etienne unravels a series of clues that lead him deep into the depths of
the dark Parisian underground. It's here where he meets Preah (Ines Sastre)
an exotic dancer whose information and assistance leads him to the next
possible murder victim a doctor Lafitte (Gilles Arbona) whose connection to
the other murder victims is not readily apparent. After following a number
of additional clues it becomes apparent that the murders are not
politically motivated and that there is more then what appears on the
surface. What do the two business men and the doctor have in common and
just who is this masked man are just a few of the many questions that
Etienne must answer.
"Vidocq" is best described as a modern and yet surprisingly old fashioned
murder mystery that unravels before one eyes. It borrows heavily from the
strong detective stereotypes of the past and both real and fictional
characters. It's setting is the familiar Paris, France though here the city
looks and feels anything but familiar. The film is sort of an
action/drama/horror hybrid coming in nearly equal parts. At first the story
line seems a bit hard to grab onto and that's something I wish was handled
better. It wasn't until about the 30 or 35 minute marker that I felt I had
a strong sense of knowledge about the events that had transpired and where
the story was going with them. The film just sorts of starts and the viewer
is thrust into the action whether they are ready to be or not. However
once you get into the action the film does provide a rather fulfilling and
easy to follow viewing experience. The story is not the most important
aspect of the film as takes a back seat to the visual style employed by
first time director Pitof. Pitof comes from the realm of digital effects
having worked on such blockbuster films as "Alien : Resurrection", "The
City of Lost Children" as well as the big screen adaptation of "Asterix and
Obelix" which did phenomenal business in French speaking markets though was
mainly ignored in English speaking North America. Pitof is no stranger to
creating amazing visuals and takes his vision to the next level in "Vidocq"
by bringing new meaning to the term special effects. I don't think their is
one shot in the film that hasn't been enhanced by some sort of CGI work
either to create a stronger image for the viewer to focus on or to create a
more impressive looking backdrop on which the action plays out. It's eye
candy at it's finest and makes a somewhat routine story line all that more
interesting. The film's special effects laden environment is also one of
it's bigger problems and is what ultimately caused me to not connect as
much with the film as I felt I could have. As much as I enjoyed the stellar
effects work in the foreground the clearly altered backgrounds and set
pieces had an overly digital look to them. I never believed I was in a real
place instead it seemed as if I was trapped inside a video game on my
PC. The same thing happened to me with the CG "Final Fantasy" which I
thought looked fantastic but failed to reel me in so to speak. "Vidocq" is
much the same except with human actors instead of computer generated beings.
The acting performances really play second fiddle to the film's digital
effects but that's not to say that there aren't some inspired turns from
the film's cast. Gerard Depardieu gets top billing though his presence is
only felt through flashback sequences as Vidocq the character dies in the
film's first five minutes. Depardieu is one of the finer actors to come out
France having appeared in over 100 projects in his home country as well as
many in North America. I haven't really seen a performance from him that I
didn't like except for some of his more mainstream American film roles
which were not really his style. Depardieu is more at home playing English
or Shakespearean roles and his talent is really wasted in this brief
role. In terms of screen time the lead role goes to Guillaume Canet who
plays Etienne Boisset the journalist and Vidocq biographer friend of
Vidocq. Although a top name in France Canet's exposure outside the region
hasn't been that great and while that isn't liable to change with this film
he does put in a good performance. Canet does just about as well as one can
do given the limited nature of his character and role in the film. Female
roles in the film are limited but Ines Sastre makes the most of her small
role as a Parisian beauty who helps Etienne on his way to the truth.
"Vidocq" is a landmark film in that it was the first film to be shot and
subsequently released using the new Sony High Definition 24fps digital
camera that was used for "Star Wars: Episode II : Attack of the Clones".
I've argued my position on digital film making in past reviews but this is
the first time that I've felt the film could not be captured with the same
visual look using regular 35mm film. Everything about "Vidocq" has been
touched digitally from the landscapes to the special effects to the actors
this is a digital production in every sense of the word. In general this
is the best I've seen digital film making look though I'm still not sold on
it being the way to go in the future. Sure the image may be crystal clear
and razor sharp but life is all about minor imperfections and that's what
gives a film or a person it's character.
Writer John Christophe Grange bases his script on the real life adventures
and talents of Francois Vidocq a detective in the 18th Century and does an
adequate job with crafting a believable and completely mindless tale. He
knows that his story will never be the focus of the film and does just
enough to sustain interest in the plot while director Pitof goes overboard
with his strong and often downright amazing visuals. It's clear that's
where Pitof's background lies as he often has problems advancing the plot
forward with the more exploratory scenes with minimal effects often slowing
down the action. However Pitof is at his finest when the action is flying
as he casts a magical and exciting spell over the viewers. The plot could
use a little work and the film does feel overly digital at times but it's a
fun check your head at the door type of film that has no real basis in
reality other then the title character's historical background. It's
similar in tone to "From Hell" which I feel better captures the time period
and is a more rounded movie experience however there's something to be said
for escapist fun. Still a better story that's less reliant on visual
effects would have been nice.
Movie Rating : 7/10
The DVD
VIDEO:
Seville presents "Vidocq" with a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer in
the film's original theatrical ratio. DVD is the natural medium of choice
for the film which was shot using the same high definition digital cameras
as "Star Wars : Attack of the Clones". In the past I've been critical of
how digitally shot films look on DVD but none of them have come even
remotely close to looking as good as "Vidocq" does. The film has a unique
visual style which is perfect for the digital realm and although I didn't
care for some aspects of the film's look there is no questioning that they
are presented as the director intended on this transfer. The image quality
is so sharp that it leaps off the screen and into the room with a great
amount of force. Detail is also exceptionally strong as both the foreground
and background action appears as if it were occurring just mere inches from
your seat. The film's use of color is another one of it's strong points and
the reds, oranges and greens that make up the primary color palette are
well displayed. Action takes place mostly at night on the streets of London
or in dark offices and through all this the image remains crystal clear
without the slightest hint of the muddiness that often occurs on transfers
originally shot on video based formats. Since the film was shot digitally
Seville has skipped the print stage and has instead transferred the film
from it's original digital source. This allows for the film to look as
pristine as possible as there is no longer any need to worry about such
pesky problems as print scratches or marks. In terms of problems
originating with the digital image there is only some trace amounts of
digital noise in some of the scenes. However this isn't really anything to
be worried about. Lastly the optional English subtitles are presented in a
clear easy to read white font at the bottom of the frame. Seville once
again comes through with a strong, near-perfect video transfer.
Video Rating : 9/10
SOUND: Seville Pictures brings "Vidocq" to DVD with a French Dolby Digital 5.1
audio track preserving the film's original language presentation. In the
past Seville have been plagued by production difficulties causing 5.1
tracks on "The Hole" and "The Fourth Angel" to be dropped at the last
minute. However when the tracks do make it on the disc they sound great.
"Vidocq" is a horror/action hybrid of a film and while it's not liable to
become anyone's new reference mix, it is definitely an above average audio
experience. The main aspect of this film's audio mix is the musical score
by Bruno Coulais which fills the room from all five speakers. During the
film's more intense action scenes the sound opens up to the rear speakers
and combined with the front speakers provide an aggressive and involving
listening experience. However surround usage is not simply limited to those
scenes as subtle amounts of ambient sound can be heard in the back of the
sound stage from time to time . One scene in particular that comes to mind
deals with lightening and how it travels through an object. The sparks
start off in the front and move through to the back in a very realistic
fashion. The subwoofer get's it fair share of use throughout the film and
during some moments creates a loud and constant rumbling. Dialogue is
easily heard and though I'm not fluent in French does seem to be well
pronounced. Although it's not one of the best sound mixes I've ever heard.
I am thankful for the opportunity to experience the audio as it should be
heard in the original 5.1 French format and not a dumbed down English dub.
I also appreciate that Seville has chosen not to include a dubbed version
of the film so that viewers will be forced to enjoy the film as it was
originally recorded.
Audio Rating : 8/10
EXTRAS:
"Vidocq" is the second title to be released under Seville's new Signature
Collection line of DVDs. According to press materials the collection will
feature titles with artistic merits that are beyond question and combine
these with state of the art DVD production values that will make these
releases become the definitive edition of the film on disc. "Vidocq"
one-ups the first Signature Collection disc "Kandahar" by including more
bonus materials. However the downside to this is that aside from the
theatrical trailer none of the features contain English subtitles and are
therefore presented only in French. This is a bit disappointing for
English speaking film fans like myself that want to view the material but
there is really little that can be done at this point. Apparently the title
was originally scheduled for a Quebec only release where this would have
been less of an issue but since this was rolled out nationwide in Canada
there will be people who will be disappointed with the lack of subtitles.
I'm one of them though the disappointment quickly passed when I realized
that as a Canadian with limited French experience I could simply summarize
the special features instead of going into great detail about the content
of each one.
Included in this extensive collection of bonus features is an audio
commentary track with director Pitof, a making of documentary (20 minutes)
and a special effects documentary (8 minutes) and that's just the
beginning. Continuing on there's an interview with the director (38
minutes), interview with the writer (19 minutes), cast and crew interviews
(7 minutes), the teaser trailer (17 seconds), the theatrical trailer (1:48)
and last but not least the Apocalyptica music video (4 minutes).
Also included are character sketches and a publicity art gallery consisting
of various promotional posters for the film.
All combined there's approximately 90 minutes of bonus materials and that's
before you include the audio commentary. It's times like these that I wish
I actually paid attention in French class during High School so that I
could offer more information surrounding the features on the disc. I did
flip through them and they look to be high quality so if you understand
French then you'll probably find them quite rewarding. Based on the
quantity of the features alone and the fact that they look to be of a high
quality. I'll give the disc the benefit of the doubt but in the future
let's hope that Seville and other studios subtitle any extras that
originate in a different language.
Extras Rating (based on quantity alone) : 8/10
Final Thoughts
While I'm not totally sold on the artistic style of director Pitof's
"Vidocq". It's clearly evident that he was going for style over substance
and in that regard the film succeeds. The plot is average though the film
is worth seeing for the graphics and visual effects alone. Seville's DVD
offers a lovely 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer with minimal problems
and an above average Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. If that's not enough
and you can speak French there is a large collection of special features
that cover just about every aspect of the film's production. Is the film
worth a purchase? That's a tough question to answer because it really
depends on the person. If you've seen the film and like it then you'll be
very pleased with this DVD edition. On the other hand if you haven't seen
then I think it'd probably make a good rental. However this is a Canadian
exclusive release and as such it will be hard to find as a rental in your
local stores. I'll give the Seville Signature Collection a conditional
recommendation based on the fact that if you like this sort of film then
you'll probably like this release otherwise if horror/suspense isn't your
thing then you'll probably just want to skip it.
Disc Rating : 8/10
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