Some of the best elements of Jan Kounen's real-life love affair tale are the cinematography, production design and costumes. They are exquisitely represented in this Blu-ray. Coco Chanel's monochromatic style is rich with deep blacks and pearly whites. In 1080p, the picture is crisp and detailed, while retaining the original film grain feel. When splashes of color are introduced, the picture quality remains firm and rich within the cool ascetic the film is trying to create.
As for the soundtrack, the disc is presented in DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless. Even though this is a quiet drama, the soundscape is filled with the noises of the environments. Claps and jeers fill the room during Stravinsky's disastrous first performance of "The Rites of Spring." The sounds of the woods fill the outdoor scenes at the estate. Stravinsky's bombastic music moves the LFE track. All the elements from dialogue to sound effects to music are perfectly balanced.
Sadly, the special features on the disk include only one making-of documentary. However, it is an intriguing one. It's definitely not your standard talking heads featurette. The mini-doc focuses on the director working out the characters with his leads Mads Mikkelsen and Anna Mouglalis. A good deal of time is actually spent on how to handle the film's many full nude sex scenes. I found it very interesting how Kounen dances around calling the film erotic. As one will see Mikkelsen is more direct about the &*%%&.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
