A Christmas Tale Blu-ray

A Christmas Tale

 (2008)

Comedy | Drama



Junon and Abel are the parents of three grown children: Elizabeth, a melancholic playwright with a mathematician husband and a tortured teenage son, Paul; Henri, the self-destructive black sheep, banished from family events by Elizabeth five years prior; youngest Ivan, the peacemaker, is married to the beautiful Sylvia and has two eccentric little boys; while a fourth- -Joseph, the eldest--died from leukemia as a boy. When the disease reappears again in the family, all are tested to see who can be a donor, and then everyone--including lovesick cousin Simon and Henri's girlfriend, Faunia--return home for a long Christmas weekend. All crowded again under the same roof, solidarity quickly--and hilariously--devolves into feuding, drunkenness and bed-hopping, as everyone struggles to make sense of the mysteries of family, life, and what lies ahead.

For more details about A Christmas Tale on Blu-ray, see the A Christmas Tale Blu-ray Review

Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric
Director: Arnaud Desplechin

A Christmas Tale Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Arnaud Desplechin's A Christmas Tale arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The disc contains a new, supervised and approved by director Arnaud Desplechin, high-definition transfer created from a 35mm interpositive. (Telecine supervisors: Arnaud Desplechin and Amandine Gazaud. Additional telecine supervision: Lee Kline).

This is a solid transfer! Detail is excellent, clarity terrific and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The close-ups, in particular, are lovely (the camera spends a great deal of time studying the faces of the main protagonists). The color-scheme is also very effective - reds, blues, browns, grays, blacks and whites look rich and healthy. Furthermore, I did not detect any disturbing digital artifacts, strong edge-enhancement, or macroblocking patterns. Additionally, the film grain is kept intact. There are no stability issues to report either. Finally, I did not spot any annoying scratches, debris, stains, or dirt. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" disc. Therefore, unless you have a native Region-A or Region-Free player, you won't be able to access its content).

A Christmas Tale Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The audio for A Christmas Tale has been remastered at 24-bit from the original digital audio master files using Pro Tool HD. Unsurprisingly, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track included on this Blu-ray disc is of exceptionally high quality.

A Christmas Tale is a dialog-heavy film; therefore, surround activity is limited. In fact, the only time the surround channels are active is during a few selected scenes where Henri gets a little bit rowdy. The dialog is crisp and very easy to follow. Also, there are absolutely no pops, cracks or hissings that I noticed whiled viewing the film.

A Christmas Tale Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Today on Blu-ray - December 1st - December 1, 2009


• A Christmas Tale Gets Its Blu-ray - September 16, 2009