- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/16-bit), French Dolby Digital 5.1
- Subtitles: English
- Subtitles Color: Yellow
- Region: ABC (Region-Free)
- Rating: PG-13
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Digital Copies: N/A
- Run Time: 105 Mins.
- Studio: Cohen Media Group
- Blu-ray Release Date: September 25, 2012
- List Price: $34.98
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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Audrey Tatou hasn’t been this charming in a role since she made a splash in her career defining film Amélie. Delicacy charts similar romantic terrain, but with different results. David and Stéphane Foenkinos direct David Foenkinos’ own screenplay of his novel Delicacy (La délicatesse). It follows the Parisian businesswoman Nathalie (Tatou) whose idyllic romance and subsequent marriage is disrupted after her husband is killed tragically when he is hit by a car. Three years later, still in mourning, Nathalie has cut herself off emotionally from the world, throwing herself into her work, but her ability to love and experience joy suddenly bursts from her when she unexpectedly kisses her subordinate coworker Markus (François Damiens. Markus is an unassuming, balding, and somewhat overweight underachiever, but sparked by his encounter with Nathalie, he presses forth and pursues Nathalie, eventually convincing her that the two can have something real, although he himself has his doubts, knowing full well that Nathalie is well out of his league. Pressures from Nathalie’s friends and boss, who is obsessed with her, begin to mount as they all feel she could do better.
The film has its charming moments, but it swings far too much between melodrama (in its first half) and quirky romantic comedy (the central part of the film) then back again, while the filmmakers use obvious tricks to tug at our heart strings. One scene where Markus has a realization that Nathalie may be too beautiful for him takes place with gorgeous music swelling and the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the background.
Despite its faults, the overall impact of Delicacy is one of an interesting romantic comedy propped up by the undeniable sweetness of Audrey Tatou who just plays these sorts of roles effortlessly, and François Damiens whose charisma goes a long way to lifting the film out from doldrums.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
With a Super 35 source this AVC/MPEG-4 encodement comes to Blu-ray looking natural and film-like, if not quite crisp at all times. Colors are strong with good contrast and natural flesh tones while the shadow detail is nicely nuanced.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/16-bit) mix is straightforward, but it does offer really strong dynamic range with natural sounding dialogue, a good bit of atmospheric sound in the surround channels, and punchy sounding music on the soundtrack.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]
There’s little here to get excited over besides more time with the lovely Ms. Tatou in a brief interview. The making-of is average, offering mainly lots of B-roll footage.
The supplements:
- Audrey Tatou Interview (1.78:1; SD; 00:03:08)
- Making-of-Featurette (1.78:1; SD; 00:24:53)
- Trailer (1.85:1; 1080p/24; Dolby Digital 5.1)
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4/5]
Audrey Tatou’s charm and François Damiens’ comedic charisma help to sustain this somewhat uneven, but ultimately enjoyable romantic comedy. The film shifts between drama and comedy, fantasy and romance with a bit of an unsteady tone, but tells a recognizable story of finding love in unexpected places.
Additional Screen Captures
[amazon-product]B008H1Q3YG[/amazon-product]
Purchase Delicacy on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
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[amazon-product]B008H1Q3YG[/amazon-product]
Purchase Delicacy on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]
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