- Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles: English, French
- Region: A (Region-Locked)
- Rating: R
- Running Time: 122 minutes
- Digital Copy: UltraViolet
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: March 19, 2013
- List Price: $35.99
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Overall
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(The below 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:4.5/5]
Already a critically acclaimed film in Europe and having received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, De rouille et d’os (Rust and Bone) comes with the attractions of lead actress Marion Cotillard (Oscar winner for La Vie en Rose) and noted French screenwriter Jacques Audiard.
The film opens in the Cote d’Azur resort town of Antibes, as Alain or “Ali” (Matthias Schoenaerts), an unemployed kick-boxer, is traveling from Belgium with his small son Sam (Armand Verdure). Ali moves in with his sister Anna (Corinne Masiero) and meets Stephanie (Marion Cotillard) when she gets beaten up at the night club where he works as a bouncer. Stephanie, in an unhappy relationship, works as an orca trainer at the French Marineland. An accident during the show results in Stephanie’s losing most of both legs. Out of the blue, she calls Ali (who is now working as a department store security guard), and the pair begins the slow process of recovery and reentering life, literally step by step. Ali is prize fighting again and gradually revives Stephanie’s sex life. In turn, Stephanie begins the slow process of domesticating Ali. Some bumps in the road remain for this odd couple, but, in the end, love conquers all.
Like the recently reviewed French film, The Intouchables, Rust and Bone bears testimony to the triumph of spirit over body. This picture is superbly acted and directed and, dark moments aside (and there are plenty of those), there is a lot of light to behold.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
This is an intimate film with a lot of the camera work putting the characters directly in the viewer’s face. Fans of graphic sex in its more basic instinct moments will get their due. For the most part, we also get a combination of great facial detail and some pretty gritty scenes that are appropriate to the characters and plot.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The surround soundtrack is atmospheric and what dialogue there is (Ali is not a particularly verbal character) is clear. Many of the scenes let the camera rather than microphone do the talking.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
There are several deleted scenes that were left on the cutting room floor that total less than seven minutes and were not missed in the final version. The “Mikros VFX breakdown” shows us how the effects of Mlle Cotillard’s supposedly amputated legs were created. A special feature by Antonin Peretjatko “Making Rust and Bones” is a well done hour long documentary that details the conceptualization and realization of this film, definitely worth the watch. Finally, there are trailers and a brief red carpet interview at the Toronto Film Festival.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:4.5/5]
There has, it seems, been a steady stream of films like The Sea Inside, The Intouchables, Born on the Fourth of July, and, even Avatar that deal with the struggles of physically impaired characters who must remake their entire lives. Rust and Bone, based on Canadian Craig Davidson’s short story, digs down to the essential core of what makes us human and then builds a powerful and moving drama on top of that. The principal actors and superb supporting cast carry this show forward, aided by sensitive direction and cinematography. This film surely deserved its accolades and should be on every one’s 2013 viewing short list.
Additional Screen Captures
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BestBuy.com:
Purchase Rust and Bone on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
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[amazon-product]B00BQKPTHC[/amazon-product]
[amazon-product]B00AZNEVJ8[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Rust and Bone on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3.5/5]
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