Bel Ami
(2012/Sony DVD)/The Forsyte Saga (2002 – 2004 TV
Mini-Series/Acorn DVD Reissue Set)
Picture:
C Sound: C Extras: C-/C Main Programs: C+/B
Here are
a couple of costume dramas you may have missed.
Declan
Donnellan and Nick Ormerod somehow had to co-direct Bel Ami (2012) when all this adaptation of Guy de Maupassant
classic should have needed is one helmer.
Robert Pattinson of those Twilight
films is rogue Georges Duroy, who wants to sleep and manipulate his way to the
top upper class, but will experience odd things along the way. Pattinson plays this somewhat flatly, but
that works to his advantage as the era is on the cold side, but this is no
Barry Lyndon or Tom Jones and that is the problem. We have seen this kind of story and done
better, with more energy, originality and point.
The sets,
costumes and locations are good, but supporting cast members Uma Thurman, Colm
Meaney, Kristin Scott Thomas and Christina Ricci help make this better, yet
they are fighting a losing battle. This
is competent, but not what it might have been with more work on the
screenplay. A Making Of featurette is
the only extra.
Then we
have the TV mini-series The Forsyte Saga
(2002 – 2004), which we reviewed a long time ago from Acorn on DVD. This is a repackaging reissue if the program,
which you can read more about at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/1868/Forsyte+Saga+-+Set+1+&+2+(2002-4
Extras are
the same too and this long tale of the life and times of said family holds up
better than expected, so it is definitely worth your time.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image on Bel
Ami was originally shot on Super 35mm film, but this DVD is just on the
soft side throughout, even with any style choices. I’ll blame the format and expect a Blu-ray
would look better to much better. The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on Forsyte
is much softer than the previous DVD set and was an older HD shoot. Acorn ought to consider a Blu-ray edition
soon.
The lossy
Dolby Digital 5.1 on Bel Ami and
lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo on Forsyte
are on the quiet side, but Bel Ami
simply has a limited soundfield and a lossy format just makes it more so.
- Nicholas Sheffo
