Don Juan (1998/ France)
Picture: C
Sound: B- Extras: C- Film: C
Don Juan is one of the most filmed stories around, and
most of the resulting features are lame.
Jacques Weber decided to star as the title character in the one he
directed, and the result of his Don Juan is more bizarre than
intended. Released in 1998, this French
production has the immediate problem of looking too new, and not the time
period of 1665. The result feels and plays
like a condensed version of something you could watch on A&E, but with
problems.
First of all, I was never convinced of anything I saw, as
the film manages to waste Emmanuelle Béart and Penelope Cruz. We never believe this Juan has any passion,
heart or soul. The film just trods
along with tired dialogue and never really takes off. Weber was either trying to save money or get what he wanted by
taking on the role, but whatever he was after, one can only imagine he was
trying to do a pulled-back take on the character. Too bad it pulls the whole film down. Furthermore, he is upstaged in effect by Marlon Brando’s
conjuring of the character in the romantic comedy hit Don Juan DeMarco
(1995), no matter the success or failure of that film artistically. Taking on Brando is always a losing position
and Weber can hang it up.
The production values are there, but they are not spent
well, again giving the feeling of a TV mini-series or outright phony
production. Another problem with
Weber’s screenplay adaptation is that it has absolutely no ironic distance to make
this oft told story work. Sometimes, if
you caught the film on TV in the middle, you might think of a Halloween party,
though the other bright spot in casting is Michel Lonsdale (Ronin,
The Bride Wore Black, Moonraker) as Don Luis. He steals every scene he is in and Weber
does not stand a chance.
Though the case credits the film as being presented 4 X
3/1.33 X 1, the film actually is letterboxed at a 1.66 X 1 frame that has some
serious detail trouble, and is a video transfer of a video transfer that makes
the film look like it was shot on PAL video.
This does not do justice to cinematographer D. Jose Luis Alcaine’s work,
no matter what my issues may be with it.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is the highlight of the disc, with healthy
Pro Logic surrounds. The music by Bruno
Coulais is nothing distinct, getting so boring at times that I thought a Queen
tune would surface on the soundtrack at any moment. There are no extras, except for three previews of other Koch
Lorber DVD titles, including the terrific 301/302 reviewed elsewhere on
this site. See that film instead.
- Nicholas Sheffo
