While I hate to echo the same thing I’ve been saying for the past few weeks, this is yet another slow week for Blu-ray releases. However, one of my favorite movies of all time hits the format today, and that is definitely something to be excited about.
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Honestly, after spending too much money last week in the big Barnes & Noble Criterion sale<\/a>, I should probably be grateful that this is such a light week. <\/p>\n Absolutely the release of the week is Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s wonderful romantic comedy masterpiece ‘Le fabuleaux destin d’Am\u00e9lie Poulain’, better known in these parts under the simplified title ‘Am\u00e9lie<\/strong>‘. Everything about this movie makes me smile. I could watch it over and over again in a loop and never get tired of it. I already own the Australian Blu-ray release from a couple years ago and don’t necessarily see a compelling need to upgrade, but I’m certainly glad to see an official release on these shores for those who’ve waited. The movie is both intensely visual and has a stellar soundtrack. It begs for a good Blu-ray presentation.<\/p>\n One thing that has worried me, however, is that the old Miramax DVD release had a lousy dumbed-down English subtitle translation filled with typos, whereas the Australian and later Canadian Blu-rays use the superior theatrical subtitles. Early word has it that, at the very least, the new Lionsgate Blu-ray (licensed from Miramax) fixes some of the typos. Whether the rest of the translation has also been corrected to the theatrical version is something I’m still waiting for confirmation on.<\/p>\n An excellent pairing with ‘Am\u00e9lie’ would be Jean Cocteau’s beautiful 1946 adaptation of ‘Beauty and the Beast<\/strong>‘, now available from the Criterion Collection. Criterion’s other big title of the week is ‘The Music Room<\/strong>‘, from legendary Indian director Satyajit Ray, whose works I have somehow never caught up with. Be sure to order both from that Barnes & Noble sale. I did.<\/p>\n\n