492 A Christmas Tale

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Matt
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm

492 A Christmas Tale

#1 Post by Matt » Fri Aug 14, 2009 5:52 pm

A Christmas Tale

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In Arnaud Desplechin’s beguiling A Christmas Tale (Un conte de Noël), Catherine Deneuve brings her legendary poise to the role of Junon, matriarch of the troubled Vuillard family, who come together at Christmas after she learns she needs a bone marrow transplant from a blood relative. That simple family reunion setup, however, can’t begin to describe the unpredictable, emotionally volatile experience of this film, an inventive, magical drama that’s equal parts merriment and melancholy. Unrequited childhood loves and blinding grudges, brutal outbursts and sudden slapstick, music, movies, and poetry, A Christmas Tale ties it all together in a marvelously messy package.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director Arnaud Desplechin
- L’aimée, Desplechin’s 2007 documentary about the selling of his family home
- New documentary featuring interviews with Desplechin and actors Mathieu Amalric and Catherine Deneuve
- Original theatrical trailers
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Philip Lopate

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domino harvey
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#2 Post by domino harvey » Fri Aug 14, 2009 6:01 pm

The most-worthy of all of Criterion's newer film releases, this picture is a joyously entertaining, freewheeling masterpiece that deserves all the attention it will get for coming out on the label. So so glad I never got around to buying the R2 (the extras for which appear to be ported over?)

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HerrSchreck
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#3 Post by HerrSchreck » Fri Aug 14, 2009 6:07 pm

This is actually quite a good film-- recommend it heartily.

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knives
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#4 Post by knives » Fri Aug 14, 2009 6:12 pm

I'll third, such a heartwarming and funny film. The actress playing the mother is golden. This is what they should've been releasing at the start of this new trend.

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HerrSchreck
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#5 Post by HerrSchreck » Fri Aug 14, 2009 6:14 pm

knives wrote:The actress playing the mother is golden.
You mean Catherine Deneuve?

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Highway 61
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:40 pm

Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#6 Post by Highway 61 » Fri Aug 14, 2009 6:32 pm

Surprised to see the praise for this here. I thought the film sunk into bathos as soon as the love triangle with the Chiara Mastroianni character was introduced. Maybe I'll have to give it another look.

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Matt
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#7 Post by Matt » Fri Aug 14, 2009 6:34 pm

My favorite film of last year; I'm so glad to see Criterion releasing this. EXCEPT: No Blu-ray? For a new film? Sure it was the 220th top-grossing film in the US in 2008, but Gomorrah was only the 208th.

Also, I just bought the UK New Wave release, so you all have me to thank for Criterion announcing it now.

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colinr0380
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#8 Post by colinr0380 » Fri Aug 14, 2009 7:06 pm

And don't forget that Deneuve was in an earlier Desplechin film, Kings and Queen, so it is not as if she was a newcomer to his films before Christmas Tale.

(At least it makes more sense that Criterion are releasing this in November, compared to Artificial Eye in Britain releasing Summer Hours last winter and the New Wave spin-off label releasing A Christmas Tale in mid-summer!)

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mikkelmark
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#9 Post by mikkelmark » Fri Aug 14, 2009 7:11 pm

Christmas comes early =D>

Almost by coincidence i recently saw Desplechins My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument on theauteurs page which "forced" me to see La vie des morts and Kings and Queen. I was actually just about to order the uk disc or A Christmas Tale when i read this. The only bad thing is that november is soo far away.

If you have not seen it seen it yet, id like to recommend Kings and Queen, i think its a masterpiece. Also it can be gotten cheaply (if youre european), the artificial eye release costs only £6 from either play or amazon.uk.

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Matt
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#10 Post by Matt » Fri Aug 14, 2009 7:12 pm

Actually, it irks me that we had to wait a year in the US to get this because it's not about Christmas, it just takes place around Christmas.

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swo17
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#11 Post by swo17 » Fri Aug 14, 2009 7:29 pm

mikkelmark wrote:If you have not seen it seen it yet, id like to recommend Kings and Queen, i think its a masterpiece.
Agreed. I don't like Christmas Tale quite as much, but it's still great to see Desplechin in the collection.

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Fiery Angel
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#12 Post by Fiery Angel » Fri Aug 14, 2009 7:32 pm

This is easily the least of his films--I was shocked at how sentimental and draggy it was--but if it gets people to seek out his earlier, much better ones (My Sex Life is his masterpiece), then CC will have done its job. (Although they could also release his other films too!)

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foggy eyes
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#13 Post by foggy eyes » Fri Aug 14, 2009 8:45 pm

david hare wrote:I could strangle them for not doing this as a Blu. I own the BAC BluRay from last year - unsubbed of course (not even French subs, typically) and it just jumps to life in the Hi Def format as it did on the screen in a way it doesn't quite on SD. (And the terrific soundtrack deserves a lossless encode as well.)
Yeah, I can't bring myself to watch my SD after a couple of 35mm viewings. Nice to have L'aimee, though.

There really is something weird going on over at Criterion Towers. This, Gomorrah... What's next - Still Walking?

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tenia
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#14 Post by tenia » Sat Aug 15, 2009 4:50 am

Wow. With Gororrah, here comes the second most basic edition I see from Criterion. In fact, not only they take everything we already have in France, but our FNAC edition will be more complete, with a complete 112-page analysis of the cutting of some scenes from the movie. And we have it for 1 year already. Too bad they didn't find something to add.

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kaujot
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#15 Post by kaujot » Sat Aug 15, 2009 4:55 am

You have clearly not taken a look at the extras on many of Criterion's early spine numbers.

Edit: Also, did this have another title in France? It's just, I don't know, rather Hallmark Movie of the Week-ish. I hear it's a great film, but god, the title is a snooze fest.

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tenia
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#16 Post by tenia » Sat Aug 15, 2009 5:27 am

No, it's the English perfect translation. The French title is Un conte de Noël, which means 'A Christmas Tale'.

And, as for the early spines, the fact is that we are not in 1995 anymore, so we can wait something more than just a complete rip of a foreign edition.

You can check here for Christmas Tale (the price is not accurate, it should be 25€) and here for Gomorrah. It's the same. The SAME !

And Gomorrah even already exists on BR.

So, I'm kind of disappointed. For me, even if the movies are better than a Button (and, in fact, I didn't even like Gomorrah), the edition is just something they took already done, and then just slapped the wacky C.

I'm French, so, of course, I have to import Criterion DVDs. It should struck me, astound me, and everything, I should crave for them, and want them even for 30€. Here, it clearly doesn't.

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Zazou dans le Metro
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#17 Post by Zazou dans le Metro » Sat Aug 15, 2009 5:38 am

tenia wrote:Wow. With Gororrah, here comes the second most basic edition I see from Criterion. In fact, not only they take everything we already have in France, but our FNAC edition will be more complete, with a complete 112-page analysis of the cutting of some scenes from the movie. And we have it for 1 year already. Too bad they didn't find something to add.
Well these bonus items are not on the blu. There are also no subtitles of any kind (not even for malentendants). It costs nearly $50.00 (33 euros on fnac site) and you can buy the booklet separately from Avant Scene so I don't see anything to trumpet about there either. Or is that your point?

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tenia
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#18 Post by tenia » Sat Aug 15, 2009 6:08 am

Zazou dans le Metro wrote:
tenia wrote:Wow. With Gororrah, here comes the second most basic edition I see from Criterion. In fact, not only they take everything we already have in France, but our FNAC edition will be more complete, with a complete 112-page analysis of the cutting of some scenes from the movie. And we have it for 1 year already. Too bad they didn't find something to add.
Well these bonus items are not on the blu. There are also no subtitles of any kind (not even for malentendants). It costs nearly $50.00 (33 euros on fnac site) and you can buy the booklet separately from Avant Scene so I don't see anything to trumpet about there either. Or is that your point?
As I said, the price is not accurate (it's more about 25€ than 33), the booklet cost about 6€ alone (I think), but, no, that's not my point. My point is that Criterion are kind of lazy on this one, as they're just porting something completely without adding anything, or such little. But, yeah, of course, adding english subtitles and releasing it in the USA are something great, but in the world of digital releasing, it's far from a milestone. That was my point. They don't do anything more except than adding subtitles.

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Matt
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#19 Post by Matt » Sat Aug 15, 2009 1:07 pm

I don't see what you're raising such hell about. It's a solid release: the documentary and L’aimée are more than sufficient. If your FNAC edition is so great, no one is forcing you to give it up for the Criterion. The only thing it's seriously lacking is a Blu-ray release.

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domino harvey
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#20 Post by domino harvey » Sat Aug 15, 2009 1:11 pm

I think the feeling is that since this is the first film by this celebrated director to make it into the collection, some people want more than just subbed ports of existing DVD extras. Isn't Desplechin something of a big deal in France? I bet there's TV specials, scholars, other extras that could have been commissioned or licensed had Criterion any faith in the release (which, given the lack of Blu, they don't)

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mfunk9786
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#21 Post by mfunk9786 » Sat Aug 15, 2009 2:33 pm

I don't really know what all the fuss was about this one. It was overlong and a bit too caustic for my taste (I suppose that's the best way to put it). Maybe I need to revisit it now that it's going to be released on Criterion, though - I may have just been in a bad mood that day at the theater, who knows. But I remember a film that was certainly not worthy of all the praise it was receiving, in my humble opinion.

James
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#22 Post by James » Sat Aug 15, 2009 2:59 pm

mfunk9786 wrote:I don't really know what all the fuss was about this one. It was overlong and a bit too caustic for my taste (I suppose that's the best way to put it). Maybe I need to revisit it now that it's going to be released on Criterion, though - I may have just been in a bad mood that day at the theater, who knows. But I remember a film that was certainly not worthy of all the praise it was receiving, in my humble opinion.
Well, I watched Kings & Queen last night and that basically describes my feelings. I don't know if I'd say caustic, but it definitely felt like an overlong movie; at least considering it never really led to anything rewarding that could justify the 150 minutes worth of melodrama.

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Matt
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#23 Post by Matt » Sat Aug 15, 2009 3:34 pm

james wrote:at least considering it never really led to anything rewarding that could justify the 150 minutes worth of melodrama.
I'm going to ignore that statement (because it's wrong :wink: ) and just say that Desplechin is definitely not suited to everyone's tastes. His movies are messy, overlong, talky, caustic, highly autobiographical (perhaps too much so, according to his ex), and... extremely French, but it's his affection for all of his characters--no matter how unlikeable--and his celebration of the very small triumphs and breakthroughs they make in their lives that make his films worth watching.

I suppose what's funny is that I am indifferent to most films by Cassavetes, Rohmer, Pialat, Truffaut, and others of that ilk that might be considered his major influences, but I adore Desplechin.

James
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#24 Post by James » Sat Aug 15, 2009 3:37 pm

Matt wrote:
james wrote:at least considering it never really led to anything rewarding that could justify the 150 minutes worth of melodrama.
I'm going to ignore that statement (because it's wrong :wink: ) and just say that Desplechin is definitely not suited to everyone's tastes. His movies are messy, overlong, talky, caustic, highly autobiographical, and... extremely French, but it's his affection for all of his characters--no matter how unlikeable--and his celebration of the very small triumphs and breakthroughs they make in their lives that make his films worth watching.
I definitely don't want it to seem like I'm trying to sway people's interest away from this, I just wanted to see a movie by Desplechin.
Matt wrote:I suppose what's funny is that I am indifferent to most films by Cassavetes, Rohmer, Pialat, Truffaut, and others of that ilk that might be considered his major influences, but I adore Desplechin.
The movies I've seen from Rohmer and Pialat are awesome. I don't especially care for Truffaut, but I like The 400 Blows a lot; so it would seem we've run into a vice-versa scenario.

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Matt
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Re: 492 A Christmas Tale

#25 Post by Matt » Sat Aug 15, 2009 3:39 pm

james wrote:I definitely don't want it to seem like I'm trying to sway people's interest away from this, I just wanted to see a movie by Desplechin.
And I'm grateful that you gave him a chance, even if you ended up not liking it. Not everyone is willing to go that far before forming an opinion on his work.

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