[David600]

the title : les RIVIERES POURPRES ( released in the US under the title THE CRIMSON RIVERS) by Mathieu Kassovitz
http://www.dvdrama.net/imagescrit/ri...rpresdtsz2.jpg

The edition I'll speak here about is the French THX DTS collector edition, which marked a new trend in the French dvd market, now raised even further with the collector of LE PACTE DES LOUPS (see the other thread on this great forum).

Let's first say the US ntsc edition has flaws and does not include the incredible DTS full rate track.
http://www.dvdrama.net/imagescrit/ri...urprespic1.jpg

LES RIVIERES POURPRES is a complex story, carrying some disturbing elements, that could be a bit hard to understand for non French spectators and even for those who read the very complex but great best)-seller by J-C Grangé. This is a an action-horror-thriller, in the same genre of SEVEN ( but not, "adapted script speaking", of the same league)
http://www.dvdrama.net/imagescrit/ri...urprespic3.jpg


It stars Jean Reno (THE PROFESSIONAL, GOZDILLA, BIG BLUE), Vincent Cassel (DOBBERMAN, LE PACTE DES LOUPS, LA HAINE, by Kassovitz too), Nadia Farès ( a sort of French sosie of ... Cindy Crawford ). http://www.ecrannoir.fr/stars/gen/genimg/fares01.jpg

It has some very very tense moments, some incredible on the edge action sequences ( those who saw it know what I mean...... ) and is really a "dvd to show your system" !!


I can only recommend it. I love it! The dvd is system threatening, the story is haunting and thrilling with some gore scenes, it will succeed in surprising many of you and carries a beautiful outdoor photography of the French Savoie Mountains ( note all the outdoor scenes where shot in natural landscapes, not in studio as for Vertical Limit for instance, which was mostly shot so). The dvd is loaded with extras, cut scenes, etc. An excellent bang for the money.


Kassovitz and Gans (Le Pacte des Loups) are the two new strong leading French directors, imho. Expect lots of good stuff from these two.

 

[Chad Varnadore]

I really enjoyed The Crimson Rivers and reviewed the region one release for The Spot.


Columbia's region one release is about on par with most of there dvd output. A little too much edge enhancement is visible in a number of scenes, though not terribly distracting like releases such as The Phantom Menace or Spy Kids. Though, detail isn't really lacking, mid to long range shots do reveal it's weaknesses, as they are often fairly soft.


I watched most of the film with both the English dubb and English subtitles active. It was funny how inconsistent every relaying of distance was. The dubb would say 50 ft. and the subtitles would show 75 ft. or something completely different. How in the world to you mis-translate distance? Dispite this, I surprisingly preferred the dubb over the subtitles. The subs. seemed to lose some of the emotion in the translation that the dubb carried. And, the most well known stars like Jean Reno did their own dubb so, that wasn't a distraction either.


I rarely find this to be the case, but really think they dropped the ball with the subtitled track on the Region 1 release, loosing far too much of the character and meaning of the film. I can't say that the dubb was entirely accurate, as I can't speak French. But, it made more sense and had a better presence, IMO.


Chad

 

[pham]

David600, can you recommend a good source to order these two films from the U.S.? Do the French versions have English subtitles? I heard that the 3-disc version of Brotherhood of the Wolf is the only one that has English subtitles and is hard to find. I'm not too concerned with an English audio track.

 

[David600]

hi


www.amazon.fr for instance. no English subts on neither of these two movies.

 

[Jason Steg]

How does the audio & video of the R2 NTSC (Japan) version of LES RIVIERES POURPRES compare to the R2 PAL (French) release? The Japanese copy has French 5.1 tracks in both DD and DTS, in addition to a Japanese 5.1 DD track. Is the French DTS track on the Japan version at full bit-rate?

 

[David600]

Hi Jason


I was not aware of a Japanese edition. I know that the French release has full rate dts however. As for the image quality, it's a question: Japanese know how to encode discss very well but the French release has a very very nice picture. I guess it depends how disc one is filled and as you say , if it's a full rate (often the case in Japan) or 1/2 rate dts. I lean towards the French release though.