Un Coeur en Hiver

Like the Maurice Ravel violin music on the soundtrack, director Claude Sautet's Un Coeur en Hiver balances its tranquil, melancholy beauty with deep passion and a certain discomfiting sense of agitation, bordering on violence. Released theatrically in 1992, the film is a portrait of a ménage a trois that vexes all three of its participants: Camille (Emmanuelle Beart), a gifted young violinist remembered by her former teacher as "a hard, polished little girl who kept you at a distance"; Stephane (the superb Daniel Auteuil), a supremely skilled instrument maker so emotionally stifled that he barely seems alive; and Maxime (Andre Dussollier), Camille's older, married lover and Stephane's business partner. What begins as a passing acquaintance between Camille and Stephane soon becomes much more, at least for her: but the more he withdraws, the more she is drawn to him, until frustration turns to obsession. For his part, while Stephane is attracted to Camille, his emotional wall is so impregnable that he resists her every advance. It's all tres tragique, not to mention tres Francais. Released here in a newly restored transfer supervised by cinematographer Yves Angelo, the film is exquisitely shot, with warm, muted colors as burnished as the varnish on the violins that Stephane repairs; and the music, of course, is sublime. DVD extras include cast and crew interviews, a commemorative booklet, and more. Highly recommended. (S. Graham) [Blu-ray/DVD Review—Oct. 8, 2019—Kino Lorber, 104 min., in French w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $19.99, Blu-ray: $29.99—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1992’s Un Coeur en Hiver features a great transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include audio commentary by film historian Kat Ellinger. Bottom line: this French classic makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]