The Double Life of Veronique / La double vie de Véronique (Amazon: March 2010)

[The Driver]

One of my favourite French films. Love it.

HMV listing it as an exclusive for January 2010 @ £12.99 http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;-1;-1;-1;-1&sku=302317

The Double Life of Veronique Blu-ray
The Double Life of Veronique Blu-ray Review

[Mr. Brightside]

Wonderful news, as this is one of my favourites. Hoping Kieslowski's wonderful Three Colours trilogy sees light of day on Blu very soon, as well.

[Bruce Morrison]

Originally Posted by mr. Brightside

wonderful news, as this is one of my favourites. Hoping kieslowski's wonderful three colours trilogy sees light of day on blu very soon, as well.

+1

[Arkadin]

oh yeah!
that's some great news right there.
Artificial Eye is generally a very good studio.
some of their titles have been locked however.
and others have had 50hz menus.
so hopefully this one won't have those issues.

[pro-bassoonist]

update:

BD extras:

Conversation with Kieslowski
Interview with Irène Jacob
‘Kieslowski, Polish Filmmaker’ Documentary
Short Films:
‘The Musicians’ (1958)
‘Factory’ (1970)
‘Hospital’ (1976)
‘Railway Station’ (1980)

Roger Ebert:

It is important to resist the temptation to figure out every last detail of "The Double Life of Veronique," the mysterious and poetic new film by Krzysztof Kieslowski. That way lies frustration.

The parts do not quite fit, and anyway this is not a puzzle to be assembled. It is a romance about those moments we all sometimes have when we think we see ourselves at a distance. Is there, we wonder, more than one me? Why haven't I ever seen a portrait in a gallery that looks exactly like myself - or anyone I know? How would I feel if I did? The movie is about two young women, one named Veronique, one named Veronika, both played by Irene Jacob. They never quite meet, although their paths almost cross one day. One lives in France, the other in Poland. They were born on the same day. They have identical heart problems. They are both wonderful singers. One dies, the other doesn't.

The movie could have been truly confusing if it cut back and forth between the two women, both played by the same actress, but it doesn't. We follow the Polish Veronika until she shockingly collapses during a music recital, and then we pick up the thread on Paris. This is the reverse of what Luis Bunuel once did when he had two different actresses play the same woman interchangeably. With Kieslowski we are also a little confused: Is this the same woman? Did she not really die? We listen for clues. Then we realize there are none. First we saw one woman, now we see the other.

There is a long central section in the film which is a triumph of narrative technique. Veronique receives a tape in the mail. She listens to it, and eventually is able to identify it as the sounds in a train station - a particular station. She has received other clues, from a secret admirer who seems to challenge her to find him. She follows the clues, using enormous ingenuity, but when she finally meets the admirer she is chagrined, because there was nothing there, really, but the game, and somehow she felt there would be truth and illumination at the end of her quest. Perhaps this part of the film is a parable for the puzzle that Kieslowski has set us.

Sometimes I play a game in my life, which consists of returning to an exact place and time and duplicating an exact action.

Here I am again, I think, following my own footsteps. This cafe, on a rainy morning in Paris in the winter. The same waiter, the same order, the same book in my hand. And next year I will do this again.

The problem with these games is that they are locked in time. I can always repeat my action next year, but never last year. I cannot make an appointment in the past. Something like that game is what "The Double Life of Veronique" is about, with the addition that only the filmmaker, only Kieslowski, knows both of the women.

Are they the same woman? No. Why are they so similar? Perhaps because there are only so many differences that are possible.

Why does the second woman seem to feel a fleeting moment of pain when the first one dies? Kieslowski is not interested in the answers to such questions, because they would be meaningless speculations. But the possibility of such connections between lives is infinitely interesting. To think about them is to touch the mystery of consciousness.

When I do think I see myself at a distance, by the way, I never hurry to catch up. What if I were right? What would we say to each other?

Pro-B

[McCrutchy]

Looks like we get some, but not all, of the Criterion extras.

Still tempted to get the CC DVD as I've never seen the film...

[Zen_Amako]

Didn't see a thread about this. It looks like Artificial Eye will be releasing The Double Life of Veronique with Irene Jacob on Blu-ray in March.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Double-Life-...0412719&sr=1-1

Hopefully it's region-free. This is one of my favorite films, and it should look terrific in HD.

EDIT: Oops, there was already a thread. I didn't see it when I did a search. Oh well, still excited about this release, but this thread can deleted.

[nightcrawler]

It's out next week in the UK - Jan 25 - and it's a HMV exclusive. Only £12.99

[manicsounds]

The Criterion I think looks marvelous, and I'm not an expert on color comparison, but DVDBeaver compared the MK2 release to the Criterion. (site is down right now for some reason) It's one of my favorite films and favorite DVDs of all.

This BD is awesome news, but for me I will have to pass on it for the time being... sicne I'm not getting an upgrade on the extras department. But picture and sound has gotta be something else. (one disappointment with the Criterion was the 2.0 sound option compared to the 5.1 and 2.0 on the MK2/Artificial Eye)

[hok007]

Originally Posted by manicsounds

The Criterion I think looks marvelous, and I'm not an expert on color comparison, but DVDBeaver compared the MK2 release to the Criterion. (site is down right now for some reason) It's one of my favorite films and favorite DVDs of all.

The DVDBeaver review is back up, and it still leaves me a little confused re Pro-B's comment. Is there a problem with Criterion's color? My jaded eye doesn't see a problem (I actually prefer the more subtle tinting of the Criterion screen captures to those of MK2; but that's just me. I don't recall being overwhelmed, or even noticing, the green tint in the theater.)

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by hok007

The DVDBeaver review is back up, and it still leaves me a little confused re Pro-B's comment. Is there a problem with Criterion's color? My jaded eye doesn't see a problem (I actually prefer the more subtle tinting of the Criterion screen captures to those of MK2; but that's just me. I don't recall being overwhelmed, or even noticing, the green tint in the theater.)

The film has a distinctive green tint, which was preserved by the MK2 release (and AE). The Criterion disc most definitely looks very different.

Pro-B

[Zen_Amako]

My copy shipped today from hmv. I love this movie - I hope they did a good job on the Blu-ray.

[The Driver]

Play have been listing this too http://www.play.com/DVD/Blu-ray/4-/1...e/Product.html

[nightcrawler]

Originally Posted by The Driver

Play have been listing this too http://www.play.com/DVD/Blu-ray/4-/1...e/Product.html

Play - and anywhere else for that matter - don't start selling until almost 2 months after HMV do. Depends how much you want it I guess. HMV's price is pretty good anyway.

[The Driver]

This is now in Play.com's 2 for £18 http://www.play.com/DVD/Blu-ray/4-/1...e/Product.html

2-3 week wait since they have the delayed release but thta's a really nice saving for a great disc.

Still £12.99 @ HMV http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;0;-1;-1;-1&sku=302317

[Samwell]

So glad this is region free...now I just have to wait a couple of weeks to get it from Amazon UK for £8.99

[castor]

The Artificial Eye blu has the original ending. I wasn't aware there was a US ending. I just watched in on YouTube. The original is much better. This is one of my all time favorite films.

[AlexJRascal]

Originally Posted by castor

The Artificial Eye blu has the original ending. I wasn't aware there was a US ending. I just watched in on YouTube. The original is much better. This is one of my all time favorite films.

Thank you very much. That's really good to know. Maybe I will finally pick up the AE release, then.
... If I do look out for a new 4k restoration to be announced the next day.

Uncertainty about the ending is probably why I've never upgraded to blu-ray on this. Even though, like you, this is absolutely in my all-time top 5.
It's a stunning piece of cinema.

And that Preisner soundtrack ....
The first time I saw this I particularly remember a feeling like catching my breath and coming back to reality after the sequence of the 'Van Den Budenmayer' recital where Weronika collapses.

In fact, just thinking about this film makes me realise it's high time for a re-watch.

PS. I don't remember him specifically being mentioned in "Kieslowski on Kieslowski" (though looooong time since I read that) but according to the Criterion DVD it was Harvey Weinstein who pushed for the US ending. So another reason to reject it.

[scarletlion]

Just watched the Artificial Eye version of this. Absolutely gobsmacked by it. What a beautiful film. It's my 5th Kieslowksi and I didn't think anything would top Red or Blue from his 3C trilogy - but I'm having a hard time not giving Veronique 10/10. A sublime experience. I was transfixed.

[Aunt Peg]

Originally Posted by scarletlion

Just watched the Artificial Eye version of this. Absolutely gobsmacked by it. What a beautiful film. It's my 5th Kieslowksi and I didn't think anything would top Red or Blue from his 3C trilogy - but I'm having a hard time not giving Veronique 10/10. A sublime experience. I was transfixed.

This is my favourite Kieslowksi.

About two years ago I re-watched Dekalog, the Three Colour Trilogy and this for the first time since their cinema showings. My opinions of all of the films hadn't changed at all and apart from Three Colours' White they were all as rewarding as the first time about. I was on the fence 25 years earlier about White and must admit that I still am.

Can't wait for the box set of some of his earlier films. I have them all on DVD and watched them years ago.