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La Haine Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

Matt Hough

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Matt Hough

The title of Mathieu Kassovitz’s film La Haine translates into English as Hate, but it could just as easily have been titled Rage, Disenfranchised, or Lost. It’s the story of three disgusted, disillusioned friends attempting to survive the Banlieue ghetto on the outskirts of Paris: the protagonists have no jobs, no future, and no hope. What they do have is an encompassing rage against all authority (parents, police, older siblings, their elders) and a desire to vent this rage on something or someone. Set amid a series of riots involving suburban gangs and the police, La Haine is one of the most visceral experiences in recent cinema.



La Haine (Blu-ray)
Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz

Studio: Criterion
Year: 1995
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1   1080p   AVC codec
Running Time: 97 minutes
Rating: NR
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 French
Subtitles: English

Region: A
MSRP: $ 39.95


Release Date: May 8, 2012

Review Date: May 5, 2012




The Film

4.5/5


Three young men, seemingly in their early 20s and not likely to make it to 30, live a typical day in their lives, aimlessly shuffling about their neighborhoods looking for trouble. Vinz (Vincent Cassel), Hubert (Hubert Kounde), and Said (Said Taghmaoui) have no work to keep them occupied, no other friends that they can depend upon, no love interests to help them stay grounded or feel worthwhile. (In fact, they even antagonize some girls they’re attracted to at an art gallery; they can’t seem to stem their rage in any situation). What Vinz does have, however, is a gun, picked up at an altercation with the police the night before when Vinz’s acquaintance Abdel (abdel Ahmed Ghili) was badly injured. Vinz vows that a cop will die by his hand if his friend, who’s lingering between life and death in a coma, dies. And there’s that constantly ticking clock that clicks off all the unfulfilling, dead-end encounters the three young men have during this fateful day. And yes, someone will die; in fact, more than one person meets his maker. It’s the when, where, and who that keeps us on the edges of our seats.


There’s no surprise that Mathieu Kassovitz won the Best Director prize at Cannes for his work in this film. It’s a beautifully crafted movie crackling with feelings of rage and alienation and featuring many kinetic moments. Some of the film feels loose and improvisational while other scenes are so clearly staged, so beautifully composed (a troubled Vinz in relief with a statue of a hand gently cradling a face; the three men sitting blankly in front of a video screen projecting images of the riots from the previous night) that they’re etched into one’s memory. If one mixed Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets with Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing and John Singleton’s Boyz N the Hood, you’d have something close to the overpowering feeling this film offers. La Haine is a film that’s incredible to experience for the first time and impossible to forget once it’s over.


There are excellent, gritty performances, too, especially from Vincent Cassel as quasi-group leader Vinz. He talks tough, he wants to be tough, and he’s got a hair-trigger temper, not the best thing for someone carrying a 9mm Glock. Yet, his immaturity is still on display in fits of pique with his friends when he feels they’ve abandoned or disappointed him, and he's generally impossible to reason with; his rage is literally all-consuming. And look close for the director himself playing a young skinhead caught and beaten by the gang near the end of the film.



Video Quality

4.5/5


The film’s original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 is presented in a terrific 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. Though there are occasional soft shots and the opening television footage is deliberately processed to look blown out and grainy, most of the imagery is exceptionally sharp and very detailed. Though the film was shot on color stock, it’s been printed in black and white to lend a stark, serious tone to the piece, and the contrast is superb. No digital artifacts have entered the presentation, and the picture is stunning in its rich, deep blacks and uncompromising grayscale. The white English subtitles are also very easy to read. The film has been divided into 20 chapters.



Audio Quality

4/5


The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix is primarily front-centric with surrounds only coming into play during a few music interludes. What’s more, the audio mix for both tends to sound a trifle trebly and lacks dynamic bass (apart from some climactic sound effects). Had the lower end been more pervasive throughout, it might have given the film’s tension even greater heft (if that’s possible). Dialogue is rooted to the center channel, and it has been well recorded and presented, even with the mumbling that the actors do on occasion.



Special Features

4.5/5


A running commentary in English by director Mathieu Kassovitz accompanies the film. He covers all aspects of the production and even some ten years after the film’s launch still speaks with some cynicism about the lives of the people on the “outskirts” who are still so powerless to change their lives. It’s a well focused and interesting commentary.


All of the video features are presented in 1080i.


Jodie Foster offers a 19-minute introduction to the film (she brought the film to the United States for distribution). Her enthusiasm is contagious, but one might wish to steer clear of this feature if he hasn’t seen the film for the first time. Too much is given away in her endeavoring to explain the deep impression the film made on her at first viewing. Like Terry Jones’ too-informative introductions on the Jacques Tati Criterion DVDs, one admires the elation but regrets that the guts of the film are revealed to the uninitiated before he’s had a chance to experience the movie for himself. Be warned!


“Ten Years of La Haine is an 83-minute documentary (mostly black and white but with some color footage) on the making of the film. Filled with astonishing details on the background of the film, how it came to be written, produced, and filmed, and the overwhelming reception it received on its premiere at Cannes, the documentary couldn’t be more complete. It’s in French with English subtitles, of course, but it’s fascinating to see some of the film’s creative staff now ten years later when many of them have gone on to have substantial careers after their first taste of international acclaim.


“Social Dynamite” presents three sociologists discussing with candor and some degree of pessimism the phenomenon of public housing not only in France but also around the world and how accurately that world and its inhabitants are reflected in La Haine. This 34-minute discussion in English is also presented in color video.


There is a six minute feature entitled “Preparing for the Shoot” using camcorder footage to document the three stars and director who shared a small apartment in the district where the film was shot, explaining why they felt it necessary to live among the people they were portraying. It’s nice to see the actors with their hair down behind the scenes right before filming began, but the information contained is simply a repetition of facts already discussed in the commentary and the earlier documentary.


There is also a 6-minute feature showing the behind-the-scenes preparation for a fantasy sequence in the picture involving the shooting of a policeman. This segment wasn’t organized well enough to have much impact.


The disc also contains two deleted scenes and two briefly extended scenes followed by explanations from the director as to why the footage was scrapped or altered. Since the scenes amount to very little screen time at all, there are no gems awaiting discovery with this footage. Director Kassovitz admitted in his commentary that his method of shooting a film in long takes leaves very little excess footage, so the lack of it here is no real surprise. We do see the film in color here, however, making it clearer than ever that presenting this movie to the world in black and white was an incredibly effective decision.


There is a very brief stills section, more behind-the-scenes shots than stills from the actual film.


There are two letterboxed theatrical trailers for the film, each no more than a minute of running time. The second one with the sound of a ticking clock over stark images from the film is tremendously effective.


The enclosed 21-page booklet containing stills from the film and two articles: one by film scholar Ginette Vincendea on the impact La Haine had on the world of international cinema and an appreciation of the film by legendary filmmaker Costa-Gavras.


The Criterion Blu-rays include a maneuvering tool called “Timeline” which can be pulled up from the menu or by pushing the red button on the remote. It shows you your progress on the disc, the title of the chapter you’re now in, and index markers for the commentary that goes along with the film, all of which can be switched on the fly. Additionally, two other buttons on the remote can place or remove bookmarks if you decide to stop viewing before reaching the end of the film or want to mark specific places for later reference.




In Conclusion

4.5/5 (not an average)


La Haine is a searing, sensitive drama of the streets that is angry, rebellious, and riveting. The Criterion Blu-ray presents the movie and a bountiful collection of bonus features in its best possible light. Highly recommended!



Matt Hough

Charlotte, NC

 

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