Blu-ray Review: Le Silence De La Mer - Jean Pierre Melville's Debut in HD!

Rating: Jean-Pierre Melville's films, since his death, have continued to grow in critical acclaim. Such enthusiasm for his work usually rests upon his policiers: a series of cold and fatalistic crime pictures in which the bad guys were the good guys but still ended the film in a box. However, in addition to these he made several films depicting the French resistance during World War II, an issue close to his heart as a resistance fighter himself in his younger days. Le Silence De La Mer is one such release, and has been given the lush reproduction its place in cinema history deserves by the excellent Masters of Cinema series. It was Melville's first feature film, and drew upon the popularity of the novel of the same name, which was clandestinely written during the Nazi occupation of France. It is a film which, although not as refined as his later efforts, remains an intriguing exercise in tension and restraint. Melville plays with our expectations - much as he would continue to do - of right and wrong, and probes whether humanity can exist within the atrocities delivered by Nazi Germany. An educated German officer arrives at the home of an elderly French man, who lives with his niece. He is foisted upon them during the occupation, with the only sign of resistance available to his French hosts an impenetrable wall of silence. The officer Werner von Ebrennac (Howard Vernon) is a composer, and through the long winter nights spent in the house he regales the man and his niece with his most personal thoughts and desires: his admiration for the French, and their poetic sensibilities; his childhood and early adult years; his belief in the great good that will come from the unification of France and Germany. This apparently forthcoming marriage of nations is one he describes as that akin to the Beauty and the Beast fairytale. One in which Germany€™s power, strength and self-determination will be beautifully accompanied by the gentler, artistic sensibilities of the French. As the officer speaks eloquently about his dreams of the future, Melville and cinematographer Henri Decaé wring as much as possible from scenes which mostly take place in the confines of one room. A room in which two people stay seated and silent, while one roams from fireplace to bookcase. von Ebrennac is shown in a variety of different lights and angles; his face may impose upon the screen as he leans over the fire, the camera low-angled and the light flickering across his expression ambiguously. Yet, the next moment he smiles warmly at the niece - she careful not to avert her eyes from her knitting. The occupants of the house - as well as the audience - remain unsure as to whether this man is the harbinger of evil, or a kind man caught up in a truly horrific national delusion. The delusion and the naivety of the romantic officer are soon extinguished, as Nazi brutality continues on unforgivably outside this quiet house. We see the officer's horror at a list of names posted in the town of persons shot for treachery - all French of course. Like many a Melville protagonist, von Ebrennac is at odds with his society €“ a lone ranger, adrift from general consensus. The fatalism that pervades Melville€™s later works is also at play here. Rather than fight against the injustices of his Nazi superiors he €“ much like Jef Costello at the end of Le Samourai, Melville's masterpiece €“ accepts the hand that fate has dealt him and submits to the Nazi war effort, despite the silent efforts of his host to persuade him otherwise. There are no happy endings.

Quality

Some people think that blu-ray releases are only a worthwhile exercise in colour films, particularly big daring blockbusters in which explosions are more colourful and more terrifyingly audible. However, the continuing re-releasing of classic black and white films in this medium,repeatedly disproves such theories. When films were made in black and white, so much thought went into the composition of each shot, and the clarity at work here ensures that the terrific job done by Melville and Decaé in lighting the film does not slip by unnoticed.

Extras

As with all Masters of Cinema releases, the extras in this package are a joy to behold. Included here is a video discussion by the always informative Ginette Vincendeau, a new French made documentary entitled €˜Melville out of the Shadows€™ and a 56-page booklet containing articles by Melville experts Rui Nogueira, and the aforementioned Vincendeau. Film: 4 out of 5 The film itself is not one of Melville's greatest achievements, but remains noteworthy for the fact that it's his first. Beyond that it's also derived from excellent material which is expertly remade for the screen. Visuals: 4.5 out of 5 Clear and crisp black and white imagery throughout enables us to appreciate the contrast between light and dark, and the quiet expressions of our protagonists in close-up. Audio: 3 out of 5 As tends to be the case with older releases, it is the audio that betrays the passage of time more than the visuals. There is a crackling hiss that underpins many of the dialogues. Extras: 5 out of 5 It's such a bonus when effort is made in this department, and Masters of Cinema have truly made the effort here. All the extra material not only provides a greater understanding and appreciation of the film itself, but also provides historical context for the film. Presentation: 4 out of 5 The booklet which accompanies this release lends a certain feeling of prestige to the presentation of the film. Overall: 4 out of 5 A more than worthwhile release, from a director who is always deserving of renewed appreciation. Hopefully MoC, or someone else, will get the rights to Le Samourai, which is desperately in need of a UK release to match the splendid Criterion region 1 version. Le Silence De La Mer is released on Blu-ray this Monday.