CŒUR FIDÈLE Blu-ray Review

Masters of Cinema:

Jean Epstein's Cœur fidèle [True Heart] established the great French filmmaker as one of the most inventive directors of the (then still silent) art form. A pared-down tale of a barmaid oppressed by an exploitative foster family who attempt to push her into the arms of an unscrupulous regular-about-town, Marie's heart (exuberantly vivified by Gina Marès) belongs, as far as she's concerned, to the tenderly blank Jean (Léon Mathot)...

Cœur fidèle drives its simple story (which, with its infamous and exhilarating "carousel sequence", helped pave the way for the narrative tradition of such Murnau masterworks as Sunrise and City Girl) on into the realm of what might be considered an early incarnation of French poetic realism -- all while still anticipating Epstein's magical, post-surrealist, later works. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Epstein's breakthrough film for the first time on video in the UK, as a Dual Format Blu-ray/DVD release.

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on silent films, early French films, Jean Epstein, or really anything about this film.  There are people who can talk intelligently about this film and its place in history, I am not one of those people.  I can say, however, that I thoroughly enjoyed this film and it continually shocked me in a number of ways. 

True Heart, made in 1923, is a marvel of early narrative filmmaking.  There are remarkably few intertitles, and Jean Epstein relies heavily on his actors to tell the story.  However, even more impressive that the acting, which is remarkably restrained for a film of this vintage, is the photography and the editing.  I was taken aback repeatedly at the technical and editorial proficiency of the film and how it came off on screen.  There are numerous occasions on which the film quick cuts from one person to another, building tension, in a way that I would have thought was a product of a much more mature film industry.  These sequences seem almost like distant ancestors to Sergio Leone's standoff sequences in the way he could build dramatic tension without a word.  Really pleasantly surprising stuff.

Epstein's story is nothing to write home about, it is a pretty standard tale, but the visual story telling in Coeur fidele is really outstanding.  I don't often have the patience for silent films, but I've been lucky with the ones I've gotten to review here so far.  Between Buster Keaton and this one, I've had all winners, though at very different ends of the spectrum.  Masters of Cinema have chosen yet another winner, and anyone with interest in early French film, or even a passing curiousity for the potential of early silents on Blu-ray would do well to pick this one up.

The Disc:

This is easy.  Masters of Cinema have provided an absolutely stunning presentation of Coeur fidele on Blu-ray.  This is the best looking silent film I've ever seen.  There is depth in the film that you can almost feel, fabrics have texture, it is almost unbelievable that this film is eighty-eight years old.  There are amazingly detailed closeups, with every crevice and feature tack sharp with no sign of digital manipulation.  There is only a tiny bit of print damage, however, it is apparent that the film has aged, and some of the cracks in the actual film stock appear in the image, but it only makes it feel more filmlike. Masters of Cinema also commissioned a new piano score, which is appropriately sparse for the film and sounds great. A brilliant presentation all around from Masters of Cinema. 

Coeur fidele has no video or audio extras apart from a selection of production stills, however, MoC make up the difference with a marvelously detailed and painstakingly compiled 44-page booklet.  The booklet contains writing from Epstein himself, as well as Henri Langlois of the Cinematheque Franciase, and tributes from Abel Gance, Jean Cocteau, Rene Clair and more.  There is a lot of detail in this writing that more than makes up for the lack on video extras, though I would have loved a scholarly commentary for this one.

Masters of Cinema are so far batting 1.000%, and Coeur fidele continues that streak without reservation.  This disc is absolutely recommended. 

Master of Cinema present Coeur fidele in Blu-ray is a region B locked edition.