My Afternoons with Margueritte is the story of life’s random encounters. In a small French town Germain (Gérard Depardieu, Cyrano de Bergerac), a nearly illiterate man in his 50s who is considered the village idiot, takes a walk to the park and happens to sit beside Margueritte (Gisèle Casadesus, The Hedgehog), a little old lady who is reading excerpts from her novel aloud. She’s articulate and highly intelligent. Germain is lured in by Margueritte’s passion for life and the magic of literature from which he has always felt excluded. As Margueritte broadens his mind by reading excerpts from her novel, Germain realizes that he is more of an intellectual than he has ever allowed himself to be. Afternoons spent reading aloud on their favorite bench transform their lives and start them both on a new journey—to literacy and respect for Germain, and to the deepest friendship for Margueritte.
For thoughts on My Afternoons with Margueritte, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/1oRS_Cepfbk?t=3579]
Video Quality
My Afternoons with Margueritte comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation that is very striking. While this is not the most dynamically shot film, the natural world is presented with a straightforward vividness that pops off the screen in high definition. You cannot go wrong with gorgeous shots of nature throughout where you are treated to an incredible amount of detail. The bright colors really pop with the splendid hues of the park and in certain articles of clothing. The white levels are handled beautifully, especially in the warm, bright sun. The deep blacks do not appear to suffer from any compression artifacts or intrusive digital noise. The skin tones look very detailed and natural all around with fine texture easily observed. This presentation is another winner from Cohen Media Group.
Audio Quality
The film comes to Blu-Ray with a satisfying DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original French. The dialogue and sound effects are in perfect balance with the soundtrack where nothing gets lost in the track. Surround channels supplement the core center channel with subtle noises and chatter from the villagers. The movie does not feature anything in the way of action, but the environmental activity such as animal noises comes through without issue. The low end of the track is basically nonexistent with any tertiary sounds ending up more so in the surrounds. This track does everything it needs to and nothing more.
Special Features
- Trailer: The minute-and-a-half trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
My Afternoons with Margueritte is a charming tale of unexpected friendship and understanding. The core story is a bit saccharine, but the execution does not leave a viciously sweet taste in your mouth, instead succeeding in properly warming your heart. The two core performances are endearing and never leave you less than glued to your screen. Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have released a Blu-Ray featuring a marvelous A/V presentation but next to nothing in the way of special features. This movie will not be for everyone, but if you want a good-natured, predictable movie that does your heart well, give this one a chance. Recommended
My Afternoons with Margueritte is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
