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A Pure Formality [DVD] [1994]

DVD ~ G�rard Depardieu

3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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	54% buy the item featured on this page: A Pure Formality [DVD] [1994] 3.4 out of 5 stars (5)
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Product details

Actors: G�rard Depardieu, Roman Polanski, Sergio Rubini, Nicola Di Pinto, Tano Cimarosa
Directors: Giuseppe Tornatore
Format: Anamorphic, PAL
Language French
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 1
Classification: 15
Studio: Cinema Club
DVD Release Date: 14 Jun 2004
Run Time: 106 minutes

Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

ASIN: B0001KZN9W
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 48,308 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Synopsis
Two legendary screen talents go head-to-head in this intriguing, utterly original psychological thriller, described by one critic as "Colombo meets Kafka." Gerard Depardieu stars as Onaff, a famed French novelist who is arrested in a small provincial town when he is found breathless and disorientated in a raging storm. Although he has committed no crime, the local police call in the Inspector (Roman Polanski, in a brilliantly brittle performance), who interrogates Onaff about the identity of a mutilated murder victim found near Onaff's home. Almost all of the action takes place in the dark and leaky provincial police station, where Onaff and The Inspector spend the entire evening playing a brutal game of cat-and-mouse. Through flashbacks, distortions, and outright lies, the well-matched adversaries plumb the depths of the mystery before reaching the astonishing truth. A dark and suspenseful rumination on memory and the ability to reconstruct one's own life story, this character-driven thriller is a claustrophobic homage to the surreal storytelling of Kafka and Samuel Beckett. Featuring a haunting soundtrack from Italian master Ennio Morricone, A PURE FORMALITY is a chilling drama directed by Giuseppe Tornatore.

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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

3.4 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly impressive sleeper, 15 Nov 2005

By	Trevor Willsmer (London, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

'A Pure Formality' was, to my surprise, one of the very best films I've seen in a long time. I'd seen snippets of the Italian version on Italian TV and the English-language one on US cable, neither encouraging me to delve further, but in its original French, with both Polanski and Depardieu voicing themselves, it manages to turn a potentially hoary old psychodrama into something much more life affirming.

Depardieu is the confused great writer arrested in the middle of a rainstorm and taken to a dark, leaking Italian police station where he is interrogated by Roman Polanski's inspector, who also happens to be an ardent fan, over the identity of a murder victim. Naturally, layers of self-deception are gradually pulled away on this long dark night of the soul before it reaches a not entirely unexpected but still remarkably satisfying conclusion. Despite the claustrophobic setting, Giuseppe Tornatore's excellent composition keeps it vividly cinematic, with several memorable moments (the most impressive a beautiful sequence following a song as it floats through the room). The flashbacks are sometimes awkward and I could definitely have done without Depardieu's nudity, but this is still one of the most remarkable films I've seen in recent years. Two-thirds through the movie a power cut hit for two-and-a-half hours, and it was excruciating waiting to get the chance to finish the film.

The film is very highly recommended indeed. However, the DVD is less than perfect. The English subtitles are non-removeable, there is a synchronisation problem on the sound at one point and it only offers the French-language version (although both Polanski and Depardieu use their own voices). The only extra is the Italian trailer.

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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great movie - pathetic DVD release, 6 April 2005

By	pl - See all my reviews

5 stars for the movie, 1 star for the DVD release.

This is one of my favourite movies of all times. I was waiting for the DVD release for years, and when it was finally released... what a disappointment! The transfer is really shoddy: terrible picture quality, hardcoded subs. But worst of all is the desynchronized sound: in the middle of the movie it is delayed by almost one second (!).

If you haven't seen this movie yet, it is highly recommended: a true undiscovered gem, with wonderful music, great acting, incredible dialogues and amazing plot. But if you're counting on a quality release, keep away from this one.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent movie with a delicious twist, 16 Dec 2007

By	Aeneas - See all my reviews

This is an excellent thriller with outstanding performances from both Polanski and Depardieu. The song at the end still comes to my mind from time to time, which is why I got reminded to review this film. For some people it will appear slow and the viewer will for quite some time be wondering what is really going on. Actually only at the very end will this become clear and sometimes only upon reflection a la "Aha!"

Highly recommended and a timely reminder of our short sojourn here on planet earth. Choose to watch it in French with subtitles. It was the best movie that I watched that year!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars A Pure Formality
Despite a decent performance from Depardieu, the plot isn't strong enough to fill the running time. The revelation at the end of the film is not worth sitting through it to... Read more

Published on 16 May 2005 by Rich

3.0 out of 5 stars Finally On DVD
It's great to see this flic on dvd format, better than vhs, the transer is obviously from video and not 35mm, not a restored version at all, but its affordable and available to... Read more

Published on 25 Jun 2004 by aka Wombat

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