Plot: What’s it about?
As author Marcel Proust lies on his deathbed and looks over various pieces of his life, his memories begin to fade into events from his writings, which means that his mind is now filled with a mixture of reality and fiction. As he scans through his childhood and later days, his memories mixed with his fictional work, we see the grand scheme at work. What seems to have been pure fiction in his writings is not, in truth it is a blend of his own life and some added elements, which enhance the impact of his real life experiences. Whether in good times or bad, this is a look inside the process and a glimpse back into possible inspirations. If this synopsis seems too vague, then I think you should view the film and try to explain it in brief form, it just doesn’t work. So instead of rambling on here forever, I offered you a snapshot of the basic premise and the rest, you can see for yourselves and trust me, there is a lot more to this motion picture.
Aside from a handful of reviews, I went into this film blind and with little idea of what to expect. I was impressed by the cast and had seen some of the director’s previous work, but I was still pretty much in the dark as far as Time Regained stood. In the end, I liked this movie a lot and while it does slow down at times, I think that time is used by the viewers to put together the pieces, so to speak. You can find a lot here to think about, so the movie seems to give you a short time to mull things over, or at least I thought that was the purpose of some of the slower stretches. But even given that intent, the film seems a little long at around one-hundred and sixty minutes, though I don’t think much is wasted in the grand scheme. Time Regained is a visual marvel, with terrific costumes, lush locations, and some of the best cinematography I’ve seen of late. This all combines to give the film a rather epic feel and though I am unsure of the budget involved, it looks as if it could cost the producers a mint. One of the main problems a lot of people have with the film is how the source novel is not able to be filmed, but since I haven’t read the book, I cannot comment. But I will say that Time Regained is a very good movie and one I recommend, but make sure you allow enough time to watch in one sitting, as things can get a little confusing.
This film features some very good performances from a gifted ensemble cast, but it can be hard to keep all the characters in order, due to the volume of them and the nature of the movie. As usual, Catherine Deneuve turns in an impressive performance, perhaps even among her better works. I think Deneuve still has a lot of her charm and looks, even if she isn’t as young as she used to be. I always look forward to her roles and I was pleased to see her here, especially in such fine form. Other films with Deneuve include The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, A Matter Of Resistance, Mississippi Mermaid, Indochine, A Hundred And One Nights, and Dancer in the Dark. The rest of the cast also includes Marie-France Pisier (Stolen Kisses, Love on the Run), Vincent Perez (I Dreamed Of Africa, The Crow: City of Angels), Pascal Greggory (Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train), John Malkovich (Dangerous Liasons, Being John Malkovich), and Emmanuelle Beart (Mission: Impossible, Manon of the Spring). The director of Time Regained is Raoul Ruiz, who also helmed such films as Shattered Image, The Secret Journey, Comedy of Innocence, and Life Is A Dream.
Video: How does it look?
Time Regained is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. This seems to be a good presentation, but due to the film’s dreamlike nature, it is tough to score this one. The film has a golden glow present at times, which seems to be intentional and certainly goes along with the rest of the visuals. The sequences based in real life have a more realistic look, with more natural colors and harsher contrast levels. I did see some edge enhancement at times, but not enough to raise a serious eyebrow, as I wasn’t usually distracted by them. In the end, this should have been anamorphic, but this is still a solid looking visual transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
If you’re looking for a film with dynamic audio, then this is not the disc you’ll want. But given the source material, the included stereo surround track is good and never seems to be lacking. The film’s musical score comes off in fine form here and while not as powerful as some scores, it compliments the film well and sounds solid here. The sounds effects don’t need much oomph here, so the rather basic, but distinct sound is more than enough. The main focus here seems to be the dialogue, which seems loud and clear here, no problems I could detect. The audio is presented in the original French language, with English subtitles that are not optional.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
