Review of Un Coeur en Hiver

Introduction

Un Coeur en Hiver (A Heart in Winter) has a love-triangle with Stéphane (Daniel Auteuil), his boss Maxime (André Dussollier) and his new girlfriend Camille (Emmanuelle Béart). When Stéphane and Camille meet there`s a certain level of intrigue, so much so that Camille becomes obsessed about Stéphane but he keeps his cool. No, he`s not playing hard to get, he just doesn`t feel the same way about her. Yet he knows, or realises that he`s incapable of giving her what she wants and tells her quite bluntly. What`s the price of this emotional isolation?

Video

A good 1.85:1 16:9 enhanced transfer with well-balanced colour and detail throughout. There is some dirt and smearing, but it`s minimal and doesn`t detract from the film.

Audio

Lots of dialogue, French dialogue come to that, and it plays out loud and clear. The Dolby Digital 2.0 French sound does a good enough job of conveying the story and music without the need for anything more. Ravel`s music too sounds beautiful and appropriate.

Features

Nothing.

Conclusion

Stéphane loves his craft, working hard in the violin workshop, and as we watch his cool and unflinching exterior when with the gorgeous Camille, it`s hard not to just want to shake the man trying to find some emotion. It`s a curious thing watching an adult without any real feeling of love in his heart for another human being. Socially too he doesn`t seem very comfortable. He says of his boss, Maxime, that while they`ve worked together for many years he doesn`t consider them friends. This is different to how Maxime thinks of Stéphane, though having said that Maxime doesn`t ask after Stéphane`s private life. It`s a perfect working relationship as far as Stéphane is concerned though.

Camille (Emmanuelle Béart) is intrigued when she first meets Stéphane (Daniel Auteuil) and wants to dig into his life. He`s emotionally honest and up front, but doesn`t feel anything for Camille, which leads to a public berating. That she feels something for him in the first place leads you to wonder why she would continue to pursue him. Some people, it would seem, aren`t made to love. Perhaps there`s a mutual respect for each other`s crafts? She`s clearly not getting something in her life that she seems to think he can offer.

Un Coeur en Hiver is a well-crafted film with a fine central performance from Daniel Auteuil. He manages to play this emotionally closed-off, yet ambiguous, individual incredibly well. Emmanuelle Béart`s performance too is very good. Seeing that she didn`t know how to play the violin when the film was made, she does a remarkable job acting it, and her violin playing is almost faultless. Her character isn`t as restricted in the same way Stéphane`s is and is forthright with how she feels about him much to her detriment. Honesty has a price to pay.

It`s a shame there aren`t any extras on the DVD, if only cast and crew information, but it`s not a lost cause without. If you haven`t seen this film and fancy seeing something a little different, then it`s well worth checking out.