Customer Reviews

Incredible value for money again! - By: Markus Gossas, 26 Jun 2008
I bought this set together with vol 1. For the price of one Criterion you get five Malle films with good transfer! The only minor minus is the non-optional (english) subtitles & the limited extra material. Buy it now before it is too late!

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Very eclectic, very rich, very French ! - By: Mr. CJ Bell, 20 Jan 2008
I bought this DVD first & because I was so impressed, I went on to buy Volume 1.
I must say, I prefer this one of the two, although volume 1 is also good, but for quite different reasons. The content of volume two is very varied, quintessentially French, & always extremely interesting. I like all of the films, each for perhaps different reasons.
Black Moon is a fascinating fantasy.
What is it about ?
Perhaps it is a little up to the viewer, rather as when one looks at an abstract painting !?
It is slightly quirky & very 1970'sin it's content. I think to me it is saying something of the timein which it is made. We are at the crossroads, society is fragmenting, division isin the ascendent. What is happening is confusing & illogical [events don't necessarily always immediately make sensein real life !] & Lily [the main character] struggles to make sense of it all. It is setin the French countryside, there is conflict, exotic animals from all over the world appear, some friendly, some menacing. Naked children herd the local sheep.
A thread of Wagner's 'Tristan & Isolde' runs through the film -- Tristan & Isolde is a myth telling of death dealing Eros, of the breaking of the marriage bond, & DESTRUCTIVE PASSION. Such passion, as a sickness unto death, destroys those who succumb to it, body & soul ! -- could Louis Malle be comparing Wagner's theme to what is going onin the 1970's ? Change, uncertainty, & confusion sit well together. I like this film, & everytime I look at it I see something new. I am surely projecting my own thoughts onto it, but then, that's life !
'Lacombe Lucien' is I feel, one of the best films about the warin europe & the nazi era. It is realistic, tragic, & very human. It isn't excusing anything. It is simply telling a story. It is based on a true story. Perhaps it doesn't quite fit with the image of the period that many would have us believe. So what.
'Au revoir les enfants' is another [quite different] film setin the same era. Another very good, very sad film. Very real.
'Milou en Mai', visually rich, VERY French. Delightful film.
'Le Souffle au Coeur' explores darker themes.
A wonderful, varied collection.
If you like artistry & films that make you think then buy this DVD. You won't regret it.

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Burned in Subtitles. Don't bother buying it. - By: Paul Sutton, 19 Jan 2007
In a ludicrous attempt to spoil the film & rip-off the British customer, & make a nonsense of the DVD format, this box-set has been released with burned-in, NON-REMOVABLE subtitles. Buy the American discs instead.

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Eclectic collection from a great director... - By: Colin C, 29 Aug 2006
Louis Malle's filmography includes several masterpieces - & three candidates for that sort of praise are included here - Au Revoir Les Enfants, Lacombe Lucien & Le Souffle au Coeur. Personally I would only class the first of these, about a young boy experiencing the effects of the second world war while at school, as a great film, although the other two have their supporters too.

Lacombe Lucien is an unsettling story, again about a young boy, which deals with the impossible individual choices made during the Nazi occupation of France, & Le Souffle au Coeur is a drama about incest which caused controvesry at the time of its releasein 1971 but seems quite old fashioned now;in fact, it's a subtle & interesting film.

The set is completed by Milou en Mai, a pleasant enough country house comedy drama, & Black Moon, which is so odd that it defies description. Together, these five films are varied but always watchable, complement the Malle vol.1 boxed set (of his earlier work) well, & form a worthy addition to any serious DVD collection. Useful little introductions to each film are included as extrasin the set.