Six in Paris – Icarus Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1965
Directors: Jean Douchet, Jean Rouch, Jean-Daniel Pollet, Eric Rohmer, Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol
Cast: Jean-Pierre Andréani, Jean-François Chappey, Barbara Wilkin, Nadine Ballot, Gilles Quéant, Barbet Schroeder, Micheline Dax, Claude Melki, Marcel Gallon, Jean-Michel Rouzière, Serge Davri, Philippe Hiquilly, Joanna Shimkus, Stéphane Audran, Claude Chabrol

Release Date: July 30th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 96 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $41.98

"In 1965, young producer Barbet Schroeder supplied a 16mm camera, along with color film stock, to six friends and asked them to each make a short film about a Parisian neighborhood. The resulting films were shot quickly, with low budgets, improvised takes and live sound." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Gorgeously restored in 2K."

Six in Paris comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 23 GB

Feature: 21.9 GB

The source looks great; colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and compression is very good.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clear, clear and balanced. Range-wise, the audio is limited.

Extras:

Extras for this release include archival interviews from 1965 that originally aired on Swiss TV; Barbet Schroeder and Patrick Bauchau (7 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), Jean Rouch (5 minutes, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles) and Éric Rohmer (6 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital mono French with removable English subtitles), and a slipcover (limited to 1,000 units).

Summary:

Six in Paris is the brainchild of Barbet Schroeder, who served as its producer and even appeared in a segment. The narrative consists of six stories about Paris: a French playboy and his American girlfriend; after arguing with her boyfriend, a woman wandering the streets meets a suicidal man; a prostitute who makes fun of her client; a man who avoids an area where he might have killed a man; two women who were sent love letters that were not intended for them; and a boy who wears earplugs to conceal his parents arguments. In total there are six stories, and each has their own director.

When one factors in the conditions in which each story was made, it's not surprising that none of the stories have depth. All of the stories are dialog-driven, and most of them are just two characters talking. Though there are an abundance of scenic shots of Paris, the visuals have no arresting or stylish moments. Another flaw in most stories is their lackluster conclusion. Jean Rouch's Gare du Nord and Claude Chabrol's La Muette are the best stories since they both have jarring endings. Ultimately, Six in Paris is best described as an avant-garde experiment, only recommended to fans of French New Wave cinema.

Six in Paris gets a first-rate release from Icarus Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer