Je t'aime, je t'aime: Limited Edition - Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1968
Director: Alain Resnais
Writers: Jacques Sternberg, Alain Resnais
Cast: Claude Rich, Olga Georges-Picot, Anouk Ferjac, Alain MacMoy, Vania Vilers, Ray Verhaeghe, Van Doude, Yves Kerboul, Dominique Rozan

Release Date: March 24th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 51 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £14.99 (UK)

"Claude leaves hospital recovered from a failed suicide attempt when some scientists offer him the chance to be part of a project. He will be the first human subject in a time travel experiment. Travelling back in time one year for just one minute, he becomes lost in a continually shifting mosaic of temporal episodes." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Je t'aime, je t'aime was restored in 2K by Ciné Mag Bodard with the assistance of Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC) and supplied to Radiance Films as a digital file. Additional color correction was performed by Radiance Films in 2025."

Je t'aime, je t'aime comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43.9 GB

Feature: 27.6 GB

Though this release uses the same source that Kino Lorber used for their 2015 Blu-ray, when it comes to colors, Radiance Films have done additional work. That said, the colors are more visually appealing and look more natural when compared to Kino Lorber’s release. Flesh tones look healthy, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look. Furthermore, this is another exemplary encode from Fidelity in Motion.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. It should be noted that there is some dialog in English and Dutch. That said, most of the dialogue is in French. The audio is in excellent shape. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an archival audio interview with director Alain Resnais (12 minutes 43 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with actor Claude Rich (15 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an archival interview with screenwriter Jacques Sternberg and film historian and Resnais expert François Thomas (20 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), an interview with critic and David Jenkins (12 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival documentary titled In the Ears of Alain Resnais, featuring Alain Resnais collaborators and critics, actor Lambert Wilson, writer and actress Agnés Jaoui, critic Michel Ciment and others (54 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo French with removable English subtitles), reversible cover art, removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and a 20-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Beyond the Sea written by Catherine Wheatley, and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Alain Resnais directed Je t'aime, je t'aime. He’s known for Night and Fog, Hiroshima Mon Amour, and Last Year at Marienbad.

The narrative centers on a man who has recently attempted suicide and agrees to participate in a time-travel experiment, where the only test subjects thus far have been mice. Along the way, a malfunction in the machine allows the man to relive moments from his past in a random order.

Once something has happened, there is a finality to that moment, which in the majority of instances makes it near impossible to change the course that has been set in motion from said moment in time. This is precisely what happens to the protagonist in the Je t'aime, je t'aime. His life is turned upside down when his girlfriend decides to leave him. From there, he can simply move on and try to cope with his pain. Instead, he decides to take the easy way out by attempting suicide. Fortunately for him, he fails in his attempt to end it all, and he is now given an additional alternative to achieve what he desires most. He is regaining the love he has lost by returning to the moment when things were perfect in his now-failed relationship.

Though there have been numerous films that delve into the subject matters of time travel and suicide, it is safe to say that no film before or since has combined these two subjects like the way they are presented in Je t'aime, je t'aime. In fact, by the time Je t'aime, je t'aime has settled in, these two things are pushed to the background as a new focus has shifted to the protagonist's past. The bulk of Je t'aime, je t'aime revolves around a series of events from the protagonist's past. These events from his past feature him with several different women, and the tone of these moments is both happy and sad, with the bulk of these moments falling into the latter category.

Performance-wise, the cast is great in their roles, especially Claude Rich (The Bride Wore Black), who portrays the protagonist Claude Ridder. The weight of Je t'aime, je t'aime rides on the shoulders of his performance, which is extraordinary. Another performance of note is Olga Georges-Picot (Farewell Friend) in the role of Catrine, the woman that Claude Ridder’s character obsesses over the love they once shared.

Structurally, though, the narrative starts off on a straight path; things become more entangled once the protagonist starts to revisit moments from his past. Which are presented in random order, and they vary in their duration. That said, there are bound to be those who find this nonlinear section of the film difficult to digest. And repeated viewings are a must to fully appreciate all of Je t'aime, je t'aime’s nuances.

Je t'aime, je t'aime gets a definitive release from Radiance Films, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer