GWEN AND THE BOOK OF SAND (1985)
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Label: Deaf Crocodile
Region Code: Region-Free (4K UHD), A (Blu-ray)
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 63 Minutes 57 Seconds
Audio: French DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: Dolby Vision HDR 2160p Ultra HD Fullscreen (1.33:1), 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Director: Jean-François Laguionie
Cast: Michel Robin, Lorella Di Cicco, Armand Babel, Raymond Jourdan, Saïd Amadis, Bertrand Bautheac, Jacques Bouvier, Jacques Ruisseau
Gwen and the Book of Sand (Gwen et le Livre de Sable) is a 1985 animation French film, directed by Jean-François Laguionie (Le Château des singes, A Monkey's Tale), a surreal and fantastical tale set in a post-apocalyptic desert landscape where the titular Gwen (voiced by Lorella Di Cicco) is a young woman who has been adopted into a nomadic tribe of desert wanders called the Tuaregs who traverse the desert on stilts. The early part of the film established the hardship of desert life, and that a mysterious feared entity or spirit called Makou will occasionally and quite inexplicably drops giant everyday artifacts like clocks, forks, eyeglasses and motorcycles onto the desert landscape, which the nomads incorporate into their lives as tools and occasional shelter, and sometimes becoming obstacles, which must be traversed. Gwen develops a friendship and love interest with fellow teenager Nokmoon, who ends up being kidnapped by a sect who worship Makou, and she teams up with her tribe's 173-year old desert elder Roseline (voiced by Michel Robin), to cross the desert to the sect's isolated city to rescue him from the cult, who are lead by twins, wearing heavy caked-on make-up, voiced by Armand Babel and Raymond Jourdan, who treat a Sears catalog like product guide from the past as a sort of ancient biblical text, complete with religious chants based on product descriptions from the consumer catalog.
the film is wondrous and mysterious in all the right sort of ways, the entity of Makou is never explained, nor why it drops giant-sized object from past civilization from sky, and the fascinating way do the religious sect that worship it and the product catalog of the past, which must be a comment on consumerism, even in a post-apocalyptic world certains sects of the human race are still worshipping the things we owned.
The look of the animation is deceptively simple at first glance, utilizing a gouache painting technique on the animation cels that gives the film a unique look and texture, a more three dimensional feel to it, and I loved it. The desert landscapes bringing to mind the endless deserts of films like Dune and Mad Max: Fury Road, with a surreal edge of a Salvador Dali painting, particularly the scenes incorporating oversized everyday objects littering the desert landscapes. It's just a gorgeous looking slice of animation, with a distinct style that sort of brought to mind artier children storybooks of decades past. The look of the 173 year-old Roseline was a particular highlight, deeply wrinkled and dramatically painted in close-ups, just terrific. I love all the world building touches, like how the nomads track and and hunt ostriches, apparently eating their feathers, and how desert insects like butterflies and scorpions have a bioluminescence, with both the nomads and the cultist using them for illumination. The story itself is pretty barebones when you pull it apart, but it's the style and little touches that the film explores, as well as the mystic vibes and dreamy atmosphere, that make this desert tale such a wondrous and epic journey to behold.
Audio/Video: Gwen and the Book of Sand (1985) makes it;s worldwide 4K Ultra HD debut from Deaf Crocodile restored in 4K with the director's participation for La Traverse Films in France, presented here in 2160p Ultra HD with Dolby Vision HDR10 color-grade, framed in 1.33:1 fullscreen. The surreal desert-set slice of fantasy looks terrific, film grain is evident and well-managed, the textures of the cel animation look terrific, and the colors are wonderful, the Dolby Vision color-grade accentuating the earthy desert landscapes and the occasional burst of watercolor hues. Audio comes by way of French DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround with optional English subtitles. The track is nicely layered and immersive, the haunting score by Pierre Alrand is full-bodied and nuanced, and the French dialogue comes through with precision.
Extras include a 65-min New video interview with director Jean-François Laguionie, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile, in French with simultaneous English translation by Fred Cassidy, the 25-min The Language of Sands: Time and Surrealism in Gwen, or The Book of Sand - New video essay by Ryan Verrill (The Disc Connected) and Dr. Will Dodson, plus a New Audio Commentary by film historian Samm Deighan. Extras are finished with a
1-min New 2024 Trailer.
The standard release version is a 2-disc UHD/BD setthat arrives in a clear full-height Scanavo keepcase with a 2-sided, non-reversible wrap featuring artwork by beth Morris. Inside there is a scannable QR code that gives you access to transcribed bonus content, which is also available on the Deaf Crocodile website.
Special Features:
- New video interview with director Jean-François Laguionie, moderated by Dennis Bartok of Deaf Crocodile. (In French with simultaneous English translation by Fred Cassidy). (1:05:09)
- The Language of Sands: Time and Surrealism in Gwen, or The Book of Sand - New video essay by Ryan Verrill (The Disc Connected) and Dr. Will Dodson. (24:44)
- New Audio Commentary by film historian Samm Deighan.
- New 2024 Trailer (1:15)
- Blu-ray authoring by David Mackenzie of Fidelity In Motion.
- New art by Beth Morris.
- First ever U.S. Blu-ray release for the film.
Screenshots from the Deaf Crocodile Blu-ray:
Extras:
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