This Blu-ray is being released by Olive Films on May 24th, 2016.
Here’s an interesting title I missed during its original run back in the day. French Postcards was a comedy about American exchange students in Paris. The movie pretty much dropped off of the cinematic radar after its release. It was directed by Willard Huyck with a screenplay by Huyck and wife Gloria Katz, perhaps most famous for their writing work on American Graffiti (1973), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and, errmmm, Howard the Duck (1986).
So it’s something of a surprise to see this lost little flick finally pop up on Blu-ray. Even more remarkably, it features something that hasn’t been heard in decades – the original soundtrack. Apparently, music rights weren’t cleared for video and every subsequent version has been rescored with stock tunes. This edition provides the great background tunes that fans have wanted for so long, including French-language covers of titles like “Do You Believe in Magic?”, “You’re the One That I Want”, “Walk on By” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” as well as English-language songs from bands like The Kinks.
As for the movie, it’s a sweet and agreeable coming-of-age story. At the outset, multiple university students are involved, including a lonely young woman (Blanche Baker) writing postcards and lying about having a great time on her own. However, the movie quickly focuses in on two friends and relegates the others to supporting roles. There’s the brash Alex (David Marshall Grant), who quickly falls for professor Madam Tessier (Marie-France Pisier). She also happens to the wife of the university head (Jean Rochefort). Alex’s pal Joel (Miles Chapin) is the studious type who begins a relationship with a local bookstore employee.
There’s plenty of humor featuring the kids navigating customs and life in a foreign country. This contrast is present from the outset when they are told that they will be, “…immersing themselves in the sophistication, the depth, the subtle elegance of French culture,” while an angry bus driver screams insults at passing cars.
These gags are pretty gentle overall, but they do provide some chuckles. There’s another good comic bit when Joel attempts to help Alex out and distract the principal by acting like he’s on dope. Solid and amusing supporting work comes from the presence of Debra Winger and Mandy Patinkin (appearing here long before they became famous performers).
And as expected, the locations are impressive – you’ll see Notre Dame, Sacre-Coeur and many other impressive Parisian landmarks. It also helps that the image quality of the Blu-ray is quite strong, allowing for a sharp and appealing presentation of the various famous locales.
The only down side is that the final act isn’t nearly as effective as it could have been. For a movie that does well to create a fish-out-of water feeling and convey a sense of uncertainty for the future of the kids, the story attempts to tie everything up far too neatly. The end-of-year school play doesn’t quite nail the right tone between comedy and drama, and it all feels forced and unrealistic by comparison with earlier sections.
Still, French Postcards is a decent movie overall and a fun, fluffy timepiece. I thought I had seen every teen coming-of-age flick from this era. So, it was nice to not only find something new, but also a film that possesses an interesting spin on the formula. And the music’s great too. Fans of the movie will definitely enjoy this new Blu-ray.