Product Details

• Actors: Juliette Binoche, Thierry Neuvic, Josef Bierbichler, Alexandre Hamidi, Maimouna Hélène Diarra
• Directors: Michael Haneke
• Format: Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Arabic, English, French, German, Romanian
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Kino Video
• DVD Release Date: August 6, 2002
• Run Time: 113 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000068MAL
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #59,182 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful film - A 100% AWFUL DVD!!!, August 21, 2002

By	apc-discs-books "apc-discs-books" (USA) - See all my reviews

This is wonderful, innovative film that combines multiple story lines and characters in a method that seems jarring but that has a finer interrelation of lives in mind than the usual narrative. That said, this is an absolutely AWFUL quality DVD edition of Code Unknown as released by Kino in the US.

The transfer is a LOW resolution, letterboxed, non-anamorphic, non-16:9 enhanced, heavily compressed dupe with poor color quality and heavy video artifacts throughout. It is without any added features whatsoever or the ability to turn off the subtitles. Kino is obviously representing some fine films, but if future releases by Kino follow the pattern of Code Unknown it will poison the well of any enthusiasm on the part of the discerning audience Kino depends on to buy copies of these sorts of films.

The Kino release of Code Unknown is being sold at a premium price, but has the quality of a cheap knock-off DVD, no better than buying a VHS tape.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant shot of European Life, November 26, 2002

By A Customer

It is rare when watching a film, to see reality realistically depicted. Code Unknown is one of those rarities.

Haneke's film is a modest masterpiece, devastating in its honesty and sincerity. Taking "snapshots" of various peoples lives communicated in about 50 sequences he poses universal questions about conscience, consequence, communication and reality.

In her finest performance ever Juliette Binoche is stunning as the actress on the verge of success. Just watch her act straight to the camera in a terrifying scene that turns out not to be real at all, and then be harrassed on a train in a horrible episode that turns out to be too real.

Code Unknown is at times frustratingly opaque - like life. It is a film that has never been fully recognised for it's brilliance or originality. Unsurprising considering how difficult it is. Stick with it however and discover a richly satisfying film, worthy of repeat viewings and much argument.

As for the DVD. The quality is not great in it's full frame letterboxed transfer. The print is scratchy and the sound hollow. A huge pity. This film deserved a lot better.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Code: Unconventional, May 24, 2004

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Michael Haneke is either mad or a genius. That's the feeling that comes after watching "Code Unknown," a strangely compelling -- and very unconventionally-shot -- movie about people who lack a place to live in peace. The performances are realistic, the direction strangely minimalist -- and the feel is confusing and vivid.

The movie follows the lives of many people living in France -- an immigrant taxi driver who returns to his homeland. A Romanian woman who faces deportation. A young boy fleeing life on a farm. An Arab heckles people on a subway. A young black man who can't understand why people are so disrespectful to a woman on the street. And a young actress who simply seems to be struggling with her boyfriend. These people bump into one another, and their lives brush for brief instants that change everything.

"Code: Unknown" is not an easy film to get into. Its fragmented story is made up of dozens of little scenes, which are sometimes cut off in mid-sentence. What's more, there are certain scenes (like Binoche and an old lady walking through a cemetary, or a boy riding his bike away from a farm) that may seem dull at first glance.

Certainly Haneke's filmmaking is unique. There is no soundtrack at all; in some scenes, all you can hear are cars and footsteps. Each scene is filmed in one long continuous take, which adds to the ultra-realistic feel of the film -- it's unadorned, lacking in drama, gritty and sometimes a bit tedious, like real life. And Haneke's directorial skill is at its best when communicating how alienated and alone these people are -- for example, Binoche on a stage, speaking wistfully to a nonexistant audience.

The acting ranges from silly to superb. Juliette Binoche is undoubtedly the best in this film, especially since she had to do all her scenes in a continuous take. Early in the movie, she's called upon to display indifference, suspicion, fear, misery and terror all in the space of a few minutes. The other supporting actors are usually okay if not terribly memorable, and a few of them definitely go over the top like Ona Lu Yenke.

Michael Haneke's "Code Unknown" is a strange, vivid look at being alone and being adrift. This cinematic collage is hypnotic and a little warped, and definitely worth checking out... but only with an open mind.