Director Roland Joffe knows how to make stirring images.  Unfortunately, he seldom can tell a story.  "THE KILLING FIELDS" was a fluke for him.  It had style "and" real substance.  But, look no further than "GOODBYE LOVER", "SCARLET LETTER" and now "VATEL" and it's disconcerting to find that style can only carry a movie so far.  It's actually worked at times for Ridley Scott, but even Joffe's imagery can't compete with his.  Gerard Depardeau stars as "VATEL", a steward to a Prince trying to impress King Louis XIV upon a royal visit.  While "VATEL" desperately tries to put together a meal "fit for a king", he's also trying to compete for the love of a courtesan, played by Uma Thurman.  She's caught the eye of the King, and the king's assistant.  While this "love" triangle should provide suspense, it does little to move the story along.  In fact, the film seems to plod along during its last half hour.

BUENA VISTA has provided a great looking transfer for this dvd.  The original 2.35:1 aspect ratio is intact, with 16:9 enhancement.  The costume designs are incredible, and the detail of the layered clothing is exceptional!  The colors are often vibrant, although there is often an intentional dark look to the film's interior settings.  Contrast is fine, with deep blacks and grays.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is decent, but this is a dialogue-driven film and surround usage is minimal, meant to boost the score only.  There is some separation for the front soundstage. There are no LFE effects.

There is a brief featurette and trailers for "BOUNCE", "HAMLET" "MANSFIELD PARK" and a few others, but all are in full screen and 2.0!