An extremely complicated story of political espionage Eric Rohmer's latest feature film Triple Agent (2004) transports us to 1930 France where White Russian Army general Fyodor (Serge Renko) is involved in a deadly spy game with Marxists, Fascists, and Soviet sympathizers. Leaving everyone clueless about his political agenda Fyodor will ultimately destroy the only person who never doubts him- his lovely wife Arsinoe (Katerina Didaskalou).

While Triple Agent certainly offers all the necessary components for a fascinating and thought-provoking political thriller the pacing of the film suggests a much different direction which Rohmer obviously wished to explore. The unusual structure of the film relying on authentic documentary footage to support its premise shows that Triple Agent is more of a natural continuation of Rohmer's previous works where major political or social events are being used as a foundation for more intimate storytelling. In Triple Agent we see authentic footage showing the formation of the Popular Front in France where communists, liberals, socialists, and workers united in response to the growing threat of continental Fascism.

Despite of the heavy political content which Triple Agent is built upon, including Fyodor's persona which is inspired by a real spy who operated in Paris in the early 1930s, there are hardly any political messages that Rohmer delivers. On the contrary Triple Agent is more of a subtle character study where the famous French New Wave director is most certainly at his best.

As it is the case with most of Rohmer's films the pacing of Triple Agent is extremely slow and the viewer is given plenty of time to get acquainted with the main protagonists. In this particular case though Triple Agent is focused on Fyodor's deeds it is his lovely wife Arsinoe who the audience becomes more intimate with. Her struggle to comprehend Fyodor's activities within the Russian immigrant community and his often veiled in secrecy late-night conversations with fellow compatriots is how Fyodor's persona is being analyzed. Indeed, a very unusual approach indicating that Rohmer wanted to be as conservative with his story as possible.

Shot in the preferred by Rohmer aspect ratio of 1.33:1 Triple Agent also relies on a camera which more often than not appears static. The long continuous shots which the French director seems to favor match well the prolonged dialogs both Fyodor and Arsinoe are engaged in. In fact, nothing in this film suggests an abrupt ending where a shocking secret is to be revealed...yet the finale is rather unusual. Certainly however Triple Agent is well in the tradition of Rohmer's previous films where resolution comes after a meticulous and often revealing analysis of the main protagonists has been provided to the viewers.

I do not think that Triple Agent is a groundbreaking film which is likely to win Rohmer an even bigger fan base amongst film aficionados unfamiliar with his previous work. It is however a solid production of engaging storytelling and rich characters that certainly lives up to the expectations. The tragic events surrounding this most curious story only further solidify Rohmer's status as a director capable of recreating true events into films of enormously high quality.

Awards/ Recognition:

In 2004 Triple Agent was nominated for Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

How Does the DVD Look?

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 the print provided for this R1 release is in remarkably good condition. Colors appear well handled, contrast is in excellent condition, and the print is virtually free of any damage. The film is also properly converted and does not appear to be plagued by the dreaded PAL-NTSC conversion issues R1 releases are often affected with. More importantly when blown out through a digital projector the image remains tight and pleasing to the eye without breaking down as it is the case with some of Rohmer's earlier films available on DVD. All in all a very good presentation which should impress fans of the French director.

How Does the DVD Sound?

Presented with its original French Dolby Digital 2.0 track the audio quality for this release is also very impressive. The mostly dialog-driven feature is easy to follow as the sound quality is crisp and mixed perfectly. Indeed, I have no reservations with the audio presentation provided by Koch Lorber whatsoever. In French with optional English subtitles.

Extras:

Aside from the original theatrical trailer provided for this release there is also an interesting featurette titled "The Miller-Skobline Case" which follows the story behind the Russian general who operated out of Paris in the early 1930s. A very, very interesting piece of extra which runs at nearly 40min. and provides a lot of information surrounding the mystery of this enigmatic Russian spy. I liked the discussion so much that I had to see it twice to compare what Rohmer had incorporated in his film. Indeed, a fascinating story!!

Final Thoughts:

A great film which fans of Eric Rohmer would certainly want to add to their collections. The presentation by Koch Lorber is on par with the Artificial Eye and the earlier released French discs which naturally transforms this R1 version into "an essential buy". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.