Great Italian Directors Collection (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

November 9, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

For those who have watched the previously released DVD or Blu-ray masterpiece of Italy’s most revered filmmakers of the ’50s and ’60s and are wanting more Antonioni, Fellini, Visconti, De Sica or Monicelli, look no further as “Great Italian Directors Collection” is a fantastic DVD box set showcasing Michelangelo Antonioni’s first full length feature film, a collaboration by Fellini, Visconti, De Sica and Monicelli for “Boccaccio ’70″ and the exciting and fun sex comedy “Casanova ’70″ by the legendary Italian comedy director Mario Monicelli. This is an enjoyable DVD box set and definitely recommended for cineaste wanting more Italian cinema for their their film collection!

DVD TITLE: Great Italian Directors Collection

DATE OF FILM RELEASE: Story of a Love Affair (1950), Boccaccio ’70 (1962), Casanova ’70 (1965)

DURATION: Story of a Love Affair (98 Minutes), Boccaccio ’70 (204 Minutes), Casanova ’70 (115 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Black and White, Color, (1:33:1 for “Story of a Love Affair), (1:85:1 for “Boccaccio ’70″ and “Casanova ’70″), Monaural 1.0, Italian with English Subtitles

COMPANY: Lorber Films/Kino Lorber

RATED: NOT RATED

RELEASE DATE: 2011

Story of a Love Affair
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Country: Italy
Year: 1950
Story of a Love Affair (1950) is the legendary Michelangelo Antonioni’s debut feature, a powerful statement on the delusions and violence sparked by a passionate love. This deeply tragic romance already exhibits the astonishing formal control and penetrating insights into the human condition that would later make him famous in films like Il Grido, L’Avventura and Blow-Up.

Boccaccio ’70
Directors: Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Mario Monicelli, Vittorio De Sica
Country: Italy
Year: 1962
Four legendary filmmakers direct some of Europe’s biggest stars in BOCCACCIO ’70, a landmark anthology film. Mario Monicelli (Big Deal on Madonna Street), Federico Fellini (8½), Luchino Visconti (The Leopard) and Vittorio De Sica (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) direct Sophia Loren, Anita Ekberg, Romy Schneider and more through four stories of unashamed eros. Modeled on Boccaccio’s Decameron, they are comic moral tales about the hypocrisies surrounding sex in 1960s Italy.

Casanova ’70
Director: Mario Monicelli
Country: Italy
Year: 1965
Nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Screenplay, Casanova ’70 is a raucously funny sex romp starring Marcello Mastroianni at his charismatic peak. Packed with bed-hopping hijinks, a parade of gorgeous actresses, and Mastroianni’s hilariously dry wit, Casanova ’70 is a colorfully ribald gem from the Golden Age of Italian comedy.

Italian cinema. Born in the early 1900′s and known for their epic silent films to their avant-garde movement in the teens but most notably, the creation of Italian Neorealism of the 1940′s.

Films that would showcase war, post-war and the economic strife of the struggling working class. During this era, filmmakers such as Vittorio De Sica, Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini and others would be known for their work depicting life of Italy’s new society.

By the 1950, we would see a new filmmaker named Michelangelo Antonioni emerge from documentary filmmaking to creating a tragic melodrama and Italian noir film “Story of a Love Affair” and by the 1960′s, Italy would see Commedia all’Italiana (Italian Comedy) take form and filmmaker Mario Monicelli becoming well-known for his romantic comedies.

For many cineaste who have acquired a collection of Italian neorealism films from these famous directors or Michelangelo’s more “alienating” films of the ’60s, for those who want to experience the “other” films made by these filmmakers can definitely enjoy the works of Michelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Vittorio De Sica and Mario Monicelli through Kino Lorber’s DVD box set “Great Italian Directors Collection”.

Included in this box set is Michelangelo Antonioni’s first full feature-length film “Story of a Love Affair” from 1950 which showcases Antonioni’s first work that dealt with tragic romance. The film presented on DVD is the new restoration by Cinecitta Studio and also includes a second DVD with four lengthy special featurettes.

The second film featured is “Boccaccio ’70″ from 1962 which is more like one long film with four different style of movies included and featuring the work of Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Vittorio De Sica and Mario Monicelli. The DVD (a Blu-ray release is also available) features the original uncut version shown in Italy back in 1962 before the producers trimmed out the first story Mario Monicelli’s “Renzo e Luciana” in order to achieve a short duration and please audiences internationally. So, instead of three films in “Boccacio ’70″, with this DVD, viewers will see all four films!

The third and final film features the legendary filmmaker of Italian Comedy, Mario Monicelli’s “Casanova ’70″, an intriguing romantic comedy about a suave bachelor who can only fulfill his sexual libido by engaging in dangerous acts. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for “Best Screenplay”.

To access our review for each film, please click on the link below (Please note that our review for “Boccacio ’70″ is for the Blu-ray release and not the DVD release. Both the Blu-ray and DVD release come with the same special features.):

Story of a Love Affair

Boccacio ’70

Casanova ’70

“Great Italian Directors Collection” comes with a slipcase featuring each film in their own slim DVD case (Note: “Story of a Love Affair” comes with two DVD’s).

As a fan of Italian cinema, here in the United States, there are only so many films you can access on DVD or Blu-ray of films by Michelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Vittoria De Sica and Mario Monicelli. So, when I found out that Kino Lorber was releasing a Italian Directors Collection on DVD, I was very excited.

Especially to see the restored version of Antonioni’s “Story of a Love Affair” and the documentaries that accompany the DVD release. Also, the uncut “Boccacio ’70″ which many have only watched with three movies included. This time, everyone can see all four films together as it was shown in Italy. And of course, to see Mario Monicelli’s “Casanova ’70″!

First, let’s talk about Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Story of a Love Affair”.

Before I begin my review of “Story of a Love Affair”, let me first preface with a mention of Kino Lorber’s “Great Italian Directors Collection” and that any Italian cinema collection must come with an Antonioni film.

While Italian cinema is notable for Italian neorealism, what makes Michelangelo Antonioni stand out is his unwillingness to follow trends, to follow traditional cinema and literally, he does what he wants and with his artistic creations, there is unique symbolism and his version of romance films are unique, alienating and wonderful.

But with that being said, his films are not for everyone who are used to traditional cinema. Man loves woman. Women loves man. Happy ending.

As we know, love is complex and complexity is what Antonioni tends to interject his vision, his style with absolute efficacy.

With “Story of a Love Affair”, this is Michelangelo’s first full-length feature film. While many Italian filmmakers were showcasing the struggle of Italian citizens via post-World War II, the filmmakers in the “Great Italian Directors” collection such as Luchino Visconti, Vittorio De Sica and a few others were known for showcasing the struggling working class, for Antonioni, the Bellentani murder case of 1948 which shocked Italians was big news and according to Assistant Director Francesco Maselli, it was an inspiration for this melodrama/Italian noir film.

But the characters and the whole entire situation is nothing about the Bellentani case. If there was any close relation, its the fact that the main character Paola is married to a wealth industrialist and has an affair with another man. Where Countess Bellentani was a socialite and poet, Paola is a woman who just thrives on her husband’s money but really shows no care in their relationship.

So, there is no surprise that her husband Enrico would do an investigation on his wife’s past life. After all, he married her not too long after he met her and the fact that she is quite distant, years before prenuptial agreements, one had to watch their finances, especially from one that may be a gold digger.

So, when her husband hires an investigator to look into her past, needless to say, when his wife Paola finds out from Guido, a former flame that an investigator was looking into her past, she thinks its because of the death of her best friend Giovanna.

She becomes paranoid that the investigator would think that she and Guido are involved in Giovanna’s death, mainly because Paola’s best friend was engaged to Guido and that she was secretly having a sexual relationship with him at the time.

But when both Paola and Guido finally see each other, their passion once again reignites. And while Guido keeps his cool that Paola is married to a wealthy man, Paola shows her jealousy towards Guido whenever he’s with a beautiful woman. Naturally, she wants Guido all to herself and would go as far as to ask him to kill her husband.

The film was shot in Ferrara, where Michelangelo Antonio lived and the film would feature Antonioni’s girlfriend, Lucia Bose (Miss Italy 1947) as Paola; actor Massimo Girotti, best known for his role in Luchino Visconti’s “Obsessione” (1943) and “Senso” (1954) ; and fashion designer Ferdinando Sarmi as Paola’s wealthy industrialist husband, Enrico Fontana.

While “Story of a Love Affair” is unlike his alienation films that Antonioni would be known more than a decade later, but yet a troubled relationship is showcased, as well as the well-situated shots that would become a big part of Antonioni’s oeuvre.

While “Story of a Love Affair” would be looked at as a bold film for its time in Italian cinema, its a magnificent first film for Antonioni and would lead him to create wonder films such as “L’avventura”, “La Notte”, “L’Eclisse”, “Red Desert” and “Blowup”, to name a few.

And this film looks absolutely great on DVD, considering how much damage the film was in and the original negative no longer being used, Cinecitta did a wonderful job in the restoration of this film.

As for the DVD release of “Story of a Love Affair”, the fact that there are four lengthy featurettes, I was very excited that Kino Lorber included many special features with this classic film. It is important to note that ”Story of a Love Affair” is available on DVD and also included with the “Great Italian Directors Collection” box set.

Overall, a fantastic inclusion to the “Great Italian Directors Collection” and a magnificent first feature film by Michelangelo Antonioni. Highly recommended!

The second DVD included in the “Great Italian Directors Collection” DVD box set is “Boccacio ’70″ (which is also available on Blu-ray). Featuring Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Vittorio De Sica and Mario Monicelli.

Sexy and entertaining! “Boccaccio ’70″ is an entertaining anthology featuring the work of four renown Italian filmmakers and also featuring an all-star cast.

But most importantly, with the Blu-ray and DVD release of “Boccaccio ’70″, viewers will finally get to see what was shown in Italy, not a trilogy but all four stories.

With Mario Monicelli’s “Renzo e Luciana”, what I enjoyed about this film is how it showcases the busy metropolitan city in Italy. But also a scene from yesteryear, especially the busy public pools. To see the number of people at the pools during the hot summer, people of all ages, was quite interesting but also to see how possibly some business were back in the day of not allowing their female workers to keep a job if they are married or have children.

May it be fears of missing an employee and slowing production or that is the style of Luciana’s Draconian boss, but it was quite interesting to see the story of a young couple in love and the challenges they had to make sure they had the income to make their marriage work and plan for their family home.

But Monicelli’s story does showcase innocent love or unconditional love.

The second story “Le Tentazioni del Dottor Antonio” is interesting in the fact that we have a story of a conservative who does all he can to stop indecency. And of course, where we have seen conservative politicians to TV evangelists succumb to their own sins, the same can be said about Dr. Antonio. Not so much with a real woman but the fact that he finds himself falling in love with the buxom Swedish blond model, Anita Ekberg on his billboard across the street from his apartment.

While the film is a much slower pace compared to the other three films, what makes “Le Tentazioni del Dottor Antonio” an entertaining comedy is its characters and the “milk song” which is played throughout the film. The film is also quite vibrant with its various characters, many who support the milk billboard with Anita Ekberg but there is no doubt, in 1962, Ekberg’s appearance and showcasing her body was a big draw for viewers at the time.

As for love, this love I suppose can be classified as “blind love”.

The third story “Il lavoro” is possibly my favorite story and the saddest of the three. Romy Schneider absolutely shines in this film and without spoiling the film, the story of how two people became a couple for the sake of their parents in building an empire, call it a business transaction. But for Pupe (Schneider), while the men are about the money, for her, it’s about love and wondering why her husband must gallivant towards prostitutes while he is married. So, when she gives up her wealth to take a job, it’s the job that becomes the most surprising, and the only way she is able to make her husband be with her, even if its not true, romantic love.

What kind of love would I call this film? I would have to call it, “demeaning love”.

The final and fourth story is possibly the most exciting of the four. A film that shows us how wonderful the collaboration between Vittoria De Sica and actress Sophia Loren. “La riffa” starring the vibrant Loren as carnival worker Zoe. A hardworking woman who depends on no man, but is willing to be there for her pregnant friend and help them financially by using her body to entice people to purchase lottery tickets for possibly one night of romance with her. And of course, nearly every man wants one night with Zoe.

Of course, during the process, she does meet a young man that she cares about. But when he finds out about the lottery, he is saddened. What happens when one man, a shy timid Christian man wins the lottery?

If you love Sophia Loren and you loved her in films such as “Marriage Italian Style” or “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, she is absolutely sexy in this film. And she doesn’t play the naive character, she’s a pretty strong-willed character that calls the shots and is quite aware of her sexuality and the men who really want to sleep with her.

As for the kind of love, I guess you can easily call it “lust” when it comes to the male characters but for the character of Zoe, it’s more of “In Search of Love” because she does hope that through her business, she will a man that she can truly love.

So, in essence, “Boccaccio’70″ is a love story. Four different love stories and we have seen quite a few anthology films such as “Paris, Je T’aime” to another “different kind of love” type of film with the Hong Kong anthology “Heroes in Love”.

But there are several things of what leads to the efficacy of “Boccaccio ’70″. One is the fact that you have four well-known filmmakers taking part in the film and that you have four talented actresses highlighting the film. Granted, possibly another reason why Producer Conti eliminated “Renzo e Luciana” was because Marisa Solinas was not the star actress compared to Sophia Loren, Anita Ekberg or Romy Schneider. These three women also became a popular muse for the respective filmmaker they had worked with, Loren with De Sica, Ekberg with Fellini and Schneider with Visconti.

But with “Boccaccio ’70″, watching it again, this time around, it was a film that I had to watch in two sittings. At over three hours, I wanted to savor each film by watching only two at a time. To appreciate each story for its own visual style and direction. And I’m glad I did, because I felt I noticed much more in terms of cinematography, what was captured on camera, mannerisms of each character (from the wiggle and jiggle of Loren’s Zoe, Visconti’s closeup especially showcasing Schneider’s eyes, Fellini’s direction when it comes to capturing certain visuals and even the innocence and playfulness of Solinas’ Luciana, I found each story to be entertaining when watching them separately on my own time versus watching it all in one setting. It’s a long film and I don’t know if I could have dedicated myself to watching all four stories in a row in a theater setting. So, watching on Blu-ray made this film much more enjoyable for me.

“Boccaccio ’70″ is a wonderful, hilarious and entertaining anthology about love during 1960′s Italy. Another fantastic inclusion for the “Great Italian Directors Collection”!

And for the final film featured in the “Great Italian Directors Collection”, we have Mario Monicelli’s “Casanova ’70″.

It’s one thing to watch a sexual comedy but it’s even better when you have something that is unlike the banality of sex-com films of today. Especially one with international flair!

Mario Monicelli is the King of Italian comedies and what he brings to the audience is the charm of Marcello Mastroiani but the hotness of a Bond film with style (the costume design for this film by Maria De Matteis is elegant and sophisticated!) and beauty as each women featured in the film screams of hotness.

Actress Verna Lisi (known for starring with Jack Lemmon in “How to Murder Your Wife”) plays the innocent Gigliola, Austrian model/actress Marisa Mel (“Danger: Diabolik”, “One on Top of the Other”) plays Thelma, and these are just two of the several beautiful women shown throughout the film.

But unlike today’s sex-com films that usually are connected to alcohol or losing one’s virginity, Mastroianni’s Andrea Rossi-Colombotti is the character that men can only hope to be in his shoes, that is until you learn what drives his libido and that is “danger”.

I know these individuals exist and some enjoy the risk of lovemaking, but this is not about the lovemaking but more of what it takes Andrea to get started in order to engage in lovemaking. He is suave, can easily charm women and get them into bed but he has to rely on danger to get him going and that is a major problem because he can’t perform when he has a beautiful woman waiting for him in bed. He must come up with some lie or anything that would make him challenge fear head on before the fornicating and who would imagine such a story?

You have to give Mario Monicelli’s credit for creating a hilarious, fun and titillating film that does become farfetched but because we know that this kind of urge that Andrea has can land him in big trouble, we wonder if the suave playboy will make it to the end.

This is a sexy comedy that Mastroianni literally hits the ball out of the ballpark with his performance. A true Casanova with a libido problem… And Mario Monicelli does a great job of building the storyline with efficacy thanks to the beautiful women and the comedy presented throughout the film.

If you are looking for a film that showcases Italian sexual comedy, you can’t go wrong with “Casanova ’70″! And while Mario Monicelli is known for many great films in his oeuvre, “Casanova ’70″ is a worthy addition to Kino Lorber’s “Great Italian Director’s Collection” DVD Box Set, especially as it is totally opposite compared to the more darker and deeper Michelangelo Antonioni film “Story of a Love Affair” included in the set. But whether you buy this film as part of the DVD box set or on its own via Blu-ray, it’s a film that is definitely worth watching!

“Casanova ’70″ is a sensuous Italian comedy film from the King of Italian comedies worth recommending!

And so, that is my feelings of the three films presented in the “Great Italian Directors Collection” DVD Box Set. And while it is quite subjective of what one may feel towards these films, if anything, people get a chance to sample some of the work of legendary Italian filmmakers.

Sure, “Boccaccio ’70″ only offers a small wee bit of the work of Fellini, Visconti, De Sica and Monicelli and sure, there is no Roberto Rosselini, Sergio Leone, Ettore Scola, Dario Argento, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bernardo Bertolucci, Mario Bava, Sergio Corbucci, Lucio Fulci, Marco Ferreri (although he does star in “Casanova ’70″ as a character), Elio Petri, Ermanno Olmi and Umberto Lenzi… but hopefully this DVD Box Set does well enough to encourage future volumes and feature the work of these other notable Italian filmmakers.

But for those who want to experience Antonioni’s first full-length feature, experience a sexual comedy by Mario Monicelli or an anthology by Fellini, Visconti, De Sica and Monicelli will find Kino Lorber’s “Great Italian Directors Collection” gratifying, enjoyable and definitely recommended!

Filed Under: DVD Reviews, KINO VIDEO/INTL./LORBER

Boccaccio ’70 (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

October 6, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Featuring four of Italy’s greatest filmmakers Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, Mario Monicelli and Luchino Visconti showing us love Italian style during the early 1960′s. The Blu-ray release includes the Mario Monicelli’s “Renzeo e Luciana” (which was removed from the original American release) and this hilarious and sultry classic makes its Blu-ray debut! Definitely recommended!

TITLE: Boccaccio ’70

FILM RELEASE: 1962

DURATION: 204 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1920x1080p, 1:85:1 , Italian with English Subtitles, Mono 1.0, Color

COMPANY: Lorber Films/Kino Lorber

RATED: Not Rated

Release Date: 2011

“Renzo e Luciana”

Directed by Mario Monicelli

Written by Giovanni Arpino, Italo Calvino, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Mario Monicelli

“Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio”

Directed by Federico Fellini

Written by Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Goffredo Parise, Tullio Pinelli, Brunello Rondi

“Il lavoro”

Written and directed by Luchino Visconti

“La Riffa”

Directed by Vittorio De Sica

Written by Cesare Zavattini

Starring:

“Renzo e Luciana”

Marisa Solinas as Luciana

Germano Gilioli as Renzo

“Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio”

Anita Ekberg as Anita

Peppino De Filippo as Dr. Antonio Mazzuolo

“Il lavoro”

Romy Schneider as Pupe

Tomas Milian as Conte Ottavio

Romolo Valli as Zacchi

“La riffa”

Sophia Loren as Zoe

Luigi Guiuliani as Gaetano

Alfio Vita as Cuspet

Four legendary filmmakers direct some of Europe’s biggest stars in BOCCACCIO ’70, a landmark anthology film. Mario Monicelli (Big Deal on Madonna Street), Federico Fellini (8½), Luchino Visconti (The Leopard) and Vittorio De Sica (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) direct Sophia Loren, Anita Ekberg, Romy Schneider and more through four stories of unashamed eros. Modeled on Boccaccio’s Decameron, they are comic moral tales about the hypocrisies surrounding sex in 1960s Italy.

Monicelli’s “Renzo e Luciana” (cut out of the original American release) is a frothy tale of young love and office politics in the big city. Fellini’s notorious “Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio” features Ekberg as a busty model in a milk advertisement whose image begins to haunt an aging prude. Visconti’s “Il Lavoro” stars Romy Schneider as a trophy wife enduring her husband’s very public affairs, and De Sica’s “La Riffa” raffles off a night with Sophia Loren to a lucky ticket holder during a small town fair.

Bursting with passion and sly satire, Boccaccio ’70 is a glittering showcase for some of the greatest talents in movie history.

Sexy, fun and daring! “Boccacio ’70″ is a an enjoyable anthology about love in the style of Boccacio featuring the works of four renown Italian filmmakers.

In 1962, the anthology film “Boccaccio ’70″ was released. Featuring an idea by Italian screenwriter Cesare Zavattini (one of the proponents of the Neorealist movement in Italian cinema), the film would focus on the style of Boccaccio, the work of 1300′s Italian author and poet Giovanni Boccaccio.

In Italy, the film would feature four stories directed by Mario Monicelli (“Casanova 70″, “The Organizer”, “Caro Michele”, “A Tailor’s Maid”), Federico Fellini (“8 1/2″, “La Dolce Vita”, “Juliet of the Spirits”, “I Vitelloni”), Luchino Visconti (“Rocco and His Brothers”, “The Leopard”, “Death in Venice”, “La Terra Trema”) and Vittorio De Sica (“Bicycle Thieves”, “Umberto D.”, “Marriage Italian Style”).

While the Italian version featured all four stories, producer Carlos Ponti decided to make it a trilogy due to its 3 hour+ duration and decided to cut out Mario Monicelli’s story for its worldwide release. So, for its Cannes Film Festival premiere, in support of Monicelli, the other three directors did not go to Cannes premiere.

So, while the world is familiar with the trilogy of films in “Boccaccio ’70″, for the Blu-ray release of this Italian anthology classic, all four films are presented.

The first story of the anthology is “Renzo e Luciana”, a drama directed by Mario Monicelli focuses on a young married couple, Renzo (played by Germano Gilioli, “The Consequences”) and Luciana (played by Marisa Solinas, “The Consequences”, “The Grim Reaper”). The newlyweds who have promised each other to keep their relationship secret because Luciana’s workplace forbids marriages and women having children. In fact, her boss always seems to be checking up on her status and also uses the outside of work time to be near her. But lying about being single is starting to have its toll on the couple, but as newlyweds and wanting to buy a new home, how long can they keep up the charade?

The second story of the anthology is titled “Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio”, a comedy directed by Federico Fellini. For this story, Dr. Antonio (played by Peppino De Filippo, “Variety Lights”, “Non è vero… ma ci credo”) is a man who lives with morals. In fact, he despises anything naughty in public and will often go to parks and disrupt couples who are making out. But one day, a large billboard featuring busty Swedish model Anita Ekberg (“La Dolce Vita”, “I Clowns”, “Intervista”) promoting the “drinking of milk” is put right in front of his apartment window. Dr. Antonio does all he can to have it removed because he feels it is indecent. But each time he sees the billboard, he begins to daydream about Anita calling out to him.

The third story of “Boccaccio ’70″ is titled “Il Lavoro”, directed by Luchino Visconti. The story focuses on a married couple. A married couple not for love but for two powerful, rich families who wanted their children to marry for business reasons. But for businessman Conte Ottavio (played by Tomas Milian, “Traffic”, “Amistad”, “Washington Heights”), when he is featured in newspapers of him cavorting with prostitutes, his legal team begin to work on a plan to salvage his name as his wife, Pupe (played by Romy Schneider, “The Trial”, “That Most Important Thing: Love”, “The Old gun”) and her wealthy father has frozen the assets, so Conte literally has no money.

But for Pupe, she is sick about how her life is all about money, what her husband Conte wants her for is primarily money and the fact that he keeps going out with prostitutes upsets her deeply. But when Pupe makes the decision to eliminate her wealth and work for a living (to prove to her father that she can earn money on her own), how will she do it?

The fourth and final story of the anthology is titled “La riffa” and is directed by Vittorio De Sica. In “La riffa”, it’s festival time in a small town in Italy and word gets around that those who purchase a “certain” lottery ticket can win a night with Zoe (played by Sophia Loren, “Marriage Italian Style”, “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, “Sunflower”). The lottery ticket corresponds to the actual Naples Lottery, so as each man takes a look at Zoe, each of them wants to desperately win a night with the curvaceous beauty and try to buy as many lottery tickets they can. But why would Zoe offer her body in a lottery?

Four stories showcasing love Italian style ala 1960′s.

VIDEO:

“Boccaccio ’70″ is a film that probably will not look any better than what we see on this Blu-ray. While not a pristine print, the film does look its age but where it probably looks better than any of its previous counterparts is how well the film does look during the daylight. The story of “Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio“ looks absolutely beautiful as Fellini shows us the vibrant colors of the area, “La Riffa” showcases the vibrant red of Sophia Loren.

There is a good amount of grain that we can see from the overall film, nothing to overly drastic. If anything, the overall look of the film is very good. I noticed even more detail especially the makeup in “Il Lavoro” as Romy Schneider looks absolutely stunning in the film. I did notice some artifacts but nothing that diminishes your viewing of the overall film.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

The audio for “Boccaccio ’70″ is presented in Italian monaural 1.0. I have seen this film before where the audio sounds so loud and crackly, but good news for fans of “Boccaccio ’70″ is that the audio is very good and dialogue is clear. Especially during the musical moments of the film, especially the “milk song” played throughout “Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio” and of course Sophia Loren’s singing vocal segments of “La riffa”.

But I chose to have my receiver set on stereo on all channels to have a more immersive soundtrack. But while testing it on monaural, dialogue and music were quite clear, no sign of hiss, crackle or popping throughout the film.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Boccacio ’70″ comes with the following special features:

Boccaccio ’70 Theatrical Trailer - The US or worldwide trailer minus “Renzo e Luciana”.
Stills – Featuring stills for all four shorts from the anthology.

EXTRAS:

“Boccaccio ’70″ comes with a slipcase cover.

Sexy and entertaining! “Boccaccio ’70″ is an entertaining anthology featuring the work of four renown Italian filmmakers and also featuring an all-star cast.

But most importantly, with the Blu-ray release of “Boccaccio ’70″, viewers will finally get to see what was shown in Italy, not a trilogy but all four stories.

But Monicelli’s story does showcase innocent love or unconditional love.

As for love, this love I suppose can be classified as “blind love”.

What kind of love would I call this film? I would have to call it, “demeaning love”.

But as much as I have enjoyed this film in the past, one thing that I’m happy about watching it on Blu-ray is for its quality and the fact that I can watch this film with better picture and audio quality as in the past, what I have seen of this film, the presentation on video was terrible and very aged. So, I applaud Kino Lorber for releasing this film on Blu-ray.

But as mentioned earlier, this is a solid Blu-ray release. I don’t think the picture quality can be any better unless a lot of money is spent in doing a full-on restoration. But not many films do get that kind of restoration because of the costs involved. But the fact that you get all four stories on one Blu-ray release, for any cinema fans who are fans of Monicelli, Fellini, Viscont or De Sica or even the beautiful talent of this film, “Boccaccio ’70″ is a wonderful, hilarious and entertaining anthology about love during 1960′s Italy.

Definitely recommended!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews, KINO VIDEO/INTL./LORBER

Marriage Italian Style (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

July 18, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Featuring powerful performances by Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni! “Marriage Italian Style” is my favorite film of the De Sica/Loren/Mastroianni collaboration and a film worth watching!

TITLE: Marriage Italian Style (Matrimonio all’italiana)

YEAR OF FILM: 1965

DURATION: 101 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:85:1), Italian with English Subtitles

COMPANY: Lorber Films/Kino Lorber/Surf Film

RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2011

Directed by Vittorio De Sica

Based on the play “Filumena Marturano” by Eduardo De Filippo

Screenplay by Renato Castellani, Tonino Guerra, Leonardo Benvenuit, Piero De Bernardi

Produced by Carlo Ponti

Executive Producer: Joseph E. Levine

Music by Armando Trovajoli

Cinematography by Roberto Gerardi

Edited by Adriana Novelli

Production Design by Carlo Egidi

Set Decoration by Dario Micheli

Starring:

Sophia Loren as Filumena Marturano

Marcello Mastroianni as Domenico Soriano

Aldo Puglisi as Alfredo

Tecla Scarano as Rosalia

Marilu Tolo as Diana

Gianni Ridolfi as Umberto

Generoso Cortini as Michele

Vito Moricone as Riccardo

Rita Piccione as Teresina, seamstress

One of the most famous, and funniest, Italian comedies of all time, Marriage Italian Style received nominations for Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Actress for Sophia Loren, at the Academy Awards®.

Marcello Mastroianni co-stars as the irrepressibly carnal businessman Domenico, who discovers Loren’s Filumena as a young prostitute and keeps her as his mistress and confidante. When he chooses to marry a young cashier instead of her, Filumena is furious, and resorts to a series of wild and hilarious ruses to win back his hand.

Directed by the great Vittorio De Sica (The Bicycle Thief), Marriage Italian Style is a timelessly bawdy classic.

Vittorio De Sica, the filmmaker and actor who captured the attention of the world through Italian Neo-Realism with films such as “Shoeshine”, “The Bicycle Thief” and “Umberto D.”.

Known for his neorealist films in the ’40s and ’50s, by the ’60s, De Sica was a man who did what he wanted to do and that meant changing genres and experimenting with various themes. And in 1961, he would go on to create a film that would feature an all-star Italian and American cast titled “The Last Judgement” (Il Giudizio Universale) and also go from creating films about the poor to the people flourishing during the post-war economic boom (known as the Italian Economic Miracle) in which Italy would transform itself to a major industrial power starting from the ’50s through the ’70s. A subject that De Sica would focus in his 1963 comedy film “Il Boom”.

While known for his neorealistic films and also his starring role in the 1957 film “A Farewell to Arms” (which De Sica received a “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” Academy Award nomination), his 1963 film “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” (Ieri, oggi, domani) would win an Academy Award in 1965 for “Best Foreign Language Film”.

With the collaboration with actress Sophia Loren (“Two Women”, “Boccasio ’70″, “Marriage Italian Style”) and actor Marcello Mastroianni (“Divorce Italian Style”, “La Notte”, “La Dolce Vita”, “8 1/2″) resulting in success, the three reunited again for the 1964 film “Marriage Italian Style” (“Matrimonio all’italiana”). The film is the second onscreen adaptation of the play “Filumena Marturano” by Eduardo De Filippo.

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for “Best Foreign Language Film” in 1966 and also a nomination for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” for Sophia Loren in 1965.

To celebrate the working relationship with filmmaker Vittorio De Sica, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, Kino Lorber have released three Blu-ray titles and a special four-disc DVD set featuring “Yesterday Today, Tomorrow”, “Marriage Italian Style” and “Sunflower”) as part of “The Sophia Loren Award Collection”.

“Marriage Italian Style” is a story that focuses on a wealthy businessman named Domenico Soriano (played by Marcello Mastroianni) and his mistress Filumena Marturano (played by Sophia Loren).

The film begins with people in the village carrying a sick Filumena who looks as if she is going to die. The village and people are worried about her and news travels fast as they try to get her home.

A friend of Filumena goes to tell Domenico of Filumena’s sickness but he looks to busy working. He tells him that she is really sick and Domenico thinks its just a ploy but when he goes to her home, he realizes that she may be dying.

Worried about the situation, we are given a flashback of the past of how Domenico met Filumena.

Many years ago during World War II, Domenico was at a brothel with a prostitute but suddenly sirens of an incoming attack in the area. As everyone evacuates, Domenico sees a scared Filumena who just started at the brothel and is unwilling to leave due to fear. Domenico tries to get her out and uses his suave style to get through her.

We are then taken back to another time, years later, in which Domenico and Filumena see each other. Filumena seems to be much more confident and is doing great at the brothel. Domenico gives her a ride but due to the rain, he chooses to bring her to a rundown building but not for shelter due to the rain but because the two can have passionate sex.

But with each meeting, she falls in love with him but for Domenico, he’s a man with money, focused on business and having sex with other women. Each time that Filumena hopes that he would stay with her and not leave, he just uses money as a way to convenience her. May it be giving her a place to live, giving her money to live on and just not wanting to be inconvenienced by any woman.

And as the years pass between the two, Domenico who thinks that Filumena is going to die decides to marry her, because it is her dying wish. But meanwhile, Domenico has another woman, a woman he works with as his current girlfriend that he intends to marry.

So, Domenico and Filumena get married and when Domenico explains to his girlfriend that once Filumena is dead, that he would resume his relationship with the other girl and marry her, immediately his call is interrupted by Filumena.

It was all a ruse, a ruse to get Domenico to marry her for his last name. And immediately, Domenico is upset that Filumena lied to her but it is Filumena who unloads on him and explains that he has been stringing her along for so many years, not caring about her feelings but just wanting her to be his mistress. Now, she wants her revenge.

She explains that all the money that she has given him was to support her three sons (that he never knew about) but the sons weren’t his, but from men that got her pregnant when she was a prostitute.

And now, with them being married, she is going to have her sons live with her. Domenico is shocked that Filumena committed fraud and immediately he consults his lawyer to annul their marriage due to fraud and wants her out of his house.

The annulment will go through but she leaves one final bombshell for Domenico, of the three kids that she has, one of them is his. And the reason why she never told him was because if she did tell him back then, he would probably have the baby aborted which she would not let him do.

While Domenico and Filumena’s relationship and friendship appears to be over, Domenico’s conscience begins to get the best of him especially knowing that he may have a son out there.

What will happen to Domenico and Filumena during this tough time?

VIDEO:

I have to admit that I was a bit surprised that “Marriage Italian Style” was given a Blu-ray release but considering it is one of the well-known Vittorio De Sica Sophia Loren films, I can understand why Kino Lorber was released on DVD and Blu-ray. The film is presented in 1080p (1:85:1).

While it is great to see this film available in HD, I caution those who are expecting pristine picture quality. You can tell that this print has not aged gracefully through the years and its important to note that similar to other De Sica films at the time, they chose to go with a more economical choice for film than the best quality available to them.

With that being said, there is mild flickering, there are white speckles and dust, a lot of grain, colors are not exactly vibrant and black levels are OK. While some parts of the film look great and this is probably one of the few films where videophiles can easily debate the use of DNR. If anything, Kino kept to the original print and not mess with it, so people are getting a film transferred to high definition.

But it’s important to remember that if you want any of these Vittorio De Sica/Sophia Loren films, you either buy the DVD boxset or buy the Blu-ray release individually. Personally, if you love the film and I do feel it is the better of the three films in the Sophia Loren Award Collection, the Blu-ray release is the way to go.

AUDIO:

“Marriage Italian Style” is presented in Italian Dolby TrueHD 1.0. The lossless monaural track is still clear in dialogue and everything comes quite clear through the center channel. Granted, I did choose to watch the entire film in stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundscape.

I didn’t notice any hissing, pops or crackle and for the most part, soundtrack is what I was expecting from the lossless monaural soundtrack.

Optional English subtitles are included.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Marriage Italian Style” comes with the theatrical trailer (3:41) and the trailers for the three De Sica/Loren films that are available from Kino Lorber. Also, a stills gallery with 28 images from behind-the-scenes and promotional images as well.

EXTRAS:

“Marriage Italian Style” comes with a slipcase.

As a Vittorio De Sica fan, knowing that many viewer’s exposure of his work are through his neorealist films, let’s step away from that and not focus too much on De Sica’s past work but focus on what he has done in 1960.

Sophia Loren literally became the filmmaker’s muse. Beginning with “Two Women” in 1960, he would follow up film after film with Loren, “Boccaccio ’70″ and “The Condemned of Altona in 1962, his Academy Award winning film “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” (1963) which featured the first major collaboration between De Sica, Loren and Mastroianni. And to follow-up a year later with “Marriage Italian Style”.

While “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” did win an Oscar and while it was a fun comedy anthology that showcased Loren’s body and sexuality, Loren was more than just a beautiful buxom actress, she was also a talented actress that can dish it out like any major actress out there. You want her to play sexy, she will play sexy. You want her to play a woman who has been jilted for nearly 20-years and want to see that frustration, she absolutely delivers in “Marriage Italian Style”.

In fact, this is a very different film than “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”. While sex does play a part, this film is not much about the comedy, it actually focus on the emotional drama and toll it takes on Sophia Loren’s character Filumena Marturano. We have seen Loren give a superb performance in De Sica’s “Two Men” but she shines again in “Marriage Italian Style”.

And Marcello Mastroianni, he also delivers in a superb performance as their characters both feed off each other’s anger, stress and passion. The scene which involves Filumena giving a peace of her mind to Domenico about how she really feels and the fact that she has three sons was quite powerful. She embodied the character of Filumena and I felt that she was absolutely on fire!

Mastroianni played the convincing role of the suave, wealthy older gentlemen, with the graying highlights and all, he looked the part, he played the part and he delivered!

And I do believe that the film was very much deserving of its two Academy Award nominations as this was the better film compared to “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” when it came to story and performance.

But while I enjoyed “Marriage Italian Style”, it’s important for those who are planning to purchase the Blu-ray to know that this film is not pristine by any means. In fact, some may find the film unlike any film they see on Blu-ray because of its high level of grain, minor flickering, dust and speckles and so forth. Yes, the film has been given the 1080p High Definition upgrade but Kino Lorber does not do restorations like other niche companies specializing in cinema. They take the film elements and give you an HD version of those film elements and suffice to say, because restoration is extremely expensive, not all films that come to Blu-ray are given significant restorations. Even from the major studios.

As for special features, this one is pretty much barebones. While “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” contained the Vittorio De Sica documentary, I was hoping there would be some revisiting by Sophia Loren or someone involved with the film. Also, may there be an audio commentary or something else that would make this release much more attractive to Blu-ray fans.

And this brings me back to the man who is responsible for directing the film, Vittorio De Sica. Like Fellini, Rosellini, Visconti and Antonioni, De Sica is a legendary filmmaker in my eyes. While not all De Sica’s films were magnificent hits, the fact is that throughout his oeuvre, he has created a few masterpiece. Not one, not two…there are quite a few that surprise you with its overall look but performances that really are heartwrenching.

While “Two Women” was a powerful film featuring Sophia Loren, the primary focus of “The Sophia Loren Award Collection” is to feature three major collaborations between De Sica, Loren and Mastroianni. And for me, this is important because if you want to enjoy “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, you must watch “Marriage Italian Style” and “Sunflower” and pretty much, if you enjoy the working relationship between these three talented individuals, it’s worth watching each of these films. By no means, are each of these films their best work but its a collaboration that remains special for cinema fans and fans of each of these three individuals.

And as De Sica brought out the performances of both Loren and Mastroianni, for me, this was like the Italian equivalent of a William Powell and Myrna Loy or Clark Gable and Myrna Loy ala early ’60s. They may have not made that many films than their Hollywood counterparts but they did have great chemistry onscreen for these three films presented in the collection.

Overall, while “Marriage Italian Style” is not the best looking film on Blu-ray nor does it contain a lot of special features, it still is an enjoyable film. So, if you are a big fan of Vittorio De Sica, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, “Marriage Italian Style” is worth giving a try!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews, KINO VIDEO/INTL./LORBER

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

July 17, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Entertaining, sexy and fun! “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” won the 1964 Academy Award for “Best Foreign Language Film” and there is no doubt that Sophia Loren’s sexy performance onscreen was the biggest attraction at the time. With the release of this De Sica film on Blu-ray and the fact that it is bundled with the feature-length documentary “Vittorio D.”, easily makes this one Blu-ray worth owning! Highly recommended!

TITLE: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

YEAR OF FILM: 1963

DURATION: 118 Minutes (film)/95 min. (documentary)

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:35:1), Italian with English Subtitles

COMPANY: Lorber Films/Kino Lorber/Surf Film

RELEASE DATE: May 17, 2011

Directed by Vittorio De Sica

“Adelina” by Eduardo De Filippo, Isabella Quarantotti

“Anna” by Alberto Moravia, Cesare Zavattini, Bella Billa, Lorenza Zanuso

“Mara” by Cesare Zavattini

Produced by Carlo Ponti

Music by Armando Trovajoli

Cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno

Edited by Adriana Novelli

Production Design by Ezio Frigerio

Costume Design by Piero Tosi

Vittorio D.

Directed by Mario Canale, Annarosa Morri

Edited by Adalberto Gianuario, Cecilia Belletti

Produced by Massimo Vigliar

Executive Producers: Mario Canale, Elena Francot, Alfredo Francot

Starring:

Sophia Loren as Adelina Sbaratti/Anna Molteni/Mara

Marcello Mastroianni as Carmine Sbaratti/Renzo/Augusto Rusconi

Aldo Giuffre as Pasquale Nardella

Agostino Salvietti as Dr. Verace

Lino Mattera as Amedeo Scapece

Tecla Scarano as Verace’s Sister

Silvia Monelli as Elivira Nardella

Armando Trovajoli as Giorgio Ferrario

Tina Pica as Grandmother Ferrario

Gianni Ridolfi as Umberto

Gennaro Di Gregorio as Grandfather

Academy Award® WINNER Best Foreign Language Film – 1964

Winner of the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar® at the 1964 Academy Awards®, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow is a sparklingly original comedy that casts Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren in three different stories set throughout Italy.

In Naples, they are poor but resourceful, selling black market cigarettes on the streets. In Milan, Loren is costumed in Christian Dior and debates her preference for a Rolls Royce or her husband. And in Rome, Mastroianni is an industry scion who helps Loren’s prostitute set a wavering priest back onto the spiritual plane. This episode features Sophia’s famous striptease, which was recreated 30 years later in Robert Altman’s Ready To Wear. Witty and unforgettable, this gem from master filmmaker Vittorio de Sica (Two Women, Marriage Italian Style) is picture-postcard beautiful and effortlessly hilarious.

Vittorio De Sica, the filmmaker and actor who captured the attention of the world through Italian Neo-Realism with films such as “Shoeshine”, “The Bicycle Thief” and “Umberto D.”.

And although a comedy film, “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” would showcase the poor of Italy but also those who flourished during the post-economic boom but do it with comedy and sexuality by collaborating again with actress Sophia Loren (“Two Women”, “Boccasio ’70″, “Marriage Italian Style”) and actor Marcello Mastroianni (“Divorce Italian Style”, “La Notte”, “La Dolce Vita”, “8 1/2″).

With the release of “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” on Blu-ray, not only is the film included but also the feature-length documentary “Vittorio D.” about the life and career of Vittorio De Sica.

With “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, the comedy anthology film features three different storylines.

The first is about a woman named Adelina (played by Sophia Loren). She and her husband Carmine (played by Marcello Mastroianni) live in Naples and are barely surviving. He is unemployed and they both have a child and to make money, Adelina must sell black market cigarettes (with many other ladies doing the same).

If you get caught, you have to pay a fine and for Adelina she has been caught so many times that she has to pay a significant fine. So, when the collector comes to repossess the family’s furniture, the neighborhood fools the collector by hiding their furniture but when a lawyer hears and sees what they have done, he tells that no matter what they do, she will still have to pay the fine or go to jail.

Worried about what the lawyer said, a pregnant Adelina and her husband visit the lawyer for some advice and all the lawyer can tell them is that if she’s pregnant, she can’t go to jail, especially six months after a pregnancy (with a doctor’s notice as proof).

Happy about what they hear, to prevent Adelina from going to jail, both she and Carmine continue having babies. Each time the police come to check on her, they find out that Adelina is pregnant.

But with more and more children, Carmine is starting to become exhausted and Adelina doesn’t know what to do. But when Carmine’s friend Pasquale (played by Aldo Giuffre) is willing to get Adelina pregnant, she must decide…get pregnant again or go to jail. What will she do?

In the second short story, Anna (played by Sophia Loren) is a wealthy wife of a industrialist. But she also has a secretive affair with Renzo (play Marcello Mastroianni) and both are in Milan and can’t wait to get together and have sex. So, she lets Renzo drive her expensive Rolls Royce but when Renzo gets into an accident while trying to avoid a boy in the road, Anna seems more concerned for her Rolls Royce and could care less of what may have happened to the boy. This makes Renzo rethink his time with Anna.

In the third and final story, the story takes place in Rome and Augusto (played by Mastroianni) is in town on business from Bologna and visits his favorite prostitute Mara (played by Loren). Augusto can’t wait to have sex with Mara and leaves to meet a client and looks forward to his time with Mara when he is done.

But when Mara goes outside of her apartment, she notices a young priest named Umberto starring at her (while she’s only wearing a towel around her). Umberto is staying with his grandmother and is studying priesthood but not yet ordained but he falls head over heels with Mara and wants to be with her.

Mara starts to learn how much Umberto has fallen for her but immediately, his grandmother is upset that Mara is trying to seduce her grandson and calls her bad names which leads to an argument between Mara and the grandmother.

When Augusto returns from his meeting and is ready to have sex, Mara is angered by her argument with her elderly neighbor and now, Augusto is unable to have sex and now upset.

But suddenly Umberto’s grandmother comes to visit Mara in tears and that because of the argument, now Umberto is wanting to stop studying for priesthood and wants to be with Mara. So, now she hopes that Mara can convince him to become a priest and that pursuing her is not a good idea. Can Mara do it?

In the feature-length documentary “Vittorio D.” directed by Mario Canale and Annarosa Morri, this documentary features interviews with close friends and celebrities who have worked with Vittorio De Sica who discuss their feelings about Vittorio, his workand legacy. Featuring interviews with Woody Allen, Clint Eastwood, Mike Leigh and many more!

VIDEO:

“Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1). First of all, it’s important to note that while Kino has released several Blu-rays (many which are silent films), one should not expect a complete overhaul in terms of picture quality.

For “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, its important to note that the film is shot in Techniscope 2-perf, which means that for production back in 1963, the film crew went for economical means than high quality. So, expect to see a good amount of grain and colors that looks soft and not too pristine. Also, Kino doesn’t go all out in trying to clean up the video of white specks or other problems in the film like the Criterion Collection or Masters of Cinema but for the most part, they do make sure that films meet a certain level before releasing it on Blu-ray.

With that being said, this is the best version of “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” to date! There was an issue of green colors or an aged look in previous video releases and for this Kino Lorber release, colors are much more vibrant and black levels are very good. While the first and third story for me were the best in picture quality, still…early ’60s Italy looks very good on Blu-ray! And yes, Sophia Loren also looks fantastic as well!

As for “Vittorio D.”, as mentioned, Kino has high standards of what films will be released on Blu-ray and documentaries typically are given the DVD treatment. Instead of adding the DVD with the Blu-ray release, Kino chose to give more space to the film, while putting the documentary in an included DVD disc. Picture quality for this documentary is good but a reminder that footage comes from various sources throughout Vittorio De Sica’s life, so video quality varies. But for the most part, picture quality on DVD for the documentary is good.

AUDIO:

“Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” is presented in Italian Dolby TrueHD 1.0. The lossless monaural track is still clear in dialogue. From Mara singing in third story to the dialogue, everything comes quite clear through the center channel. Granted, I did choose to watch the entire film in stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundscape.

I didn’t notice any hissing, pops or crackle and for the most part, soundtrack is what I was expecting from the lossless monaural soundtrack.

As for “Vittorio D.”, audio is good on the DVD is good and dialogue for the documentary is clear.

Optional English subtitles are included.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

On both the Blu-ray and the DVD are trailers for “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, “Marriage Italian Style” and “Sunflower”. Also, included are stills for the film. Of course, the most significant extra in this Blu-ray release is the inclusion of the “Vittorio D” documentary. I personally would have bought this documentary alone but the fact that it’s included in this release is fantastic!

EXTRAS:

“Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” comes with a slipcase.

I am a big fan of Vittorio De Sica’s films and while many who are previously familiar with his neorealist films may be craving for another serious film about postwar Italy, with “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, De Sica does explore socioeconomic issues but does so in the form of a comedy anthology.

There is no doubt in my mind that when people came out to see this film, the fact that Sophia Loren was the most talked about thing about the entire film tells you what to expect. The curvaceous Sophia Loren wearing next to nothing is no doubt going to be quite titillating to men and the fact that even today, Sophia Loren’s kinky dance during her Mara storyline continues to be a source of inspiration, especially how it was recreated in Robert Altman’s “Ready to Wear” film.

And while the film did win an Academy Award back in 1964 for “Best Foreign Language Film”, many may be wondering if this is cinema kitsch or cinema worth owning because of Vittorio De Sica’s name is behind it.

First, I will say that I’m quite happy that the film is an anthology and has three separate stories. I don’t know if I could have watched a feature length on either story as the first is an interesting take on a family’s way to prevent jail time for the family matriarch. The answer is to keep getting pregnant and while it seems so farfetched, having friends who have had many children (all girls) in order to get a boy, I can see people of a lower socioeconomic class doing the same. But a storyline is much more comedy than drama and seeing Naples of a long ago, may interest many, but I have no doubt in my mind, many who tuned in for Sophia Loren will be happy.

The second story takes on the socioeconomic boom of Italy. The short story takes place in Milan and features a very wealthy Anna in her Rolls Royce and yes, she is a brat when it comes to her possessions. The fact that she cares more about her car and would rather have the man she is having an affair with hit the boy instead of getting an accident, kind of puts a bad taste in your mouth of Anna’s character but then again, the story plays on the storyline of wealthy people who don’t have a heart.

This second story is the weakest but it is the shortest of the three.

The final third story is perhaps my favorite. Sophia Loren just dazzles the screen as the prostitute Mara and Marcello Mastroianni does a fantastic job of playing the horny Augusto. No punches are pulled as we can definitely see how badly Augusto wants to get laid and how much of a tease that Sophia Loren can play onscreen. But the fact that she is barely wearing anything in this short is possibly won many fans back then and it will do so today. The kinky dance strip routine by Loren is unforgettable and overall, both Loren and Mastroianni did a wonderful job.

In the end, “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” does not have the drama and the heartwrenching scenes of any of De Sica’s neorealist films but that is fine! De Sica is known for taking on a variety of genres and while some of his comedies were OK, this one is a bit more accessible because its an anthology and sex is the driving force for this film and no doubt, it titillated many men back then and for those who never experienced a Sophia Loren film that showcases her beauty and sexual attraction, this film is the one you want to watch.

For the most part, Vittorio De Sica did a great job in directing the film and getting the best out of his two major talents. But while I do feel that Hiroshi Teshigahara’s “Woman in the Dunes” or even Jacques Demy’s “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” were a better film for me compared to “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, there’s no denying that this film is charming and fun!

And for this Blu-ray release, the fact that Kino Lorber included the magnificent “Vittorio D.” feature-length documentary is fantastic! As mentioned, I would have bought this documentary on its own but the fact that it does come with this Blu-ray release is wonderful!

Overall, “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” on Blu-ray features one of Sophia Loren’s shining moments in film but bundled with the Vittorio De Sica documentary, easily elevates this Blu-ray release as a must-buy for Vittorio De Sica fans!

Highly recommended!

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews, KINO VIDEO/INTL./LORBER

Umberto D. – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #201 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

November 22, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

A classic film of Italian neorealism that captures humanity in times of despair. “Umberto D.” is realistic and 57-years-later, many can still feel compassion for Umberto because those emotions still run strong, as poverty is still a major problem today. Wonderful performances from the non-professional actors and director Vittorio Di Spica and writer Cesare Zavattini once again at their best.

TITLE: Umberto D. – THE CRITERION COLLECTION #201

DURATION: 89 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Black and White, Monaural in Italian with optional English subtitles, 1:33:1 Aspect Ratio

COMPANY: The Criterion Collection/Janus Films

RELEASED: 2003

Directed by Vittorio De Sica

Written by Cesare Zavattini

Produced by Giuseppe Amato, Vittorio De Sica, Angelo Rizzoli

Music by Allesandro Cicognini

Cinematography by Aldo Graziati

Edited by Eraldo Da Roma

Production Design by Virgilio Marchi

Set Decoration by Ferdinando Ruffo

Starring:

Carlo Battisti as Umberto Domenico Ferrari

Maria-Pia Casilio as Maria, la servetta

Lina Gennari as Antonia, la pdrona di case

Ileana Simova as La donna nella camera di Umberto

Elenea Rea as La Suora all’ ospedale

Memmo Carotenuto as Il degent all’ ospedale

Shot on location with a cast of nonprofessional actors, Vittorio De Sica’s neorealist masterpiece follows Umberto D., an elderly pensioner, as he struggles to make ends meet during Italy’s postwar economic boom. Alone except for his dog, Flike, Umberto strives to maintain his dignity while trying to survive in a city where traditional human kindness seems to have lost out to the forces of modernization. Umberto’s simple quest to fulfill the most fundamental human needs—food, shelter, companionship—is one of the most heartbreaking stories ever filmed and an essential classic of world cinema.

Director Vittorio De Sica, the famous actor and well renown director who was a major proponent to Italian neorealism of filmmaking and introduced the world to films that would take the world by storm. De Sica had many popular films under his belt such as “Miracle in Milan”, “The Children Are Watching Us”, “Two Women” and many more. But it was the neorealistic films of De Spica that many remember. Films such as “The Bicycle Thief” and “Shoeshine”, films that epitomized showcased the poor and working class in Italy. How one deals with poverty and when desperate, the life changing decisions that are made.

But it was the 1952 film “Umberto D.” which De Sica has said is the film which he prefers among all the films that he has made because of its “uncompromising portrayal of the characters and incidents that are genuine and true”.

But “Umberto D.” was a film that would become noticed now more than when it first screened in theaters in Italy. As Italy tried to move past the neorealism and wanted to show the country as healthy, “Umberto D.” continued De Sica’s dedication to showcase people living in poverty. According to film critic, Stuart Klawans, “Umberto D.” was a film that was despised by the Christian Democratic Part’s Giulio Andreotti and it was his party who had control of the government and also the movie production loans and right for pre-censorship over scripts. Andreotti went as far as saying De Sica was guilty of slandering Italy abroad.

Needless to say, the film bombed in the box office in Italy and different parts of Europe despite winning a Bodil Award for “Best European Film”. But it appeared that audiences fascination with Italian neorealism was over.

Meanwhile in the US, Americans had a different perspective and gave the film a New York Film Critics Circle Award for “Best Foreign Language Film” and the film was nominated an Oscar for “Best Writing, Motion Picture Story”.

Before De Sica’s death, if there was one thing about “Umberto D.”, its that De Sica has always believed it was his best film because it was a film made the way he wanted without compromises.

“Umberto D. was a film written by Cesare Zavattini (who also wrote “Miracle in Milan” and “The Bicycle Thief”), cinematography by Aldo Graziati (“Miracle in Milan”, “Indiscretion”) and music by Alessandro Cicognini (“Miracle in Milan”, “Tomorrow is Too Late”, “Anna of Brooklyn”). And the film would showcase people who have never acted before, with the exception of the trained dog who had appeared in several films prior.

The film begins as the elderly men are picketing for a raise in their pensions but the crowd is quickly dispersed after the police arrive.

For Umberto Domenico Ferrari (played by Carlo Battisti), he is an older man who has given a large part of his life working for the government and now living with his dog Filke on a pension of 28,000 lire a month. He has no family and is barely managing financially. While Umberto complains to the other men about how he is barely making it, the other men are not in the same financial position as he is. If anything, the men wonder if there will be another war, while Umberto is just wanting to make sure he and Filke can survive.

We see Umberto trying to sell his pocket watch for money and trying to sell his belongings because at home, his landlady (played by Lina Gennari) is threatening to kick him out. No matter if Umberto is able to raise several thousand lire, he owes 15,000 lire and his landlady has told him that it’s all or nothing. She is so upset with him that she even rents out his room by the hour for men and women who need to get their business done which upsets him. But Umberto refuses to live at a shelter and refuses to have his landlady kick him out, he refuses to let her win and get her way.

At his home, Umberto has made a friend of the landlady’s maid Maria (played by Maria-Pia Casillo) who tries to help him when he requests for a thermometer or for water. But also, she finds comfort in Umberto because she can talk about her pregnancy to him. Despite Maria not knowing who the father is (since she has slept with different military men), Umberto does not get upset with her, he is there to listen and hope that Maria continues to listen to him when. Umberto knows that both of them live in a place which they need for survival and they have no one else to turn to but the main difference is Maria is still young, Umberto is not.

Knowing that the landlord wants to kick him out because he owes rent, Umberto comes up with a plan to get admitted to a hospital and live there for a week, giving him extra time to hopefully prevent getting kicked out from his home, while hoping Maria can watch over his dog Filke. Unbeknown to Umberto, his landlady has taken steps to making sure that Umberto leaves by renovating the whole complex and to make things worse, Filke has escaped the complex.

So, we see Umberto trying to find a way for him and his dog to survive but also seeing a man who is educated, has retired from good government job but now being put in a position of despair.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Umberto D.” is presented in black and white (1:33:1 aspect ratio). According to The Criterion Collection, the picture has been slightly windowboxed to ensure that the maximum image is visible on all monitors. Picture quality is actually very good for a film created back in 1952 courtesy of the restoration done by Cineteca Nazionale-Scuola Nzionale di Cinema in collaboration with Mediaset.

Blacks are nice and deep and Criterion gave the film a solid high-definition transfer. The transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine in 2K resolution from a 35mm fine-grain master positive and thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration system.

I personally didn’t see any major artifacting and the scratches and dust are so minimal that Criterion did a fantastic job on the video transfer.

As for the audio, audio is presented in mono. According to Criterion, the soundtrack was mastered at 24-Bit. Pops, crackle, hiss and hum were reduced with an array of audio restoration techniques. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal will be directed on the center channel on a 5.1 surround system but viewers can switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Umberto D.” comes with the following special features:

That’s Life: Vittorio De Sica- (54:32) A 2001 documentary directed by Sandro Lai about Vittorio De Sica’s career and behind-the-scenes footage from De Sica’s past interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and more.
Maria Pia Casilio Interview - (12:06) Filmed in 2003, Maria Pia Casilio talks about how a seamstress with no acting ability won the role for “Umberto D.” and from that moment, how and why Di Spica gave her an opportunity to be in every film of his.
On Umberto D. – Featuring text-based reflections of the film by Italian writer Umberto Eco, assistant director Luisa Alessandri and Umberto D. actor Carlo Battisti.
5-fold Insert – Featuring an excerpt from the book “Miracle in Milan” by Vittorio De Sica. De Sica talks about his love for “Umberto D.” and also included is an essay “Seeing Clearly Through Tears on the Smart Sentiment of Umberto D.” by Stuart Klawans, film critic for “The Nation”.

I have recently taken an interest in director Vittori De Spica’s work. Familiar with his successful neorealism film “The Bicycle Thief”, I have wanted to watch “Umberto D.” but wondered if it would be too similar to another film that was released at the same time, “Ikiru” by Akira Kurosawa.

And fortunately, both films are not alike with the exception that you have two older men who contemplate their life as “Ikiru” focused on a man who doesn’t have much time to live, while “Umberto D.” is about a man who is trying to survive and knowing he has no one to depend on, but yet his dog…his only companion depends on him and several times, Umberto has disappointed his canine friend. His stubbornness and not willing to find shelter but to see if he can prove to his landlord that he will not be kicked of his apartment can be seen as commendable, and that the old man still has enough fight in him. In “Ikiru”, we see the value of life. In “Umberto D.”, we see an old man’s life thrown into despair and not knowing what to do with his life. Nor does he do much to fix it.

The film has so much relevance because I’m sure even 57-years after this film was released in theaters, I’m quite sure many people have met someone like Umberto. Young adult or elderly, family member or friend… I’m sure that there are times we have been apathetic and also frustrated by such people.

The ending of the film can be seen by different people with different interpretations. I tend to look at it as man’s best friend giving the man a second chance at life.

THE CRITERION COLLECTION has done a fantastic job in remastering “Umberto D.”, picture quality is features nice dark blacks, greys and whites are also well done, especially as we see Maria trying to burn the ants in the kitchen. Or the closeups of a sick Umberto and as we see this disheveled man in such despair.

Also, I absolutely enjoyed the documentary about director Vittorio De Sica’s life and also hearing from the actress Maria Pia Casilio and hearing how cool of a director De Sica truly was and how he treated her so well. You can only admire what De Sica brought to filmmaking but also when given the opportunity to create a film with no compromises.

Overall, “Umberto D.” is a masterpiece. Cinematography was beautiful, the non-professional actors turned actors brought a wonderful performance for the film and Zavattini once again has nailed down a solid screenplay. Sure, “Umberto D.” may not tug at your heart or make you cry like Kurosawa’s “Ikiru” but the despair of his characters are quite real and relevant today. It’s Italian neorealism at its best and is definitely a film I can highly recommend!

Filed Under: DVD Reviews