(Hollywood, CA and Rome, Italy) Hailed by cinephiles for expertly restoring rare films by influential filmmakers and publishing them with compelling extras, Italian Film Boutique RaroVideo announces the CONVERSATION PIECE BLU-RAY release on April 10, 2012. In one of his last works, with an all-star international cast, Italian cinema maestro, Luchino Visconti assembles an unlikely crew of characters including Burt Lancaster and Helmut Berger (Visconti’s real life lover at the time of filming) all under one Roman palazzo roof. Yves Saint Laurent, a personal friend of Visconti and Berger made Helmut’s clothing especially for the film.
“As the invaders ultimately destroy the old professor, they also are the
undoing of the German gigolo who, we are asked to believe, was once
politically committed until ravaged by the bourgeoisie.â€
Vincent Canby, The New York Times
“I really enjoyed the film and both Visconti fans and Lancaster fans will
thoroughly appreciate it.†DVD Beaver
“Luchino Visconti’s penultimate film, Conversation Piece (1974), originally
titled Gruppo di Famiglia in un Interno, occupies a unique place in
Visconti’s work and also in the history of world cinema.†Mark Reynolds
CONVERSATION PIECE (1974) (Luchino Visconti’s award-winning classic examines the solitary life of a retired American professor (Burt Lancaster) who lives alone in a luxurious palazzo in Rome. When he is confronted by a vulgar Italian marchesa and her companions – her lover, her daughter and daughter’s boyfriend – he is forced to rent them an apartment on the upper floor of his palazzo. Before long his quiet routine is turned upside down and the introverted professor becomes entangled in his tenants’ machinations. In the midst of this chaos each of the new neighbors’ lives – including that of the professor himself – takes an unexpected but inevitable turn. Visconti’s penultimate film, CONVERSATION PIECE marks the culmination of his career as a master of Italian cinema. RELEASE DATE: APRIL 10, 2012
Antonioni’s The Vanquished, Fellini’s The Clowns, Pasolini’s The Anger, Live Like A Cop, Die Like A Man, Body Puzzle, Come Have Coffee With Us, The Overcoat, Murder Obsession, The Secret of Dorian Gray, Crime of Love, To Be Twenty, The Perfume of the Lady in Black, Ubaldo Terzani Horror Show and The Fernando di Leo Crime Collection are all available now from RaroVideo U.S.
CONVERSATION PIECE
Price:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â $29.98
Street Date:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â April 10, 2012
Pre-Order Date:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â NOW
Running time:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 131 minutes
Distributor:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â ENTERTAINMENT ONE
DVD UPC:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1601801000
Language:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â English
Rating:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â NR
CONVERSATION PIECE – SPECIAL FEATURES:
Original Trailer
Interview with film critic and screenwriter Alessandro Bencivenni
English language
Fully illustrated booklet by Mark Reynolds
Newly digitally restored