Italian Films on DVD

Discuss internationally-released DVDs and Blu-rays or other international DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
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Perkins Cobb
Joined: Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:49 pm

Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#176 Post by Perkins Cobb » Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:44 am

TMDaines wrote:That's one RHV disc I need to get my hands on. Always loved their DVD cover for it.
The only English option is a dub, though, right? What a waste.

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TMDaines
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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#177 Post by TMDaines » Thu Apr 04, 2013 12:06 pm

I'm sure there's fansubs though.

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ellipsis7
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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#178 Post by ellipsis7 » Thu Apr 04, 2013 12:12 pm

LA CALDA VITA can be previewed online here...

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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#179 Post by Saimo » Thu Apr 04, 2013 12:33 pm

Perkins Cobb wrote:The only English option is a dub, though, right? What a waste.
Yes, the DVD features both English and French dubs, but no subs.
LA CALDA VITA can be previewed online here...
Totally illegally, of course :roll:

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ellipsis7
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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#180 Post by ellipsis7 » Thu Apr 04, 2013 12:44 pm

Absolutely... I'd go for the DVD anyway if it touched my interest... Very pleased indeed with IL CRISTO PROIBITO, what a film, what an opening aerial swoop of a shot!...

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Fred Holywell
Joined: Thu Jun 10, 2010 11:45 pm

Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#181 Post by Fred Holywell » Thu Apr 04, 2013 9:17 pm

LA CALDA VITA isn't bad, at all, though the film's strongest point is certainly the gorgeous photography of the beach locations. Jacques Perrin is very good, as usual, and Catherine Spaak is at her most intoxicating, but Fabrizio Capucci does try the patience (both in characterization and performance). Spaak liked him enough, though. They eventually married.
Image
Note: the English dub is replaced by Italian dialogue during two or three brief scenes cut from the American release. (Not sure about the French audio.) And there are some rather good fansubs at opensubtitles.org.
Last edited by Fred Holywell on Mon Jul 18, 2016 4:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#182 Post by Saimo » Thu Apr 04, 2013 9:36 pm

In Italian version there a couple of scenes where Spaak sings or speaks French, but I assume this was intended.
the film's strongest point is certainly the gorgeous photography of the beach locations
I very much liked the bleak greenish/grey look of the urban landscape, too. This contrast with the sunny beach location reminded me of Preminger's Bonjour tristesse alternation of colour and black-and-white.
Fabrizio Capucci does try the patience (both in characterization and performance).
I think his performance (and even his unpleasantness) suited the character pretty well.

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Fred Holywell
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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#183 Post by Fred Holywell » Fri Apr 05, 2013 2:31 am

the film's strongest point is certainly the gorgeous photography of the beach locations
I very much liked the bleak greenish/grey look of the urban landscape, too. This contrast with the sunny beach location reminded me of Preminger's Bonjour tristesse alternation of colour and black-and-white.
Yes, Roberto Gerardi's photography is, overall, very striking. He's not an especially well-known cinematographer (at least, to me), but he did some really nice work around the same time as "La Calda Vita": "The Condemned of Altona", "Madame" and "Marriage, Italian-Style", all with Sophia Loren; and "The Empty Canvas", "Tre notti d'amore" and "Madamigella di Maupin", all again with Spaak.
Fabrizio Capucci does try the patience (both in characterization and performance).
I think his performance (and even his unpleasantness) suited the character pretty well.
Perhaps, Capucci's performance works better in Italian (or even French), than the English dub I watched it in, but there's something especially annoying and unsympathetic about his portrayal that I can't seem to get beyond. Maybe it's that ugly brown jersey he never seems to remove. The fact that I like Spaak, Perrin and Gabriele Ferzetti so much in this film, and as performers in general, only makes Capucci stand out even more as the rotten apple in the bunch, so to speak. Admittedly, the character is written in a certain way, and Capucci does have his good moments, but I wish he came across in a more attractive fashion, so that, at least in the end, I felt more sympathy for his plight.
Last edited by Fred Holywell on Sat Apr 06, 2013 4:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#184 Post by Saimo » Sat Apr 06, 2013 4:04 am

Roberto Gerardi's photography is, overall, very striking. He's not an especially well-known cinematographer (at least, to me), but he did some really nice work around the same time as "La Calda Vita": "The Condemned of Altona", "Madame" and "Marriage, Italian-Style", all with Sophia Loren; and "The Empty Canvas", "Tre notti d'amore" and "Madamigella di Maupin", all again with Spaak.
In the '60s he was known as a "glamorous" dop, Sophia Loren's favourite cameraman. According to Wikipedia, he also worked on Stromboli as assistant camera operator, so perhaps... Stromboli + L'avventura = La calda vita?

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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#185 Post by Saimo » Sun Apr 07, 2013 10:53 am

La tarantola dal ventre nero (The Black Belly of the Tarantula, 1971) by Paolo Cavara
http://journeys-italy.blogspot.it/2013/ ... black.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#186 Post by Saimo » Wed Apr 10, 2013 8:10 am

Il Federale (The Fascist, 1961) by Luciano Salce
http://journeys-italy.blogspot.it/2013/ ... -1961.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"A modest anecdote that blossoms beautifully into stature and significance" (Andrew Sarris).

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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#187 Post by Saimo » Sun Apr 14, 2013 4:38 am

Abbasso la ricchezza! (Peddlin' in Society, 1946), starring Anna Magnani & Vittorio De Sica
http://journeys-italy.blogspot.it/2013/ ... ciety.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#188 Post by Saimo » Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:06 am

Ad ogni costo (Grand Slam, 1967) by Giuliano Montaldo, starring Edward G. Robinson, Janet Leigh and Klaus Kinski
http://journeys-italy.blogspot.it/2013/ ... -1967.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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TMDaines
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Re: Italian DVDs With Italian Subs

#189 Post by TMDaines » Mon Apr 22, 2013 8:01 am

Cristaldi Film seem determined to get as many new Italian films out on DVD as possible this year. Bravo! I've seen some rips and the transfers of these are as good as ever too.

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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#190 Post by Saimo » Wed Apr 24, 2013 3:59 am

Assassination (1967)
http://journeys-italy.blogspot.it/2013/ ... -1967.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Very Roy Lichtenstein, isn't it?
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Aunt Peg
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Re: Italian DVDs With Italian Subs

#191 Post by Aunt Peg » Sun Apr 28, 2013 8:11 am

I have recently received 3 discs I purchased from Amazon's Italy site.

They included:

Blu Ray for Bella Addormentata (Marco Bellocchio). Beautiful transfer with English subtitles (sometimes on the top of the screen during the scenes of Isabelle Huppert speaking French, which appear with the Italian subtitles on the bottom). There is a making-of extra - not subtitled;

Blu Ray for Reality (Matteo Garrone). I haven't watched this yet but I did flick through the film and visually it's true to the cinema image. Very bright and saturated in colour. A number of extras but I haven't had time to check them out yet.

DVD for Me & You (Bernardo Bertolucci). No Blu Ray release in Italy but the DVD is luminous . I didn't care much for the film and will be selling it to my local second hand dealer this week.

All the discs appear to be Region Locked B & 2 respectively. All three features have optional English subtitles.

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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#192 Post by Saimo » Mon Apr 29, 2013 6:56 am

Saimo wrote:
the film's strongest point is certainly the gorgeous photography of the beach locations
I very much liked the bleak greenish/grey look of the urban landscape, too. This contrast with the sunny beach location reminded me of Preminger's Bonjour tristesse alternation of colour and black-and-white.
Again on La calda vita, courtesy of RHV's facebook:

Image

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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#193 Post by Saimo » Wed May 08, 2013 9:53 am

Gelosia (Jealousy, 1953) by Pietro Germi
http://journeys-italy.blogspot.it/2013/ ... -1953.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#194 Post by Saimo » Tue May 14, 2013 4:12 am

La cagna (Love to Eternity, 1972) by Marco Ferreri
http://journeys-italy.blogspot.it/2013/ ... -1972.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#195 Post by Saimo » Sun Jun 09, 2013 5:00 am

A luci spente (Lights Off, 2004) by Maurizio Ponzi
http://journeys-italy.blogspot.it/2013/ ... -2004.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Loosely inspired by Vittorio De Sica's La porta del cielo backstory.
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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#196 Post by Saimo » Sun Jul 07, 2013 9:51 am

Ma l'amor mio non muore! (Love Everlasting, 1913) by Mario Caserini
http://journeys-italy.blogspot.it/2013/ ... sting.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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L.A.
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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#197 Post by L.A. » Sun Jul 07, 2013 2:14 pm

Tried ordering the Ma l'amor mio non muore! DVD from the Cineteca di Bologna store. 20,00€ for the postage :?.

Hopefully the Italian Amazon (for example) will sell this as well.

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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#198 Post by Saimo » Sun Jul 07, 2013 3:04 pm

I think the DVD will be available at other stores from September 20.

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Dylan
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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#199 Post by Dylan » Sun Jul 07, 2013 4:54 pm

La Calda Vita is a wonderful movie! An even better Catherine Spaak film, in my opinion, is I Dolci Inganni. Neither of these seem to be known to any degree outside of Italy.
Last edited by Dylan on Fri Nov 25, 2022 2:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Classic Italian Cinema (non R1, English-friendly)

#200 Post by Saimo » Sun Jul 07, 2013 6:08 pm

I have read your blog and I do agree with your remarks about La calda vita, a little-known film that would deserve better luck. By the way, I have recently written a piece about Dolci inganni (Italian language only).

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