Shockproof / Penny Video (Italy)

[Saimo]

I am starting a new thread devoted to our Penny Video/Shockproof releases. In the last 5 years our company has been releasing both mainstream and independent films in Italy, mainly on DVD, but we are now starting to work on international scale. Our main focus is on restoring Italian and European forgotten films, rescuing titles that have never been available on home video.

A selection of our discs will be regularly available in the US through Diabolik DVD, while European customers may found easier to order through Amazon.




Our first BD release, Non contate su di noi (Don't Count on Us, 1978), won the Peter von Bagh award at the last Cinema Ritrovato. This is an independent film that tells the story of a young musician and a drug addicted girl, giving way to a love story that intertwines with the drama related to drugs. Shot on Super16, this is must see for everyone interested in Italian indie scene of the 1970s. Diabolik is carrying the limited mediabook edition, co-published with our friend ad Cineploit. English (and German) subtitles on film and bonus.

Diabolik also sells some of our English friendly DVD-only releases:


Senza lasciare traccia (Leaving No Trace, 2016)
A disturbing noir on a terminally ill man who looks for revenge against the men who abused him as a child.



Domani si balla! (Tomorrow We Dance, 1982)
Science-fiction comedy, done in the style of Georges Méliès and starring Maurizio Nichetti (The Icicle Thief) and Mariangela Melato (Swept Away).


Montedoro (2016)
The true story of an Italian-American woman born in the ghost town of Craco (near Matera) and given up for adoption when she was a toddler to a family in New York.

[Saimo]

Now available at Amazon.it: Apollon/Contratto, two films by Ugo Gregoretti.
This collection features two of the most important Italian political documentaries from the late 1960s, Apollon: una fabbrica occupata (Apollon: An Unoccupied Factory, 1969) and Contratto (Contract, 1970), directed by Ugo Gregoretti and sponsored by the Communist Party. Direct cinema Italian-style (16mm, live sound where possible, docufiction reenactment where needed), they chronicle the worker's struggle during the so-called "hot autumn" (the same period narrated by Godard in his Lotte in Italia). DVD only, with English subtitles.

Coming soon: a Blu-ray of Giuliano Montaldo's Pigeon Shoot (1961) and a DVD collection of Italian Railways shorts.

[Saimo]

Following our Don't Count on Us BD/DVD combo, we have just released Pigeon Shoot (1961) by Giuliano Montaldo, a long-unavailable classic war movie, recently restored and screened at Venice 2019. The film chronicles the last days of the Mussolini's Republic of Salò, as seen through the eyes of a young fascist soldier. This approach was source of great controversy and the film soon disappeared. For a few years Montaldo devoted himself to more genre-oriented projects (Grand Slam, Machine Gun McCain), before gaining critical success with his 1970s political cinema hits (Sacco and Vanzetti, And Agnes Chose to Die).
The all-region BD features a new 4K restoration from original negative, an exclusive interview with director Giuliano Montaldo (27 min.) and a photogallery. English and French subtitles. You can find it at DiabolikDVD (USA), Metaluna (France) and Amazon.it.

On Amazon.it you can also find our L'Italia in viaggio con le FS, a collection of newsreels and short films sponsored by Italian Railways between the 1950s and the 1960s. Kind of Italian answer to the British Transport Films collection, also featuring two beautiful documentaries by Oscar-nominated director Romolo Marcellini. DVD only, from newly scanned 2K masters, with English subtitles.

[Saimo]

We have recently released on DVD a little-seen backstage comedy, Dora Nelson (1939) by Mario Soldati. Centered on a young girl (Assia Noris) who looks exactly like a famous movie star, the film offers a precious portrait of Italian 1930s cinema. The disc is English-friendly and also includes a short children film by Soldati (Who is God?). Available on Amazon.it.

[Saimo]

New English-friendly DVD release: Don Bosco (1935) by Goffredo Alessandrini. This is a rare example of explicitly religious production in Italian 1930s cinema, chronicling the life St. Giovanni Bosco. Curiously, the film mainly relies on location shooting and non-professional actors, predating two of the main features of post-war Neorealism. 2K restoration by Archivio Nazionale Cinema Impresa, in collaboration with Cineteca di Bologna, Museo Nazionale del Cinema Torino and George Eastman Museum.
Available on Amazon.it

[Saimo]

For the first time ever, the surviving works of Elvira Notari, Italy's first female director, are available on Blu-ray (and DVD) thanks to a collaboration between Cineteca Nazionale and Penny Video.

Elvira Notari (1875-1946) is widely considered Italy's first female director, the creator of highly successful silent melodramas, often based on popular Neapolitan songs. While most of her films are currently lost, recent studies have highlighted her importance as a driving force in early Italian genre cinema, making her a cult icon. In 2025, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of her birth, retrospectives were organized worldwide and a new documentary (Elvira Notari. Beyond Silence) premiered at the Venice Film Festival.

The Blu-ray/DVD combo features restorations of three complete films ('A Santanotte, 1922, E' piccerella, 1922, Fantasia 'e surdate, 1927), plus fragments of other lost works (View of Avellino / View of Trevico, 1923, L'Italia s'è desta, 1927, and the recently discovered Carmela, la sartina di Montesanto, 1916).

The set includes an 80-page bilingual book (Italian/English), while the films feature English, French, and German subtitles. Newly commissioned scores recreate the multimedia experience that made these works international successes. This is a limited edition of 1,000 copies with slipcase packaging. Units are selling fast, with only about 600 copies remaining.
You can find it in the US via DiabolikDVD, in France via Metaluna, and soon in Germany via Wicked Shop and in the UK via Film Treasures. Also available on Amazon.it, although they have currently sold out of their initial stock and are in the process of restocking. Additional international retailers should be joining the list soon.

Films:
'A Santanotte (1922, 61 min.)
E' piccerella (1922, 63 min.)
Fantasia 'e surdate (1927, 34 min.)
View of Avellino / View of Trevico (1923, 14 min., newsreel) Blu-ray only
L'Italia s'è desta (1927, 9 min. fragment) Blu-ray only
Carmela, la sartina di Montesanto (1916, 16 min. fragment) Blu-ray only

Bonus materials:
Stills from the currently lost film A Piedigrotta (1919), courtesy of the Library of Congress
Photo gallery, courtesy of Cineteca di Bologna
80-page book in Italian and English, edited by Maria Coletti

Technical details:
2K restoration by Cineteca Nazionale, from the only existing 35mm elements
Newly commissioned scores by Enrico Melozzi, Michele Signore, Silvia Cignoli
Picture: 1.33:1, 1080p, 24fps, b/w, tinted and hand-painted colors
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
Running time: 193 min.
Region Free

[Peacock]

Incredible! Can’t wait to get my hands on this. Saimo - is it a pressed disc or a BD-R/burnt on demand?

[Saimo]

Pressed discs, but it is a limited run of 1,000 copies only.

[ellipsis7]

An amazing & award worthy set - mine just arrived today (ordered via Feltrinelli)...

[ellipsis7]

‘An orgiastic pandemonium’: Elvira Notari, the ‘low-life cinema’ pioneer erased by fascism in The Guardian...

[Saimo]

An amazing & award worthy set - mine just arrived today (ordered via Feltrinelli)...

Thanks for the kind words. In fact, the box set is a finalist at Il Cinema Ritrovato's DVD Awards.
Meanwhile, it is now available at other international stores, including Strange Vice (UK) and Medienversand (Austria).

[andyli]

Thanks for the heads up. Snatched the last copy on Diabolik.