Boccaccio '70 – Cult Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1962
Directors: Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, Mario Monicelli, Luchino Visconti
Writers: Giovanni Arpino, Italo Calvino, Suso Cecchi d’Amico, Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Mario Monicelli, Goffredo Parise, Tullio Pinelli, Brunello Rondi, Luchino Visconti, Cesare Zavattini
Cast: Marisa Solinas, Germano Gilioli, Anita Ekberg, Peppino De Filippo, Romy Schneider, Tomas Milian, Romolo Valli, Sophia Loren, Luigi Giuliani, Alfio Vita

Release Date: June 26th, 2017
Approximate running time: 3 Hours 23 Minutes 55 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 12 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £12.50 (UK)

"A sensuous pin up on a gigantic poster comes to life to haunt a puritan, a married woman finds a way of dealing with her husband’s passion for gambling and call-girls, a sacristan wins a night with a beautiful fairground woman in a village lottery and a married couple’s mishap enables them to buy their own house." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Boccaccio '70 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.3 GB

Feature: 38 GB

No information is provided about the source. It appears that this transfer uses the source that Kino Lorber used for their 2011 Blu-ray release. That said, the source is in great shape, and any source debris is very minor. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are strong, and there are no compression-related issues. When compared to Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray’s transfer, though there are many areas where this transfer is comparable, I would still give a slight edge to Cult Films transfer.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in Italian and an LPCM mono mix in English. It should be noted that the English language track is for all the segments except Renzo and Luciana; this segment is only in Italian. Both audio tracks are in great shape. Dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise, both tracks sound very good. Included are removable English subtitles for the English language track and a second removable English subtitle track for the Renzo and Luciana segments when watching with the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, and a documentary titled Sophia Loren: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (54 minutes 3 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian and English with removable English subtitles).

Other extras include trailers for Django, Keoma, A Bullet for the General, Salon Kitty, Suspiria, La Dolce Vita, 8 ½, Sunflower, Battle of Algiers, Umberto D. and Massacre in Rome.

Summary:

Boccaccio ’70 is the brainchild of Italian producer Carlo Ponti (Sophia Loren’s husband) and independent U.S. producer Joseph E. Levine, who released many Italian sword and sandal films, including Hercules, in America. The four stories contained in Boccaccio ’70 are loosely based on and inspired by a book written by Giovanni Boccaccio, the author of The Decameron.

Segment #1, ‘The Temptation of Doctor Antonio’

Doctor Antonio (Peppino De Filippo) is only interested in the purists’ things in life, and he will stop at nothing to eradicate the world of perverse temptations that corrupt mankind. While attending a Boy Scout award ceremony, which is interrupted when a construction crew puts up a billboard of a voluptuous Anita Ekberg across the street from where he lives, Doctor Antonio thus starts his crusade against this indecent billboard as he tries to persuade the public and the local government to take it down. After some persuasion, the billboard is finally covered up, but the problem doesn’t end for Doctor Antonio. The woman on the billboard isn’t willing to give up without a fight, as she tauntingly calls to Doctor Antonio before ultimately coming to life.

The opening moments of The Temptation of Doctor Antonio are undeniable Fellini as he shows Rome all of her beauty, and he fills the background with some of the most interesting faces. Anita Ekberg is charming, as she is essentially playing the same character she played in La Dolce Vita. The real star of the show is Peppino De Filippo, whose brilliant performance as Doctor Antonio steals every scene he is in. He never fully goes over the top in his performance event, though at times he is teetering on the end of insanity.

Nino Rota’s exuberant score perfectly complements Fellini’s imagery. This film is filled with many images and themes that Fellini would go on to explore in his later films, like making the unbelievable believable. The Temptation of Doctor Antonio was the first time Fellini used color in a film. His vivid captures tones and textures that heighten films dreams like tapestries. The Temptation of Doctor Antonio is a playful farce that has all the trademarks we have come to expect from the cinema of Federico Fellini.

Segment #2, ‘The Job’

Conte Ottavio (Tomas Milian) returns from his trip-filled debauchery only to find out that all the tabloids have caught him red-handed. Upon his arrival, all of the lawyers are waiting for him so that they can form a plan to combat this bad publicity. His wife, Pupe (Romy Schneider), has been missing since yesterday afternoon, when she left the house for her appointment at the hairdresser. Ottavio and his lawyers search frantically for his lost wife, and just as they are about to call the police, one of the servants announces that she is resting in her room. Will Ottavio be able to save his marriage, or has he lost her forever?

Luchino Visconti early on establishes his reality through his lush set and his eye for details. Like many of his other films, The Job is filled with decadent behavior that ultimately leads to one's downfall. Romy Schneider and Tomas Milian are wonderful together as the decaying couple, as they perfectly capture the essence of their characters. The main theme that runs through the film is a marriage without love and more for convenience. Ottavio’s infidelity would have been the breaking point in the marriage if his wife cared more about his mistreatment. She is more concerned with getting a job and gaining independence that neither her father nor Ottavio could ever give her. Nina Rota's sexy score adds to Pupe’s melancholy state of mind, which ultimately makes her the most vulnerable character in the film. Ultimately, The Job is a fascinating look into relationships bent on self-destruction.

Segment #3, ‘The Raffle’

Zoe (Sophia Loren) is a voluptuous woman who works at a shooting gallery at the local carnival. Her sister Vilma is pregnant, and she might lose her shooting gallery booth if she doesn’t pay the government the back taxes she owes. The two sisters and Vilma’s husband concoct a plan to run a raffle where the winner gets to spend one night with Zoe. The horny townsmen buy tickets at a record speed for a chance to keep a piece of the lovely Zoe. While working at the shooting gallery one day, Zoe meets a young man whom she falls for, which could lead to her not fulfilling her end of the raffle.

The Raffle is a star vehicle for Sophia Loren that exploits to the fullest her ample assets. Vittorio De Sica, who has worked with Loren many times, gets another wonderful performance out of her. His direction is low-key and, at times, subdued when compared to the other director’s work contained in Boccaccio ’70. The main focus of this segment is Zoe’s choice of helping her sister or following her feelings for the young man she has fallen for. This segment also offers the most comic relief of the four, with most of the laughs coming at the expense of the townsmen as they buy tickets for the raffle and then try to bribe the winning ticket holder. Ultimately, The Raffle is a lighthearted piece about sacrifice and finding true love.

Segment #4, ‘Renzo and Luciana’

Renzo (Germano Gilioli) and Luciana (Marisa Solinas) are two young lovers who work at a factory together. They are madly in love with each other and want to get married. There is one problem: Luciana’s job as a secretary prevents her from getting married, or she will be fired. So the two, one day after leaving work, decide to secretly get married. Luciana’s lecherous boss is constantly making unwanted advances towards her, which only makes Renzo jealous, putting a strain on their marriage. How far will Renzo and Luciana go to hide their marriage, and will it, in the end, destroy their love for each other?

The main focus of this segment is the ups and downs of marriage. The actor who plays Luciana’s boss is delightfully sleazy, especially during a scene at a swimming pool where he proudly parades around in a Speedo. The dynamics of their relationship are also tested outside of work because they are forced to live with Luciana’s parents and siblings, leading to yet another place where they can’t find time to be alone. Mario Monicelli’s direction is solid, and the film's pacing is perfectly arched, giving all the characters room to grow. Ultimately, the two leads give nicely balanced performances that are offset by some of the supporting cast's more flamboyant performances.

Ultimately, Boccaccio '70 is a solid example of Commedia all'italiana.

Boccaccio '70 gets a first-rate release from Cult Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and two excellent documentaries, recommended.

 Written by Michael Den Boer