Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow – Cult Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/France, 1963
Director: Vittorio De Sica
Writers: Eduardo De Filippo, Isabella Quarantotti, Alberto Moravia, Cesare Zavattini, Billa Billa, Cesare Zavattini
Cast: Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Aldo Giuffrè, Agostino Salvietti, Lino Mattera, Tecla Scarano, Silvia Monelli, Carlo Croccolo, Pasquale Cennamo, Tonino Cianci, Armando Trovajoli, Tina Pica, Gianni Ridolfi, Gennaro Di Gregorio

Release Date: August 21st, 2017
Approximate running time: 118 Minutes 38 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £12.50 (UK)

"In Naples, Adelina sells cigarettes on the black market whilst avoiding prison thanks to a long string of pregnancies!

In Milan, rich Anna tries to escape boredom through escapades with a struggling journalist – until he prangs her Rolls!

And in Rome “tart with a heart” Mara tackles a young priest’s infatuation with hilarious consequences." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.2 GB

Feature: 23.7 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), 3.75/5 (LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in Italian and an LPCM mono mix in English. Though both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced, range-wise, the Italian language track is noticeably fuller than the English language track. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian-language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, a documentary titled Sophia Loren: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (54 minutes 3 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian and English with removable English subtitles), and a documentary about Vittorio De Sica titled Vittorio D (95 minutes 16 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:

Directed by Vittorio De Sica, a versatile Italian filmmaker who is most known for his neorealist films like The Bicycle Thief and Umberto D.

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow is a trio of stories that all feature Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. In 1964, this film would take home the Best Foreign Film Oscar. Director Vittorio De Sica frequently cast Loren and Mastroianni in many of his films, including a trio of films in which they would star together. Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow is a more lighthearted affair than your typical Vittorio De Sica film.

Segment #1: ‘Adelina’

Carmine Sbaratti (Marcello Mastroianni) owes back taxes. The tax man arrives to collect his possessions to pay for the debt, only to walk into an empty house. Carmine and his friends hid the contents of the house before the tax man arrived, and it appears that their little game of deception could land his wife Adelina Sbaratti (Sophia Loren) in jail. Carmine is unemployed and hasn’t worked in a while. Adelina sells cigarettes on the black market, and the families hope for income. They soon learn of a way to keep Adelina out of jail; all she has to do is remain pregnant, and she won’t have to go to jail.

This first segment, Adelina, is the longest of the three segments. The performances of the two leads and the whimsical nature of this tale add to its broad comedic canvas. The premise is simple: every time Adelina gives birth, she must then get pregnant right away to avoid jail. By the time the couple gets to their seventh child, he is worn out mentally and physically. Vittorio De Sica's direction, along with the film's use of natural locations, adds to its realistic look.

Segment #2, ‘Anna’

Anna Molteni (Sophia Loren) is having an affair with Renzo (Marcello Mastroianni). She is the wife of a rich businessman, and he is a poor writer. They meet one morning at a discreet location before going on a road trip together. Things start to go wrong after Renzo crashes Anna’s Mercedes into a tractor. This leads to them bickering, which ends up pushing them farther apart.

Anna is the shortest of the three segments. Most of the action takes place in the Mercedes. These shots inside and around the car are beautifully composed and add to the film's building tension. Overall, I found the two lead characters in this story to be too one-dimensional and inaccessible.

Segment #3, ‘Mara’

Mara (Sophia Loren) is a prostitute who lives next door to a young man who is about to enter the priesthood. Augusto Rusconi (Marcello Mastroianni) is one of Mara’s clients who is infatuated with her, and he has just arrived in town on business. Things start to unravel when Mara befriends Umberto, a young man who wants to be a priest. In order to correct the damage she has caused, Mara promises God (via prayer) not to have sex for a week if he helps her convince Umberto that the priesthood is his calling. While all of this is happening, Augusto Rusconi has spent the last two days getting all hot and bothered by Mara’s teasing, with no relief in sight.

The final segment, Mara, is the best of the three included in this anthology. In this segment, we get to see Sophia Loren at her best as she seduces men with her undeniable charm. Marcello Mastroianni gives one of his most physical performances since Federico Fellini’s 8 ½ as he shows his mastery of slapstick comedy. My favorite moment in the segment is shortly after we are introduced to Mastroianni’s character, and he tells Loren’s character to put on a schoolgirl's outfit because it reminds him of his niece. From this moment on, he has cemented his character's motivations and desires. The relationship between Mara and the young man who wants to become a priest is playful at best, and it never verges on vulgar. This final segment also features Sophia Loren’s infamous strip tease. I can only imagine the furor it caused back then since it is as sensual as ever, and Loren looks drop-dead gorgeous.

Ultimately, if you are a fan of comedy laced with sexual innuendos that has an Italian flavor to it, I recommend you check out Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow 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