Malèna – Imprint Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/USA, 2000
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Writers: Giuseppe Tornatore, Luciano Vincenzoni
Cast: Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro, Luciano Federico, Matilde Piana, Pietro Notarianni, Gaetano Aronica, Gilberto Idonea, Angelo Pellegrino, Gabriella Di Luzio, Pippo Provvidenti, Maria Terranova, Marcello Catalano, Elisa Morucci

Release Date: June 28th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 108 Minutes 4 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: M (Australia)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Italian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: AUD$39.95 (Australia)

"Malèna (Monica Bellucci) tells the story of the most beautiful woman in an Italian village, who becomes the subject of malicious gossip among the lustful townsmen and their jealous wives. But only her most ardent admirer will learn the untold true story of the mysterious and elusive Malèna, who inspires new heights of compassion, courage, and independence." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "from a 2K scan of the original uncut Italian version".

Malèna comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.6 GB

Feature: 26.3 GB

Though the source looks great, there’s no denying that this film is in need of a new 2K or 4K transfer. Flesh tones look accurate, colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is very good, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clean, clear, and balanced, and Ennio Morricone’s score sounds appropriately robust.

Extras:

Extras for this release include 3 TV spots (1 minute 36 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), a home video trailer (1 minute 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled In Studio – recording the score with composer Ennio Morricone (21 minutes 53 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival featurette titled On Location – behind-the-scenes (35 minutes 26 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with director Giuseppe Tornatore and composer Ennio Morricone (22 minutes 30 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival interview with  Giuseppe Tornatore (9 minutes 15 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), an archival featurette titled The Making of Malèna (11 minutes 2 seconds, LPCM stereo English with non-removable English subtitles for Italian film clips), an archival documentary The Life & Dream of Giuseppe Tornatore (52 minutes 56 seconds, LPCM stereo Italian with non-removable English subtitles), and a slipcase (limited to 1,500 copies).

Summary: 

Malèna was directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. His other notable films are Cinema Paradiso, The Star Maker, The Legend of 1900, and The Best Offer.

Malèna is a story about a young boy named Renato whose life is forever changed the moment he lays eyes on Malèna. From that moment on, Renato spends every moment thinking of Malèna, which causes him to get into trouble at home and at school. And though Renato desires Malèna, the more time he spends with her from away, the more he sees her as a person and not a sex object.

Malèna is a film overflowing with subtext. Malèna can be seen as a metaphor for what Italy went through during the war, despite most people interpreting it as an exploration of sexual desire. And the way in which Renato reacts when other men disrespect Malèna represents Italians' reaction to what happened to their country in World War II.

Malèna is a period-set drama that takes place during World War II in Sicily, and the production design is exemplary; it really draws you into the story that unfolds. Though Malèna takes place during a dark time in Italy’s history, once again Giuseppe Tornatore draws heavily on nostalgia. That said, the result is a film that always affectionately looks at Italy.

When discussing Malèna, everything comes back to Monica Bellucci (Irreversible) in the role of Malèna. She delivers a towering performance where her physical presence dominates every moment she’s in. That said, her performance is an economy of words; despite her character saying little in the way of words, so much of her character's screen time is told via Renato's point of view. She’s perfectly cast; like her character, she exudes sexuality.

Giuseppe Sulfaro (in his film debut) delivers a remarkable performance in the role of Renato. What starts off as an unattainable young boy’s fantasy becomes an act of kindness. His character's evolution enhances the story that unfolds. That said, when it comes to the rest of the cast, all of the performances are excellent.

For a film where everything falls into place, one cannot overlook the importance of Ennio Morricone’s score. Starting with Cinema Paradiso, Ennio Morricone would compose all of Giuseppe Tornatore’s theatrical films until Ennio Morrione’s death in 2020. He delivers an extraordinary score that enhances the mood and perfectly fuses with the visuals.

Malèna is a film that effortlessly shifts from lighthearted to bleak moments. Voyeurism is rampant throughout; whenever Malèna walks through town, all men leer at her. And when it comes to the more lighthearted moments, most of these are fantasies where Renato imagines himself and Malèna in movie-inspired moments/parodies. On the other end of the spectrum, some of the bleaker moments are when Malèna stops fighting rumors about her and becomes what everyone believes she is.

Miramax released Malèna with significant alterations, cutting the film by 16 minutes. These cuts greatly harm Malèna, and the only way to watch Malèna is the complete 108-minute version. Ultimately, Malèna is a text-book example of why one should not judge a book by its cover. That said, what lies within is a thought-provoking multilayered melodrama that gets better every time you revisit it.

Malèna gets a first-rate release from Imprint Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a wealth of informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Ennio – Music Box Selects (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/Belgium/Netherlands/Japan, 2021
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Cast: Ennio Morricone, Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Dario Argento, Wong Kar-Wai, Oliver Stone, Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen

Release Date: June 25th, 2024
Approximate running time: 156 Minutes 32 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Italian, DTS-HD Stereo Italian
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $32.98

"Giuseppe Tornatore, director of the beloved Cinema Paradiso, turns his camera on his longtime collaborator Ennio Morricone (1928 - 2020) in a moving and comprehensive profile of the indefatigable composer. Tornatore’s documentary portrait explores the breadth of the maestro’s career, from his early Italian pop songs to the fistful of unforgettable film scores that he wrote, including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Thing, Days of Heaven, and hundreds of others. This examination thoughtfully captures insightful commentary from Morricone’s closest collaborators and contemporaries, featuring testimonies from artists and directors such as Bernardo Bertolucci, Marco Bellocchio, Giuliano Montaldo, Dario Argento, Clint Eastwood, Joan Baez, Quentin Tarantino, and more. ENNIO affords the master one last chance to recount his career and deconstruct the artistic process that led him to win two Academy Awards and author over 500 unforgettable soundtracks." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Ennio comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41.6 GB

Feature: 36.4 GB

Ennio is a documentary that consists of newly shot interviews and archival footage. The newly shot footage looks excellent, and the archival footage varies in quality. Since the archival footage is essential to the story being told, lowering the overall score of this transfer wouldn't be a fair assessment.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Italian, DTS-HD Stereo Italian)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Italian and a DTS-HD stereo mix in Italian. Though most of the participants speak Italian, there are some who speak English, French, Portuguese, and Chinese. Both audio tracks sound excellent; they are clear, balanced, and robust when they should be. Included are removable English subtitles and removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian and English with non-removable English subtitles), a deleted scene titled The Democracy of Sound (2 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles and English SDH), a behind the scenes featurette titled Ennio’s Office Concert (6 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles and English SDH), an interview with director Giuseppe Tornatore (32 minutes 42 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles and English SDH), and a slipcover limited to 1,000 units (OOP).

Summary:

Ennio follows a linear path as it begins with stories from his youth, how his father was a trumpeter, his time as an arranger for RCA, and a well-rounded overall view of his work as a film composer.

Ennio is not simply a talking head documentary; it is a deep dive into the life and career of Ennio Morricone. Besides comments from those who knew and worked with him, this documentary greatly benefits from the recollections of Ennio Morricone. He completed the documentary before his death in 2020, despite some previously archived comments, most of his contributions were newly shot. That said, Giuseppe Tornatore, a long-time collaborator of Ennio Morricone, fittingly made this documentary.

Throughout his career, Ennio Morricone would constantly push himself by taking film scoring into uncharted territories. And though he would effortlessly assimilate into whatever genre he was composing for, he never composed anything that was not right for that moment. Ennio Morricone is a film composer whose music is instantly recognizable, even if you’re not familiar with the film it originated with. Ultimately, Ennio is an extraordinary exploration of the life and career of what is arguably cinema’s greatest composer.

Ennio is an essential purchase, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer

Cinema Paradiso – Arrow Academy (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1988
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
Writers: Giuseppe Tornatore, Vanna Paoli
Cast: Philippe Noiret, Salvatore Cascio, Antonella Attili, Marco Leonardi, Agnese Nano, Jacques Perrin, Brigitte Fossey

Release Date: December 7th (UK), December 8th, 2020 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 173 Minutes 31 Seconds (Director’s Cut), 122 Minutes 55 Seconds (Theatrical Version)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (Theatrical Version), 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Director’s Cut)
Rating: 15 (UK), PG/R (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Italian, LPCM Stereo Italian (Director’s Cut), DTS-HD 5.1 Italian, LPCM Mono Italian (Theatrical Version)
Subtitles: English (Director’s Cut), U.S. English, UK English (Theatrical Version),
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A,B (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

“Salvatore, a successful film director, returning home for the funeral of Alfredo, his old friend who was the projectionist at the local cinema throughout his childhood. Soon memories of his first love affair with the beautiful Elena and all the highs and lows that shaped his life come flooding back, as Salvatore reconnects with the community he left 30 years earlier.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 5/5 (Director’s Cut, Theatrical Version)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "This 4K restoration of Cinema Paradiso was produced by Istituto Luce Cinecitta, with support by Dolce & Gabbana, Cristaldi Film and the Cineteca di Bologna.

The restoration was completed at L'Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna under the supervision of Director Giuseppe Tornatore and Director of Photography Blasco Giurato.

A new 4K HDR/Dolby Vision graded master was created at L'Immagine Ritrovata on behalf of Arrow Films."

Cinema Paradiso, the theatrical version, comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 90.4 GB

Feature: 85.3 GB

Arrow Academy takes their already solid transfer for their 2017 Blu-ray and creates a new 4K master that improves upon that earlier release’s transfer. Colors look stronger, image clarity and black levels are noticeably stronger, there are no issues with compression, and the image retains an organic look. It should be noted that this film features clips from other films, and these moments vary from source to source quality-wise.

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Cinema Paradiso was exclusively restored by Arrow Films for this release. The original 35mm camera negative elements were scanned in 2K resolution at Technicolor Rome, with all grading and restoration work completed at Deluxe Digital Cinema - EMEA, London.

Throughout the process, care was taken to ensure that the film's original texture, details and grain structure remained unaffected by digital processing. Although every effort has been made to present Cinema Paradiso in the highest quality possible, some minor picture issues remain, in keeping with the condition of the original archive materials.

Thanks to Cristaldifilm for making this restoration possible."

Cinema Paradiso, the director’s cut, comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.7 GB

Feature: 45.3 GB

Cinema Paradiso’s director’s cut is the same transfer that Arrow Academy used for their 2017 Blu-ray release.

Audio: 5/5 (LPCM Stereo Italian - Director’s Cut, LPCM Mono Italian Theatrical Version), 4.5/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 Italian - Both Versions.

Cinema Paradiso, the theatrical version, comes with two audio options: a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Italian and a LPCM mono mix in Italian. Included are two removable subtitles, U.S. English and UK English.

Cinema Paradiso, the director’s cut, comes with two audio options: a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Italian and a LPCM stereo mix in Italian. Included are removable English subtitles for both audio tracks.

All four audio tracks sound excellent. Dialogue always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and Ennio Morricone’s score is well-presented. Though the two DTS-HD 5.1 audio tracks do a great job opening up things range-wise. I prefer the mono and stereo tracks.

Extras:

Extras on the disc with the theatrical version include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 40 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), a featurette titled The Kissing Sequence (7 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a making of documentary tilted A Bear and a Mouse in Paradise (27 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian and French with removable English subtitles), a documentary about Giuseppe Tornatore titled A Dream of Sicily (54 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Italian cinema expert critic Millicent Marcus and Giuseppe Tornatore, in English.

Extras on the disc with the director’s cut include Arrow Video’s 25th anniversary re-release trailer (1 minute 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Other extras include reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), and a 26-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Stolen Kisses: Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso written by Pasquale Iannone, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Giuseppe Tornatore co-wrote and directed Cinema Paradiso, whose other notable films include The Star Maker, The Legend of 1900, Malena, and The Best Offer. His filmography over the last 38 years surpasses that of any other Italian filmmaker. Cinema Paradiso would mark the first time Giuseppe Tornatore worked with Ennio Morrione, who would compose the score for all of Giuseppe Tornatore’s theatrical films until Ennio Morrione's death in 2020.

Cinema Paradiso is an extraordinary tale about love, regret, fate, and nostalgia. Salvatore’s love of cinema and his first love, Elena. Salvatore’s regret about losing his soul mate Elena and his regret related to abandoning his mother. The role that fate plays in one’s life and nostalgia, Salvatore’s love of cinema.

Cinema Paradiso’s remarkable score was composed by Ennio Morricone, who’s most remembered for the scores he composed for Sergio Leone. For a career that spanned six decades and over five hundred years, Ennio Morricone composed many timeless scores and has firmly established himself as one of cinema’s greatest composers. That said, Cinema Paradiso is another exemplary score that perfectly underscores that mood.

Cinema Paradiso is a film that spans forty years and covers three periods: Salvatore’s. preteen years, when he formed his friendship with a projectionist named Alfredo; his adolescence, where he found his first love, Elena; and the present day, where he is now a middle-aged man looking back on his youth.

Casting for a film like Cinema Paradiso is an easy task since it’s not possible for one actor to play a character at three stages in their life. And though there are some who might be turned off by the actors chosen because they don’t look alike, ultimately, this should be a non-factor for most viewers since the story and what lies within are so powerful that such a minor thing as actor continuity will be nothing more than an afterthought.

That said, performance-wise, the cast is all excellent in their respective roles, especially Philippe Noiret (La Grande Bouffe) in the role of Alfredo, Salvatore’s mentor and closest friend, and Salvatore Cascio in the role of a preteen Salvatore. Notable cast members include Marco Leonardi (The Stendhal Syndrome), who portrays adolescent Salvatore; Jacques Perrin (Girl with a Suitcase), who portrays middle-aged Salvatore; and Brigitte Fossey (Farewell, Friend).

There’s some debate over which version is stronger, the theatrical version or the director’s cut. And nowhere is this divide clearer than how different each version is tone-wise. The theatrical version takes on a softer tone than the director’s cut. That said, though both versions have their strengths, ultimately, the director’s cut gives a more thorough picture of Salvatore’s journey from childhood to middle age. Whereas in the theatrical versions, the removal of most of the Salvatore scenes lessens his moment of truth.

Though there have been other films where cinema plays a large role in the story at hand, there’s something unique about the way Cinema Paradiso intertwines cinema with Salvatore’s journey. This is most clear when it comes to cinematic moments. Notably, when a middle-aged Salvatore watches a collection of kisses that were censored from films. Ultimately, Cinema Paradiso is a superbly executed love letter to cinema.

Though some might be disappointed that both versions were not given 4K restorations with Dolby Vision or HDR 10, ultimately, most people are sure to be thrilled once they see the theatrical version’s new 4K restoration in Dolby Vision or HDR10. Cinema Paradiso makes its way to 4K UHD via an exceptional release from Arrow Academy, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer