|
|
|
Salvatore Giuliano
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Arrow Films Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (25th September 2014). |
|
The Film
 ***This is a technical review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** 5 July 1950. Salvatore Giuliano, Italy’s most wanted criminal, is found shot dead in a dusty courtyard. Who killed him, and why? And who was he? The film that made Francesco Rosi’s international reputation, this Citizen Kane-style investigative portrait was originally called Sicily 1943-60, as Rosi sought not so much to depict Giuliano himself as the society from which he sprang, in which the police, the carabinieri and the Mafia all have strong vested interests. Filming in the exact locations and utilising court reports as primary source material, Rosi mainly cast local Sicilians, some of whom knew Giuliano personally. The only professional actors were Frank Wolff (Once Upon a Time in the West) and Salvo Randone (L’Assassino). Stunningly shot by Gianni di Venanzo (Fellini’s 8˝), the film was immediately hailed as a masterpiece, with Sight & Sound calling it “one of the most courageous things the Italian cinema has ever attempted”. More recently, Martin Scorsese cited it as one of his twelve favourite films, and his Film Foundation sponsored this sparkling new 4K restoration by the Cineteca di Bologna.
Video
Independent British distributor Arrow Films have released "Salvatore Giuliano" on to Blu-ray for its worldwide debut on the format, in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The transfer is 1080p, and uses an AVC MPEG-4 encode. The result is very impressive indeed. The following is stated before the film plays: Salvatore Giuliano was restored by Cineteca di Bologna at L'Immagine Ritrovata in association with The Film Foundation, with funding provided by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The digital restoration was carried out starting from the original camera negative and scanned at 4K resolution. The full 4K digital restoration included removal of dirt and scratches and image stabilisation. Some sections of the film showed signs of decay and were seriously damaged by mould. In order to recover the original beauty of the film, the digital grading was executed with particular care using a vintage copy as a reference. Francesco Rosi's contribution was invaluable at this stage. Yes, you read that correctly. The Hollywood Foreign Press have actually done something to benefit film fans! This 4K restoration is absolutely beautiful, with only a couple of very minor flaws that I'll mention. First of all, due to the way lighting was used during filming, some of the shadow details do struggle to come through in a couple of instances, though these moments are very short, and are certainly tolerable. The other flaw, is that on occasion, darker scenes can feel ever so slightly noisy, though again, this is barely noticeable. Details in general are excellent. Close-ups show off fine details in clothing and faces, whilst the many long shots show a surprising amount of detail in the environments, especially in the hills. Contrast levels are excellent, and blacks are deep, whilst the transfer exudes a good level of depth. I didn't notice any aliasing or edge enhancement, and Cineteca di Bologna did a superb job in stabilising the picture and removing scratches and dirt without destroying details or the natural grain structure. I feel safe saying that this is another reference quality transfer from the Arrow Academy line. The feature is uncut and runs 123:55.
Audio
The following is stated before the film plays: The sound was digitally restored using the original 35mm optical negative. A positive soundtrack was used in sections that were damaged by vinegar syndrome. Arrow have provided us with a single original language track; Italian LPCM 1.0 Mono, and like the transfer, there is very little to complain about. Dialogue is crystal clear throughout, with no mumbling and consistent volume levels. Effects rarely sound flat, and considering this is a central mono track, can show surprising levels of depth. The only flaw I can fathom at a push, is that during a scene of distressed mourning, the screams could be considered ever so slightly high pitched, though I am guessing this is still representative of the original audio. There are no drop outs, and no scratches or pops - a feat quite rare for a film of this age that does not come from a major Hollywood studio. It's just about perfect. Optional English subtitles are included.
Extras
The extras start with the extensive "The Filmmaker and the Labyrinth" documentary (55:06). Filmed in 2004, and directed by Roberto Andň, this is a fascinating look at Francesco Rosi and his films. The man himself is interviewed, as are various family members, colleagues, and people for whom Rosi's work has been an inspiration, such as Martin Scorsese and John Turturro. One of the better parts of this documentary, focuses on how he Rosi left Naples and his work with Visconti. It should be noted that Arrow added subtitling themselves, and so we are not forced to put up with the burnt-in subtitles for English dialogue like the Criterion DVD release. Little touches like this, despite the obvious additional financial costs, continue to make me a fan of Arrow. Next up, we have "Francesco Rosi on Salvatore Giuliano", an interview with director Francesco Rosi (12:05). In this interview, Rosi talks about his ideas for the film, why he chose to characterise Giuliano in a particular way, why he cast non-professional actors who would experience feelings once again they had previously, how he put emotions across to the audience through cinematography (or the 'lie of the cinematographer' as he calls it), and the general feelings of those who were involved and how every director wants to achieve realism with regards to emotion. "The Sicilian Robin Hood" is an interview with Salvatore Giuliano's nephew Guiseppe (14:23). He talks about the legend of his uncle fighting for independence for the Sicilian people, the political movement, how the Sicilian Statute in the Italian Constitution is systematically ignored, and the lack of evidence against Salvatore. Most interesting, is about the exhumation of Salvatore's body in 2010 and how his DNA matches Guiseppe's, but the files relevant to the case will be kept secret by the Italian government until 2016. The final interview is entitled "Salvatore Giuliano and the Mafia", and is with journalist and Sicilian Mafia expert Attilio Bolzoni (10:00). In this interview, Bolzoni talks about Giuliano's relationship/ties with the Mafia, how Giuliano got the reputation of being Sicily's Robin Hood, Sicily's independence movement, the Portella della Ginestra massacre, who killed Giuliano, and the relationship between the Ministry and the Mafia. There are some interesting points of view here, and is certainly worthy viewing. The on-disc extras finish with a theatrical trailer (4:33). In the case, we get a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jay Shaw, and a booklet featuring new writing on the film by Pasquale Iannone, an annotated synopsis by Ben Lawton, plus a selection of contemporary reviews.
Overall
A great film, a technically superb disc, and some quality extras. Highly recommended.
|
|||||
|