Marriage Italian Style [Blu-ray]

This blue ray of Marriage Italian Style magnificently presents this long awaited Italian classic. For years, I've been patiently waiting for a decent version of this movie to come along and FINALLY an excellent one has arrived in this Kino Lorber Blue Ray version. It has clean, clear colors that are rich and bright and the sound is excellent. It would have been nice to have more extras, like old premiere footage, commentaries by Loren, etc., but who's complaining when we have the real deal here- the movie. The movie comes in its original Italian language version with subtitles. It also contains two Italian previews and a stills gallery. After all, this is a film that brought Sophia her second Oscar nomination, a David Di Donatello award (Italy's Oscar), a Moscow Film Festival Award and other international awards. In my humble opinion, this is without a doubt Sophia Loren's finest acting performance, it even surpasses her greatest performances in "Two Women" and "A Special Day" and I say this because it is such a well rounded role, allowing her to run the gamut from comedy to drama, and she does so with great depth and power. No one laughs, suffers or cries more convincingly on the screen than the divine Loren, and director Vittorio de Sica knew how to extract the best that she had to give. The story is told through his and hers flashbacks and takes Sophia (Filumena) from her late teens to a middle aged woman,so multi faceted, running Loren from naive prostitute in worn torn Italy, to savvy kept woman, to conniving business woman to being a faithful mother;young or old, she shines and looks beautiful, commanding the screen with a fire and poignant dignity that leave you breathless. Add to this her wonderful partner Marcello Mastroianni and you have a solid if unusual love story which tugs at the heart Italian style. There is a scene were Sophia has to sign a lease to her first apartment, she is so gleeful and happy that she will finally have something of her own, and it is comical and heartbreaking at the same time, seeing her with great pride trying to form the letters to her name as she signs the document with almost child like innocence, it is here where you see the majesty of her comedic talent, seamlessly crossing the fine line between comedy and pathos and pulling it off with poignancy and truth. A true classic of Italian cinema, it opened to critical raves in 1964 and should be forever treasured by audiences young and old. Acting and directing don't get any better than this folks- BUY IT and savor this very fine film, I couldn't recommend it more. If you would like to see a photo montage video preview, please check out my tribute video of this film on everyone's favorite video website (which I rather not name), it features chronological photos of the plot set to the romantic song from the movie...just look up videos by boopkid.

Vittorio De Sica, the filmmaker and actor who captured the attention of the world through Italian Neo-Realism with films such as "Shoeshine", "The Bicycle Thief" and "Umberto D.".

Known for his neorealist films in the '40s and '50s, by the '60s, De Sica was a man who did what he wanted to do and that meant changing genres and experimenting with various themes. And in 1961, he would go on to create a film that would feature an all-star Italian and American cast titled "The Last Judgement" (Il Giudizio Universale) and also go from creating films about the poor to the people flourishing during the post-war economic boom (known as the Italian Economic Miracle) in which Italy would transform itself to a major industrial power starting from the '50s through the '70s. A subject that De Sica would focus in his 1963 comedy film "Il Boom".

While known for his neorealistic films and also his starring role in the 1957 film "A Farewell to Arms" (which De Sica received a "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" Academy Award nomination), his 1963 film "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" (Ieri, oggi, domani) would win an Academy Award in 1965 for "Best Foreign Language Film".

With the collaboration with actress Sophia Loren ("Two Women", "Boccasio '70', "Marriage Italian Style") and actor Marcello Mastroianni ("Divorce Italian Style", "La Notte", "La Dolce Vita", "8 1/2') resulting in success, the three reunited again for the 1964 film "Marriage Italian Style" ("Matrimonio all'italiana"). The film is the second onscreen adaptation of the play "Filumena Marturano" by Eduardo De Filippo.

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Foreign Language Film" in 1966 and also a nomination for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" for Sophia Loren in 1965.

To celebrate the working relationship with filmmaker Vittorio De Sica, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, Kino Lorber have released three Blu-ray titles and a special four-disc DVD set featuring "Yesterday Today, Tomorrow", "Marriage Italian Style" and "Sunflower") as part of "The Sophia Loren Award Collection".

VIDEO:

I have to admit that I was a bit surprised that "Marriage Italian Style" was given a Blu-ray release but considering it is one of the well-known Vittorio De Sica Sophia Loren films, I can understand why Kino Lorber was released on DVD and Blu-ray. The film is presented in 1080p (1:85:1).

While it is great to see this film available in HD, I caution those who are expecting pristine picture quality. You can tell that this print has not aged gracefully through the years and its important to note that similar to other De Sica films at the time, they chose to go with a more economical choice for film than the best quality available to them.

With that being said, there is mild flickering, there are white speckles and dust, a lot of grain, colors are not exactly vibrant and black levels are OK. While some parts of the film look great and this is probably one of the few films where videophiles can easily debate the use of DNR. If anything, Kino kept to the original print and not mess with it, so people are getting a film transferred to high definition.

But it's important to remember that if you want any of these Vittorio De Sica/Sophia Loren films, you either buy the DVD boxset or buy the Blu-ray release individually. Personally, if you love the film and I do feel it is the better of the three films in the Sophia Loren Award Collection, the Blu-ray release is the way to go.

AUDIO:

"Marriage Italian Style" is presented in Italian Dolby TrueHD 1.0. The lossless monaural track is still clear in dialogue and everything comes quite clear through the center channel. Granted, I did choose to watch the entire film in stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundscape.

I didn't notice any hissing, pops or crackle and for the most part, soundtrack is what I was expecting from the lossless monaural soundtrack.

Optional English subtitles are included.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Marriage Italian Style" comes with the theatrical trailer (3:41) and the trailers for the three De Sica/Loren films that are available from Kino Lorber. Also, a stills gallery with 28 images from behind-the-scenes and promotional images as well.

EXTRAS:

"Marriage Italian Style" comes with a slipcase.

JUDGMENT CALL:

As a Vittorio De Sica fan, knowing that many viewer's exposure of his work are through his neorealist films, let's step away from that and not focus too much on De Sica's past work but focus on what he has done in 1960.

Sophia Loren literally became the filmmaker's muse. Beginning with "Two Women" in 1960, he would follow up film after film with Loren, "Boccaccio '70' and "The Condemned of Altona in 1962, his Academy Award winning film "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" (1963) which featured the first major collaboration between De Sica, Loren and Mastroianni. And to follow-up a year later with "Marriage Italian Style".

While "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" did win an Oscar and while it was a fun comedy anthology that showcased Loren's body and sexuality, Loren was more than just a beautiful buxom actress, she was also a talented actress that can dish it out like any major actress out there. You want her to play sexy, she will play sexy. You want her to play a woman who has been jilted for nearly 20-years and want to see that frustration, she absolutely delivers in "Marriage Italian Style".

In fact, this is a very different film than "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow". While sex does play a part, this film is not much about the comedy, it actually focus on the emotional drama and toll it takes on Sophia Loren's character Filumena Marturano. We have seen Loren give a superb performance in De Sica's "Two Men" but she shines again in "Marriage Italian Style".

And Marcello Mastroianni, he also delivers in a superb performance as their characters both feed off each other's anger, stress and passion. The scene which involves Filumena giving a peace of her mind to Domenico about how she really feels and the fact that she has three sons was quite powerful. She embodied the character of Filumena and I felt that she was absolutely on fire!

Mastroianni played the convincing role of the suave, wealthy older gentlemen, with the graying highlights and all, he looked the part, he played the part and he delivered!

And I do believe that the film was very much deserving of its two Academy Award nominations as this was the better film compared to "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" when it came to story and performance.

But while I enjoyed "Marriage Italian Style", it's important for those who are planning to purchase the Blu-ray to know that this film is not pristine by any means. In fact, some may find the film unlike any film they see on Blu-ray because of its high level of grain, minor flickering, dust and speckles and so forth. Yes, the film has been given the 1080p High Definition upgrade but Kino Lorber does not do restorations like other niche companies specializing in cinema. They take the film elements and give you an HD version of those film elements and suffice to say, because restoration is extremely expensive, not all films that come to Blu-ray are given significant restorations. Even from the major studios.

As for special features, this one is pretty much barebones. While "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" contained the Vittorio De Sica documentary, I was hoping there would be some revisiting by Sophia Loren or someone involved with the film. Also, may there be an audio commentary or something else that would make this release much more attractive to Blu-ray fans.

And this brings me back to the man who is responsible for directing the film, Vittorio De Sica. Like Fellini, Rosellini, Visconti and Antonioni, De Sica is a legendary filmmaker in my eyes. While not all De Sica's films were magnificent hits, the fact is that throughout his oeuvre, he has created a few masterpiece. Not one, not two...there are quite a few that surprise you with its overall look but performances that really are heartwrenching.

While "Two Women" was a powerful film featuring Sophia Loren, the primary focus of "The Sophia Loren Award Collection" is to feature three major collaborations between De Sica, Loren and Mastroianni. And for me, this is important because if you want to enjoy "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow", you must watch "Marriage Italian Style" and "Sunflower" and pretty much, if you enjoy the working relationship between these three talented individuals, it's worth watching each of these films. By no means, are each of these films their best work but its a collaboration that remains special for cinema fans and fans of each of these three individuals.

And as De Sica brought out the performances of both Loren and Mastroianni, for me, this was like the Italian equivalent of a William Powell and Myrna Loy or Clark Gable and Myrna Loy ala early '60s. They may have not made that many films than their Hollywood counterparts but they did have great chemistry onscreen for these three films presented in the collection.

Overall, while "Marriage Italian Style" is not the best looking film on Blu-ray nor does it contain a lot of special features, it still is an enjoyable film. So, if you are a big fan of Vittorio De Sica, Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, "Marriage Italian Style" is worth giving a try!

I just realized that. . .now. Want to see sparkles? Acting? Sofia Loren in this move, that's where. Oh, and Marcello too, but Sofia rocks it. Let's just say that I could suddenly utilize Mr. Peabody and the Wayback Machine. "Take me to Sofia, Mr. Peabody", would be my first order of business. "Oh, and teach me Italian too".

This is a way better print than the one you saw when cable used to broadcast eclectic films. So much for cable now.

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