296 Le notti bianche

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Jun-Dai · #26 Post by **Jun-Dai** » Tue May 03, 2005 8:59 pm

mulvaney wrote: Dear Jun-Dai,

Thanks for your suggestion. Unfortunately, we do not hold the DVD rights to
FOUR NIGHTS OF A DREAMER.

Best,
JM

On 5/2/05 3:05 PM, "Bates-Kobashigawa, Jun-Dai"
<. . .> wrote:

> Jon,
> I'm sure you've already received a number of e-mails regarding this, and I'm
> sure there's a good (probably rights-related) reason for not doing it, but
> would it be possible to include Bresson's Four Nights of a Dreamer with
> Visconti's White Night's in a dual-edition à la The Lower Depths? It
> certainly is a classic opportunity for such a pairing, and I would think that
> many people would love to compare the efforts of both masters on the same
> source.
>
> yours,
> Jun-Dai

BrightEyes23 · #27 Post by **BrightEyes23** » Wed May 04, 2005 3:49 am

Ugh, I mentioned this earlier. I've got a terrible bootleg of "Four Nights of a Dreamer" and would kill a puppy for a criterion (or MoC or any quality release of this)

tryavna · #28 Post by **tryavna** » Sat May 14, 2005 11:32 pm

Just saw this on IFC, which appears to be dedicating the whole weekend to showing lots of great films that Critierion has released/will be releasing: 400 Blows, F for Fake, Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne, etc. Absolutely gorgeous!

I actually have to say I found the story itself a little slight. (Maybe I'm just not a Romantic at heart.) But the performances from Mastroianni and especially Schell were brilliant.

What A Disgrace · #29 Post by **What A Disgrace** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 4:51 am

Sound the nerd alert. Finalized specs.

HVE now lists the audio recording of the story as being both on the disc, and downloadable as an MP3. Other than that, nothing new.

Michael · #30 Post by **Michael** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 5:37 pm

Add me to the list. Flawless, pristine transfer. At moment I thought my TV screen actually glittered. I hope the Criterion has the same transfer if not better.

GringoTex · #31 Post by **GringoTex** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 6:25 pm

I've compared quite a few Criterion dvds to TCM airings by cuing up the dvd with the airing exactly and switching back and forth between the two. Every single time, the quality of the dvd has been better.

Michael · #32 Post by **Michael** » Tue Jun 14, 2005 6:37 pm

Thankfully I recorded the TCM airing of Notti Bianche. Now I'm gonna compare this to the Italian region-2 DVD (which I already own) to see which one glitters more. I have a feeling that the TCM airing is the one.

Michael · #33 Post by **Michael** » Thu Jun 16, 2005 11:20 pm

When taking another look at my Italian DVD, I was again struck by how perfect the transfer was. I would be surprised if the CC's transfer is superior to this in any way.

I have not seen the BFI version of Ossessione yet. Check the Ossessione thread for further details. I believe that Gary Tooze did the comparision of those two DVDs - region 2 and region 1 - on his site - dvdbeaver.com.

mute nostril agony · Sat Jun 25, 2005 2:35 am

Whatever version, it's great that the print has been so well preserved. This film was expertly photographed and is a pleasure just to look at. I'll forgive the hammy acting and implausible story, it's simply a visual feast. The art direction is also excellent.

solaris72 · #35 Post by **solaris72** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 4:16 am

Savant review

Narshty · #36 Post by **Narshty** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 8:54 am

Is it just me, or is putting a large picture of Maria Schell and Jean Marais in a passionate embrace on the back cover a bit of a giveaway?

Michael · #37 Post by **Michael** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 12:23 pm

I don't think so, Narshty because in the early part of the film, we see a sprinkling of quick love scenes between Maria Schell and Jean Marais so that pic doesn't really make much difference. Not as telling or obvious as the Criterion cover for Ordet.

Narshty · #38 Post by **Narshty** » Mon Jun 27, 2005 2:03 pm

Ah! I've only seen the last hour or so of this, hence my apprehension.

BrightEyes23 · #39 Post by **BrightEyes23** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 11:00 am

I'm just gonna make this quick...but did anyone else feel that Mastrioni's character just didn't do justice to the character in Dostoevsky's original? I think Marcello was just miscast, you can't put such a charismatic actor in such a role. I was slightly dissappointed in this film overall, not that as a film alone I saw anything wrong with it, I just felt that it didn't convey the overall context of the original short story. I've got Bresson's version sitting around here in a crappy VHS dub, I need to dig out a VCR to see how it stacks up.

ellipsis7 · #40 Post by **ellipsis7** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 6:16 pm

At 00:44:27 over her line from off shot: "In a year I'll be here waiting for you", does anyone else detect a strange hint of reverb/echo on the soundtrack?

kieslowski_67 · #41 Post by **kieslowski_67** » Fri Jul 15, 2005 9:36 pm

BrightEyes23 wrote:I'm just gonna make this quick...but did anyone else feel that Mastrioni's character just didn't do justice to the character in Dostoevsky's original? I think Marcello was just miscast, you can't put such a charismatic actor in such a role. I was slightly dissappointed in this film overall, not that as a film alone I saw anything wrong with it, I just felt that it didn't convey the overall context of the original short story. I've got Bresson's version sitting around here in a crappy VHS dub, I need to dig out a VCR to see how it stacks up.

I think that the Pyryev's adaptation was more faithful to Dostoevsky's original, and Oleg Strizhenov might be a better choice than Mastrioni in this movie. Otherwise, Visconti's version is superior in every other aspects.

benm · #42 Post by **benm** » Sat Jul 16, 2005 6:48 pm

just watched this a couple of days ago and i'm still confused about one scene, hopefully someone can shed some light on it or point me to a review/essay that might have more to say.

but near the end when marcello takes the gal (her name escapes me) on the boat and he takes her under the bridge and there's a bunch of homeless families. and visconti has a fairly long shot where the camera pulls back and it's only showing the homeless families. why the attention on the homeless families? is it a sick symbol that things are going to take a turn for the worse?

Narshty · #43 Post by **Narshty** » Sun Jul 17, 2005 6:31 am

BrightEyes23 wrote:I'm just gonna make this quick...but did anyone else feel that Mastrioni's character just didn't do justice to the character in Dostoevsky's original? I think Marcello was just miscast, you can't put such a charismatic actor in such a role.

Bang on. He exudes confidence and charm in every shot - there's nothing shy or timid in his characterisation (I know Marcello can barely help it). No wonder that glamorous lass tried it on with him through the cafe window. When he says "I'm a new man!" about half a dozen times in the last 20 minutes, the visible change is microscopic. The scenes where he berates Schell for being such a ditzy cow were a treat though.

I was sure this was a can't-miss title, but it turned out to be sadly underwhelming. Realistically, without major overhaul, there's only about an hour's worth of screen time that can be mined out of the Dostoyevsky story, and the film was seriously showing its stretch marks. It's an incredibly over-verbalised script (characters invariably say about 50% more than is actually necessary) and a visible reluctance for Visconti to pare things down in the editing room. Was the prostitute a depiction of what was realistically available to Mario, which he continually rejected for his romantic but essentially fictional ideal of Natalia? The gang-fight(!!) was lively but baffling in its relevance (perhaps just the jolt for Mario to go back and protect Natalia from such further peril in the nighttime city?). The whole thing was just a bit of a damp squib with not a lot of impact, sadly.

As a comparison, it's fascinating for how Visconti is able to say infinitely more and be vastly more affecting on the subject of unrequited and idealised love in the virtually mute and even slower Death in Venice.

Napoleon · #44 Post by **Napoleon** » Wed Aug 10, 2005 1:29 pm

The problem with this for a non-Italian speaking audience is that it is very dialogue heavy. I spent too much time reading subtitles and too little glimpsing at what is a visually very beautiful film.

I think subsequent viewings are going to involve switching off the subs. Most of what is said amounts to very little anyhow.

I have to agree that Marcello is miscast, and seems to be bending to role to his will, rather than immersing himself into the character.

kieslowski_67 · #45 Post by **kieslowski_67** » Fri Aug 12, 2005 7:22 pm

N. Wilson wrote:The problem with this for a non-Italian speaking audience is that it is very dialogue heavy. I spent too much time reading subtitles and too little glimpsing at what is a visually very beautiful film.

I think subsequent viewings are going to involve switching off the subs. Most of what is said amounts to very little anyhow.

I have to agree that Marcello is miscast, and seems to be bending to role to his will, rather than immersing himself into the character.

It might help if you had read Dostoyevsky's novella a couple of times before viewing the movie.

After watching three versions of "white nights" by Pyryev, Visconti, and Bresson. I still feel that Visconti's version is the best.

BusterK. · #46 Post by **BusterK.** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 5:29 pm

godardslave wrote:is this the first time a downloadable mp3 has been included as an extra on a DVD?

i cant recall ever seeing this before.

Young Mr. Lincoln also feature a Radio adaptation of the play as an mp3. I'm not sure if those kind of extras are worthy though, i usually never end up listening to the whole thing.

FerdinandGriffon · Thu May 14, 2009 5:19 am

ellipsis7 wrote:At 00:44:27 over her line from off shot: "In a year I'll be here waiting for you", does anyone else detect a strange hint of reverb/echo on the soundtrack?

This answer is a year or two late in coming, but here goes anyways:
When Schell says this line, it's both part of the main narrative and of the narrative within the narrative. The shot itself is a reversal of the one that begins her story, with Schell sitting down in the outdoor rubble only for the camera to swing around into a house's interior, and Schell's interior thoughts. This time around, the shot (and the line of dialogue) begin in the flashback, but as the camera pulls back it reveals the present. The shot and her line don't just exist within the narrative's present, they exist within both the present and the past. Visconti added in the reverb so as to express this doubling in the audio, and subtly tip us off that something funny is at work here.
It's an incredibly graceful, almost subliminal moment, and one that is perfectly in tune with the film's exploration of fantasy and reality existing not as two separate planes but as forces that are ultimately inseparable and constantly in masochistic conflict with each other. I'm glad I finally got around to seeing this and reading Dostoevsky's story; both will probably be with me for a long time to come.

yoloswegmaster · #48 Post by **yoloswegmaster** » Fri Nov 01, 2024 4:07 pm

Janus is sending a 4K restoration for a screening happening next month at BAMPFA. Hopefully this means that there are plans to upgrade this sooner rather later (or never).

hearthesilence · #49 Post by **hearthesilence** » Tue Dec 10, 2024 6:33 pm

That same 4K restoration will open the MoMA retrospective "Marcello and Chiara Mastroianni, A Family Affair" on Thursday, December 12, at 7:00 p.m., and Chiara Mastroianni herself will be there to introduce it.

hearthesilence · #50 Post by **hearthesilence** » Wed Dec 18, 2024 9:07 pm

This IG post from a PR firm appears to show frames from Cinecittà's new 4K restoration. Absolutely beautiful, and it looks like it could be an improvement over Carlotta's 2020 restoration.

From the same account, here are before-and-after frames demonstrating the restoration work.

FWIW, given the nature of the film and what it's about, I think the look of the restoration makes a huge impact - the better it looks, the more it sells the illusory glow that draws the characters deeper into their romantic fantasies (and whatever reservations one might have about the film may become easier to forgive).

BFI Southbank is screening this on January 7 & 25.

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