Cinema Paradiso

[EddieLarkin]

Crazy or not, I can prove the 2.0 track on my theatrical disc is in mono. Would anyone be willing to compare serial numbers?

A0102238918-A911
A0102238918-B911

[manicsounds]

DVDBeaver finally compares the new Arrow to the older BDs

[manicsounds]

I don't know if it was like this on other editions, but while playing the 5.1 track on the theatrical disc, dialogue comes out of the left, center, and right speakers. I don't have the DVD release anymore, was that how it sounded? Seems a bit unnatural sounding.

[Ribs]

Coming to the US in March.

Doesn't Miramax own this in the US? Wonder if that means Arrow's potential floodgates are open (surely another Allen set would be on the table, then?)

[ianungstad]

Hellraiser 3 is with Miramax in the US. As is the rumored William Dafoe title eXistenZ.

[beamish13]

Doesn't Miramax own this in the US? Wonder if that means Arrow's potential floodgates are open (surely another Allen set would be on the table, then?)

Yep, they do. Fingers crossed for Carax's The Lovers on the Bridge, A Map of the Human Heart and The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover.

[domino harvey]

**CINEMA PARADISO Barnes & Noble BLU-RAY EXCLUSIVE***

Good news! We've teamed up with Barnes & Noble to offer you an exclusive version of our upcoming US Cinema Paradiso Blu-ray!

This edition will come with newly designed slipcase with brand new art by Matt Griffin and will also be available 2 weeks before our regular release! Find out more and pre-order your copy here

[artfilmfan]

Scary-looking cover!

[knives]

Which cut tends to be the preferred one, especially for first timers?

[MichaelB]

Which cut tends to be the preferred one, especially for first timers?

I've always found the longer cut to be wildly over-indulgent, but I'm not a huge fan of this film so probably not the most reliable commentator. I saw the shorter cut first, but that was all that was available for many, many years.

[Ribs]

It actually weirdly fits the theme of the movie to see the theatrical version and have the added stuff come later on, changing how you understood it earlier in life. So though it's unquestionably better to me I still see a lot of value in sidelining the extended version for a first-time viewing.

[Feego]

I agree with Ribs. Most of the material that was cut is from the last part of the film, which focuses on the main character as an adult (we see him as a child and teenager in the early parts of the movie). So in a way, watching the extended version after the short one is almost like watching a sequel of sorts, since we don't get much of the adult section at all in the shorter version, except primarily as a framing device for the flashbacks. For what it's worth, I saw the short version first, and of course, that's the version that became an international hit.

[artfilmfan]

See the shorter version first. I will not say why because it might spoil your enjoyment of it.

[knives]

And the ayes had it. Thanks everyone. I don't think I could have taken more of older Toto so it seems going with the theatrical cut was indeed a very good idea.

[John Shade]

Did you like the movie, knives? I think I saw it in high school and this thread has me considering rewatching it. I really don't remember it much. Is this Arrow edition one of those that works in region a?

[cdnchris]

Well, Arrow did release it in North America, so yes.

[MichaelB]

Well, Arrow did release it in North America, so yes.

...although it wasn’t a simultaneous release, so the UK version may well not be Region A-friendly.

[cdnchris]

Ah yes, I forgot it came out far earlier in the UK.

[swo17]

The original UK release was indeed Region B locked.

[Ribs]

I think there's a chance that if you were to get the UK version now it'd be the region-free one, though (I think there's been reports that once they move onto a new print run they just use the all-regions master?)

[David M.]

There's no region free version, although the US release might have been A+B?
It's unlikely Arrow would release the US version in the UK though, because I changed many of the British slang from the original subtitle translations.
I remember we had an internal discussion on what the generic snotty kid insult "Get stuffed" should be changed to (my girlfriend actually came up with "You stink" which I think we used). Someone else came up with a substitution for "I've won the pools" (I think we used "I've won the sweepstakes").

[knives]

Get stuffed is actually used in (most of) the US so you could have retained that.

Did you like the movie, knives? I think I saw it in high school and this thread has me considering rewatching it. I really don't remember it much. Is this Arrow edition one of those that works in region a?

I liked the first hour when it was basically Sicilian stereotypes do things as a cute kid watches. The last segment was just a sentimental bore and the middle one felt like a poor man's Padre Padrone even taking one of its best gags.

[MichaelB]

I liked the first hour when it was basically Sicilian stereotypes do things as a cute kid watches. The last segment was just a sentimental bore and the middle one felt like a poor man's Padre Padrone even taking one of its best gags.

I honestly can't disagree with any of that. Ironically, Padre Padrone is a film that left me fairly cold first time round but I've since radically revised my opinion - but I don't think Cinema Paradiso is going to do the same to me after nearly thirty years.

[dda1996a]

That would be a curious double bill for me; just got Padre Padrone and I loved Cinema Paradiso as a kid

[knives]

Just remembered the gag I was thinking of is actually from Two Cents Worth of Hope. Point still stands though.