zedz wrote:I know the phenomenon of posting in a dead thread on the anniversary of the previous post is not unknown, but surely four years is a record?
I sure as fuck didn't know.
Why wait? It's on youtube with English subs. Ah, but I guess it's the German version tartarlamb mentioned.
Numero Trois wrote:Believe it or not, it comes to Netflix Instant Watch on June 1st. At least according to Feedfliks.
This seems like a cruel joke, but Netflix is actually streaming the 1945 Orson Welles film "The Stranger" through the listing of the Visconti film. I was really, really hoping that Paramount (I'm guessing they still have the American distribution rights) would've licensed a restored print for showing on Netflix (as they recently have with "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" and other films that are MIA on DVD) but it doesn't look like that's happening. If we're lucky, somebody screwed up at Netflix and Visconti's film will be streaming soon, but... I doubt it.
Looks like the widescreen German dub with English subtitles on youtube is the only way to go for now.
This thread's been dead for quite a while, but... since I just stumbled across it again... I thought I'd let those interested know that the Italian version of "The Stranger" is available on-line, with English subtitles, here. It's been there (off and on) for a few years now, as have the German, Spanish, and English dubs.
Finally caught up with this, my sole remaining unseen Visconti feature, and hoo boy while I'm all over the place on his work as a whole, this is definitively his worst film for many of the reasons already expressed. Adapting the novel was a losing venture no matter what, but some of the laughably rigorous fidelity here in the early passages is a good reminder that those who believe a good book adaptation needs to slavishly parrot the source text are missing the bigger picture. Mastroianni is embarrassing, phoning it in and confusing malaise and ennui with blankness. Karina's affected kittenishness here is more frosh posturing than anything approaching liveliness. But nothing else competes with or can prepare you for the zoooooom, zooooooom, zoooooooom X 10000
domino harvey wrote: Wed Jun 23, 2021 7:58 pm
Finally caught up with this, my sole remaining unseen Visconti feature, and hoo boy while I'm all over the place on his work as a whole, this is definitively his worst film for many of the reasons already expressed. Adapting the novel was a losing venture no matter what, but some of the laughably rigorous fidelity here in the early passages is a good reminder that those who believe a good book adaptation needs to slavishly parrot the source text are missing the bigger picture. Mastroianni is embarrassing, phoning it in and confusing malaise and ennui with blankness. Karina's affected kittenishness here is more frosh posturing than anything approaching liveliness. But nothing else competes with or can prepare you for the zoooooom, zooooooom, zoooooooom X 10000
I seem to remember reading that Visconti thought Mastroianni wrong for the part early on and wanted Delon to replace him. But Marcello had some sort of deal with the Camus estate that guaranteed him the film, and he was hell bent on doing it. His dream role or something.
And yes, that zooming. Like a kid on too much sugar with a new toy, he wouldn't leave it alone. This line from a Slant review of The Damned applies as much to The Stranger, I suppose: "Luchino Visconti’s overuse of superfluous zoom-lens trickery suggests that he was barely in control of his own worst impulses."
domino harvey wrote: Wed Jun 23, 2021 7:58 pm
Finally caught up with this, my sole remaining unseen Visconti feature, and hoo boy while I'm all over the place on his work as a whole, this is definitively his worst film for many of the reasons already expressed. Adapting the novel was a losing venture no matter what, but some of the laughably rigorous fidelity here in the early passages is a good reminder that those who believe a good book adaptation needs to slavishly parrot the source text are missing the bigger picture. Mastroianni is embarrassing, phoning it in and confusing malaise and ennui with blankness. Karina's affected kittenishness here is more frosh posturing than anything approaching liveliness. But nothing else competes with or can prepare you for the zoooooom, zooooooom, zoooooooom X 10000
I caught this film in 35mm a few years ago during a Mastroianni retrospective (and sat next to Colonel West at the screening!). Dom's 100% right here. The film and print was quite beautiful, but the tone of the film was completely wrong and well it's hard to imagine a worst cast actor as the protagonist for this particular adaptation.
Hello. Like many here I have been trying to find a decent copy of this for ages, to be able to appreciate the great cinematography, art direction and subtleties of the film. The great news is that there is now a Japanese Blu Ray available, with great image quality. The challenging thing is that it comes only in two option: in Italian with Japanese subtitles or dubbed in Japanese with no subtitles. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful movie when seen in a version with a little more quality. Hopefully Criterion will do their version soon.
