Hello,
Who familiar with the film has seen the new MGM transfer (released in Germany, Australia, and France)? For reference purposes (as I'm a big fan of Bertolucci), I bought this film on Italian R2 a year ago, which was all that was available at that point (and only in Italian with no English subtitles). Now, the Italian R2 isn't the greatest transfer, it's rather muddy, and the second part of the film actually looks legitimately bad at some points. But I was still able to appreciate the deeply beautiful and striking use of maple/gold/candle colors in the first half of the film.
Which takes us to today. MGM overseas have released this film, available for the first time with it's English-language track, so you can finally watch it and hear the voices of the lead actors (which is interesting, though I do vastly prefer the Italian dub). But very unfortunately, all of the maple/gold/candle light colors used in the film's opening two hours (which is the best part of the film), are gone, replaced with no color scheme whatsoever. These scenes no longer glow with the Autumn colors of Alfredo and Olmo's youth, and for me, it really hurts that section of the film (which has a very profound, nostalgic, dreamlike quality because of the colors). My favorite scene in particular feels completely different on the new DVD: that gorgeous dance scene in the forest where Burt Lancaster disturbingly lures the girl into the barn (with it's sensuous, yet ironic, fairytale-like gold tint in an otherwise very disturbing scene, but that tint is missing on the MGM DVD, and with it a certain perverse magic it once possessed is missing now).
It's nice to see the film with the actors' voices (even if the English dub doesn't really work), but the colors are part of what make that first half great. Does anybody know what MGM might have done to screw up the color scheme? I'm sure Storaro would be angry if he saw what they did to the first half.
Dylan
The Conformist and 1900
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Dylan
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:28 am
Flixy,
Well, I know that you especially are a big fan of this film, and if you've seen it in the theater that many times, you would definitely know. But compare shots 2 through 5 on my website here, with the MGM edition:
Every single one of those shots is missing their maple/gold/candle tint on the MGM DVD (I can't make any screen grabs from the R4 because my computer's DVD player has locked on R2, but there is a drastic difference in look and feel between them). You are the CC board 1900 authority since you've seen it so many times in a theater, and I look forward to what you have to say about the Italian R2 screengrabs.
Dylan
Well, I know that you especially are a big fan of this film, and if you've seen it in the theater that many times, you would definitely know. But compare shots 2 through 5 on my website here, with the MGM edition:
Every single one of those shots is missing their maple/gold/candle tint on the MGM DVD (I can't make any screen grabs from the R4 because my computer's DVD player has locked on R2, but there is a drastic difference in look and feel between them). You are the CC board 1900 authority since you've seen it so many times in a theater, and I look forward to what you have to say about the Italian R2 screengrabs.
Dylan
Last edited by Dylan on Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Dylan
- Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 1:28 am
Fascinating Flixy.
As for the film itself, it's very flawed in areas (Betti and Sutherland are wholly hamming it up, the subplot with Valli's son getting killed seems unnecessary, and that ending is still baffling to me, even if it is a metaphor, it seems out of place), but it's never uninteresting and it achieves greatness in many areas. Not to mention with one of Ennio Morricone's greatest scores, a marvelous Robert De Niro performance, a young Gerard Depardieu in top form, some startling set pieces, and a first half that is almost entirely comprised of great scenes (once again, that forest dance with Lancaster and the girl is masterful in it's cringingly visual beauty and perfect pace). Overall, it's pretty great, especially for fans of the director.
Dylan
As for the film itself, it's very flawed in areas (Betti and Sutherland are wholly hamming it up, the subplot with Valli's son getting killed seems unnecessary, and that ending is still baffling to me, even if it is a metaphor, it seems out of place), but it's never uninteresting and it achieves greatness in many areas. Not to mention with one of Ennio Morricone's greatest scores, a marvelous Robert De Niro performance, a young Gerard Depardieu in top form, some startling set pieces, and a first half that is almost entirely comprised of great scenes (once again, that forest dance with Lancaster and the girl is masterful in it's cringingly visual beauty and perfect pace). Overall, it's pretty great, especially for fans of the director.
Dylan
Last edited by Dylan on Thu Oct 05, 2006 8:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
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