7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A retired American teacher leading a solitary life in a luxurious palazzo in Rome meets a lively marchesa and her companions, including her daughter and her lover. He rents them an apartment, and his quiet lifestyle is changed in a profound way by his colorful new tenants.
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Helmut Berger, Silvana Mangano, Claudia Cardinale, Dominique SandaDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
French: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
French, French SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Luchino Visconti's "Gruppo di famiglia in un interno" a.k.a. "Conversation Piece" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Gaumont. The supplemental features on the disc include an original French trailer for the film and a new documentary produced by Dominique Maillet. In English, French, or Italian, with optional French or French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The professor
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Luchino Visconti's Conversation Piece arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Gaumont.
Gaumont's presentation of this excellent film is quite the revelation. Unlike Raro's Region-A release, this release isn't plagued by heavy electronic noise. Unsurprisingly, depth and detail are far more convincing during close-ups and larger panoramic shots. The color-scheme is also drastically different. The harsh reds, blues, greens, and browns, have been replaced by far better balanced, better saturated, and more natural colors (compare screencapture #2 with screencapture #19 from our review of the Raro release). Brightness levels have also been adjusted. Predictably, the harshness of the Raro transfer is nowhere to be seen. Finally, there are no traces of excessive degraning corrections, though a few very minor adjustments have been performed (see screencapture #8). Still, this is a very pleasing organic presentation that allows one to experience Conversation Piece in an entirely different way. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0, and French DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. For the record, Gaumont have provided optional French and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The original English track is very good. Depth and clarity are consistently pleasing. Also, there is absolutely no problematic background hiss whatsoever. There are a few small fluctuations (dynamic movement) popping up here and there where some overdubbing was done, but they are indeed inherited. For the record, there are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.
If you are looking to add Luchino Visconti's Conversation Piece to your library, I urge you to avoid Raro Video's Region-A release and obtain Gaumont's Region-Free release. It is vastly superior - it uses a new high-definition transfer that allows one to experience the film in an entirely new way. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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