7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Three small-time conmen—the ageing Augusto, "Picasso", and Roberto—prey upon the poor and gullible for modest gains. However, once Augusto is unexpectedly reunited with his daughter, now struggling with her studies, the moral and emotional demands of his lifestyle begin to take their toll sooner than he had anticipated.
Starring: Broderick Crawford, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart, Franco Fabrizi, Sue Ellen BlakeForeign | 100% |
Drama | 81% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Italian: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Federico Fellini's "Il Bidone" (1955) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and video interview with French writer, producer and director Dominique Delouche. Also included with this release is a 36-page illustrated booklet featuring the words of the legendary Italian director, rare imagery, and more. In Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
"Pray for me..."
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Federico Fellini's Il Bidone arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.
The high-definition transfer is beautiful. Close-ups boast outstanding depth, especially when there is an abundance of natural light (see screencapture #2), while the nighttime/darker footage impresses with excellent clarity (see screencapture #3). Contrast levels are stable throughout the entire film. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. The film also looks sharp, not sharpened, and vibrant. The whites and grays are stable and beautifully balanced, while the blacks are solid and natural. A couple of extremely light scratches are visible, but there are absolutely no large debris, cuts, damage marks, or stains. Obviously, imperfections have been carefully removed. Lastly, there are a few inherited shaky frame transitions (clearly source related), but there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. All in all, this is a lovely presentation of Fellini's classic film that is guaranteed to please its fans. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Italian LPCM 1.0. For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The lossless track is solid. The soundtrack by the great Nino Rota benefits the most from the lossless treatment as the music is indeed very well rounded yet quite vibrant. Also, there are no distortions during the woodwind and brass solos. The dialog is clean, stable, and easy to follow. The English translation is excellent.
This is a beautiful Blu-ray release of Federico Fellini's Il Bidone. The film, which during the years has been unjustly dismissed as one of the Italian maestro's lesser works, looks spectacular in high-definition. The interview with Fellini's assistant director Dominique Delouche is also outstanding. Buy with confidence, folks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Lo sceicco bianco / Vintage World Cinema
1952
1953
Masters of Cinema
1972
Giulietta degli spiriti
1965
Le notti di Cabiria / Vintage World Cinema
1957
Vintage World Cinema
1954
1969
1960
Otto e mezzo / Federico Fellini's 8½
1963
Masters of Cinema
1961
Hamnstad
1948
En lektion i kärlek
1954
Gycklarnas afton
1953
Il Conformista / Arrow Academy
1970
Jungfrukällan
1960
Aus dem Leben der Marionetten
1980
Kvinnors väntan / Secrets of Women
1952
Smultronstället
1957
Kvinnodröm
1955
Skepp till India land
1947