Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Il posto Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 17, 2025

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Il posto + I fidanzati double feature set from Radiance Films.

Ermanno Olmi never seemed to reach the stratospheric heights of some other Italian directors of his same general generation, and in fact it's arguable that Olmi is chiefly remembered today for mainly one film, The Tree of Wooden Clogs (the link points to the Region A release from Criterion, though the film was also released by Arrow Video for Region B in an edition I personally preferred for its warmer color timing). Radiance is perhaps aiding and abetting a wider appreciation of Olmi's not exactly expansive but still often quite arresting filmography by offering Olmi's first two purely narrative films (1959's Time Stood Still toed a semi-documentarian line, though it's probably best approached as a narrative film when all the dust and/or snow has settled). Both of the stories in the veritable double feature might be thought of as "small", but they both show Olmi's rather interesting "combo platter" of Neorealism and more "stylized" presentational aspects, and both have some genuine emotion suffusing their "simple" narratives. As is discussed in some of the interesting supplements included on each disc in this double feature, both Il posto and I fidanzati offer really interesting examples of Olmi "breaking free" of his former work as a documentarian, though both films still have definite cinema verité aspects.

Il posto is a quiet and deliberate look at a young man named Domenico Cantoni (Sandro Panseri) who is shown attempting to matriculate into wage earning employment, since his family has deemed his younger brother to be the one child who will continue studying at school. Rather interestingly and probably saliently, there's really no "family drama" in this decision that's really played for any subtext, and instead Domenico simply sets out to become a veritable cog in an equally veritable corporate machine. Along the way he meets with Antonietta Masetti (Loredana Detto), another young person whose family history has forced her to find perhaps earlier than expected employment. There seem to be sparks of romance, but will everyday life get in the way?

The above may make this sound like a fairly traditional narrative outing, but it's rather slyly subversive, ultimately choosing not to offer standard "boy meets girl" or even what might be jokingly called Boy Meets World plot machinations. There's a really visceral depiction here of post World War II Italian life for what might be termed lower middle class people trying to claw their way up the economic ladder at least a bit. Not much really "happens" in Il posto, which may make its unique emotional component all the more remarkable.

Il posto Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Il Posto is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. Radiance sent check discs for purposes of this review, and so I'm not privy to any verbiage that may be contained in an insert booklet, but the actual presentation begins with some prefatory text cards offering the following information:

This 4K restoration of Il Posto was performed by the Cineteca di Bologna Foundation and Titanus based on original Dupont film negatives and Italian sound negatives. A first generation positive copy was used as reference. Fabio Olmi, DP for many of his father's films, oversaw the colour grading. The film was restored in 2018 at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna.

This is a lovely and beautifully organic looking presentation that preserves an at times admittedly pretty thick grain field without ever really sacrificing fine detail levels, at least when lighting conditions allow. There are some very minor variances in densities and clarity that I'm attributing at least in part to some of the location footage, where understandably things may not have been as controllable. That said, even some of the location scenes can offer appealing detail levels on everything from costumes to the textures of stone buildings. It may be arguable that the entire presentation is just a tad on the dark side, but contrast is appealing and consistent. There's really no damage of any major import to mention.

Il posto Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Il posto features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track in the original Italian. The soundtrack is maybe even more of a cinema verité experience than some of the plot or actual visuals, with an emphasis on ambient environmental sounds, whether those be the quiet rustling of parents in the morning before the kids have completely awakened, some torrential rain or even the clamor of a modern day office environment. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Il posto Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• 1961 Version (1:33:36) and 2018 Version with Deleted Scene (1:37:28) are accessible under the Play Menu.


• Maurizio Zaccaro (HD; 18:37) discusses his mentor Ermanno Olmi, reminiscing about both of the films in Radiance's set. Subtitled in English.


• Lamberto Caimi (HD; 17:06) features the film's director of photography. Subtitled in English.


• Richard Dyer (HD; 39:10) offers an overview of the film by the academic and Italian film expert. There's a companion piece by Dyer on the other disc in this set.


• Deleted Scene (HD; 3:56)

Il posto Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Il posto may be a prime example of a film delivering some rather profound truths while really not offering a bunch of dramatic plot developments. Panseri's doleful eyes really help bring his characterization of Domenico alive, and the entire cast, many of whom were non professionals, help to keep things feeling real. Technical merits are solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Highly recommended.