7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A betrayed wife's inability to come to terms with reality leads her along a hallucinatory journey of self-discovery.
Starring: Giulietta Masina, Sandra Milo, Mario Pisu, Valentina Cortese, Valeska GertForeign | 100% |
Drama | 81% |
Surreal | 13% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Italian: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Essential
Fellini.
It may not quite match the treatment Criterion afforded a certain iconic Swedish director with their frankly almost overwhelming Ingmar Bergman's Cinema release, but
Essential Fellini should pretty easily serve as either an absolutely first rate introduction to or a nostalgic reacquaintance with one of Italy's most
legendary filmmakers. Fourteen beloved if sometimes controversial Fellini films have been aggregated in this set, along with a bonus disc offering a
special devoted to Marcello Mastroianni, and while Criterion only provided check discs for the purposes of this review, from the looks of things online,
this is another beautifully packaged set from the label with a number of non-disc swag packaging bonuses.
Juliet of the Spirits is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Criterion only sent check discs for purposes of this review, and so I'm not privy to any verbiage about the transfer that may be included in an insert booklet, but the actual film includes some introductory text which offers the following information:
Restoration of Juliet of the Spirits (Federico Fellini, 1965) completed in 2015 by Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia - Cineteca Nazionale from the original 35mm picture and optical soundtrack negative made available by RTI-Mediaset. A few sections affected by severe decay were replaced with interpositive materials conserved by Cineteca Nazionale.This is a gorgeous looking transfer that nicely preserves the kind of surprisingly varied palette Fellini employs. While Juliet of the Spirits is rightly remembered for its amazing use of color, it's actually interesting to note, for example, how often Giulietta and even some of the other characters can wear neutral colors, while all around them everything from blossoms to furniture can be almost candy colored. The pastels in this transfer are especially evocative (the scene in the park circa the 25 minute mark is a nice example). Detail levels are generally excellent throughout and grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation.
Color restoration supervision by Gianfranco Angelucci. All laboratory work was carried out at Rumblefish VFX, Milan.
Juliet of the Spirits features an LPCM Mono track that can reveal just a little crackle and a slightly bright higher end in music, but which otherwise is nicely balanced. While it may be more subliminal than the visual side of things, the sound design of this film is psychedelic in its own way, with weird, anachronistic flourishes and layering, and while obviously narrow, this mono track delivers dialogue cleanly and clearly, with good support for effects. Optional English subtitles are available.
While a Look Magazine article on Fellini actually provides some supplemental information included on Fellini Satyricon, another major United States weekly publication featured Fellini a couple of years before Look did. For some reason which is still completely unclear to me, I started collecting Saturday Evening Post magazines when I was a little boy, and ended up getting some very early issues from the late 19th and early 20th century, but also more contemporary editions, which included a January 1966 issue that had a cover story on Fellini and Juliet of the Spirits, which is probably the first time I had ever really heard the name Fellini or seen images from any of his films. That kind of admittedly weird childhood connection has always made this a special Fellini film for me personally, but even for those without a certain nostalgic tether, Fellini's wonderful if frequently bizarre showcase for his wife is incredibly colorful in more than one way. Technical merits are generally solid (video probably a bit more than audio), and the supplements on this disc in particular are really outstanding. Highly recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Fellini's Intervista
1987
1953
Lo sceicco bianco
1952
E la nave va
1983
Luci del varietà
1950
The Swindle
1955
Le notti di Cabiria
1957
Fellini's Roma
1972
1954
1973
1969
Otto e mezzo / Federico Fellini's 8½
1963
1960
En passion
1969
Tystnaden
1963
Djävulens öga
1960
Törst
1949
Riten / The Ritual
1969
Gycklarnas afton
1953
Såsom i en spegel
1961