La finestra di fronte Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

La finestra di fronte Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 9, 2012

Winner of five David di Donatello Awards, including Best Film, Best Actor and Best Actress, Ferzan Ozpetek's "La finestra di fronte" a.k.a "Facing Windows" (2003) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Italian distributors Cecchi Gori. The supplemental features on the disc include original Italian theatrical trailer and teaser; deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Ferzan Ozpetek; making of featurette; conversation with director Ferzan Ozpetek, scenarist Gianni Romoli, and producer Tilde Corsi; audio commentary with director Ferzan Ozpetek and scenarist Gianni Romoli; and more. In Italian, with optional English, French, and Italian SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

I don't remember my name

On the way back home from the local bazaar, Giovanna (Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Vincere, La bestia nel cuore) and Filippo (Filippo Nigro, ACAB: All Cops Are Bastards) meet an elderly man (Massimo Girotti) who can't remember his name or where he lives. Fillippo decides to take him to the police, but ends up bringing him home after he realizes that there is an important football game on TV which he has been planning to watch. Later on, after they have dinner, the elderly man falls asleep.

In the days that follow, the elderly man slowly begins to regain his memory - or so it seems. He calls himself Simone and remembers someone he loved dearly. Meanwhile, Giovanna, who has been frustrated with her job as an accountant in a small chicken factory, confronts Fillippo because he isn't eager to find out where Simone lives. Late at night, she also spends time gazing at the handsome man (Raoul Bova, Under the Tuscan Sun, Baaria) living right across her.

This beautiful Italian film directed by Turkish helmer Ferzan Ozpetek tells two different stories. The first is set in Rome in 1943 and is told through flashbacks, which are essentially the elderly man's memories. The second story is set in present days. There are interesting twists in both.

The message of the film is simple: Don't be afraid to follow your heart. The manner in which the message is delivered is never compromised by the sentimentality which is typically loaded in similarly themed films. The main protagonists make important discoveries about their lives and one of them gathers the courage to make an important change, but there are no profound transformations. At the end of the film, the protagonists are still vulnerable real people.

Ozpetrek's films always have a unique pulse and atmosphere, and Facing Windows is not an exception. From start to finish there is a degree of seriousness in it, but selected sequences - typically the conversations between Giovanna and her best friend Emine - have a light comedic tone which keeps the film grounded in reality. As usual, political correctness is largely ignored. Also, again there are memorable food rituals.

Facing Windows was Mr. Girotti's last film. Shortly after it was completed, he passed away. Throughout his career the great Italian actor appeared in such acclaimed films as Luchino Visconti's Ossessione (1943), Michelangelo Antonioni's Story of a Love Affair (1950), Jean Gremillon's The Love of a Woman (1953), and Pier Paolo Pasolini's Teorema (1968), among others. Here, Mr. Girotti gives a masterful performance as the elderly amnesiac who could not love the person his heart desired.

Mezzogiorno, one of the very best Italian actresses of her generation, is also terrific as the wife and mother who secretly dreams of a different life. Bova's presence in front of the camera is limited, but he also leaves a memorable impression.

The film has a fluid, very stylish look. It was lensed by Gianfilippo Corticelli, who also collaborated with Ozpetek on Sacred Heart (2005) and Saturn in Opposition (2007).

The outstanding soundtrack by Andrea Guerra won David di Donatello Award (the Italian equivalent to the Oscar) for Best Music.

La finestra di fronte Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ferzan Ozpetek's Facing Windows arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Italian distributors Cecchi Gori.

The high-definition transfer appears to have been struck from the same master that was prepared for the R2 Italian 2DVD set of Facing Windows which was released in 2003. It is decent but somewhat inconsistent. Most close-ups are pleasing (see screencaptures #1 and 8), but there are traces of mild filtering that have a tendency to soften the specific shots where light is restricted. Occasionally, traces of mild sharpening are also visible, though none of them ever become overly distracting. Clarity is adequate, but there are fluctuations. As it was the case with the 2DVD set, contrast levels are toned down, possibly with the brightness levels also adjusted a bit. Color reproduction is pleasing, but the prominent colors are never lush and bright, most likely because the high-definition transfer was indeed struck from a somewhat dated master. Still, detail is very clearly improved, and during the indoor sequences the macroblocking patterns from the 2DVD set are missing. Lastly, there are no large cuts, debris, or damage marks. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

La finestra di fronte Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Cecchi Gori have provided optional English, French, and Italian SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The lossless track is a good enough reason to recommend importing this Italian Blu-ray release. Facing Windows is complimented by a truly beautiful music soundtrack courtesy of Andrea Guerra that gets exactly the type of boost I hoped it would. The violins in the main theme now sound lush and literally fill up the room, while the bass has good depth. A few of the sequences where the late Massimo Girotti remembers Simone are very powerful. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. There are no distortions or audio dropouts. The English translation is outstanding.

La finestra di fronte Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original Italian theatrical trailer for Facing Windows. In Italian, not subtitled. (2 min, PAL).

• Teaser - original Italian teaser for Facing Windows. Music only. (1 min, PAL).

• Scene cambiate - a gallery of deleted scenes, with optional commentary by director Ferzan Ozpetek. In Italian, not subtitled. (9 min, PAL).

• Scenografie e costumi - a look at the film's production and costume designs. In Italian, not subtitled. (16 min, PAL).

• Backstage - raw footage from the shooting of specific sequences, with short comments by cast members. In Italian, not subtitled. (6 min, PAL).

• La finestra rubata - a making of featurette with raw footage from the shooting of the film. In Italian, not subtitled. (29 min, PAL).

• Il Realismo delle emozioni - director Ferzan Ozpetek, scenarist Gianni Romoli, and producer Tilde Corsi discuss the production history and unique qualities of Facing Windows. In Italian, not subtitled. (33 min, 1080/50i).

• Commentary - audio commentary with director Ferzan Ozpetek and scenarist Gianni Romoli. In Italian, not subtitled.

La finestra di fronte Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ferzan Ozpetek's Facing Windows was one of my favorite films back in 2003. It is an intelligent and deeply moving film about love and the simple things in life that matter the most. Unfortunately, it was also the great Italian actor Massimo Girotti's last film. The Italian Blu-ray release herein reviewed, courtesy of Cecchi Gori, is definitely a step up in quality, especially as far as the audio is concerned, but could have been even more convincing. RECOMMENDED.