Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Malèna Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 2, 2023

Giuseppe Tornatore's "Malena" (2000) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films. The supplemental features on the release include the documentary "The Life and Dream of Giuseppe Tornatore"; interviews with Giuseppe Tornatore and composer Ennio Morricone; vintage promotional materials for the film; and more. In Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The text below was first used in our review of the uncut Korean release of Malena, which GreenNarae Media produced in 2013..

Giuseppe Tornatore’s Malena is set in a small Sicilian town and tells two stories. The first is about a young and stunningly beautiful woman, Malena Scordia (Monica Bellucci, Irreversible, Sanguepazzo), the daughter of the town’s respected and almost completely deaf Latin teacher (Pietro Notarianni, executive producer, The Damned). The second is about a young boy, Renato Amoroso (Giuseppe Sulfaro), who becomes obsessed with Malena.

Malena is married but her husband has gone to war. Living alone and struggling to make ends meet, she is now desired by every man and despised by every woman in the town.

One day, Renato sees Malena heading to the marketplace and immediately falls in love with her. He begins spying on the beauty and fantasizing about the day when he would be old enough to make love to her. He doesn’t know exactly how, but has a pretty good idea – because his friends, all of whom are masters in the fine art of masturbation, have already taught him invaluable lessons.

Meanwhile, Malena’s husband is reported killed in action and the single men in the town immediately proceed to impress her. A few married ones also try their luck. Malena is forced to accept some of their gifts because she is starving and penniless.

When the Germans arrive in town, Malena, together with a local prostitute, begins flirting with them. Renato is seriously disappointed but understands why Malena does what she does – she has to survive. He also prays for her and vows to protect her as best as he can.

Eventually, the Germans leave the town, the Americans arrive, and the war ends. Then, the town’s angry women decide to teach Malena a lesson she would never forget, while the men, many of whom have tried and failed to share Malena’s bed, decide to keep quiet.

The two stories the film tells are quite different. The first is charming and light, at times outrageously funny. It is the story of a boy coming of age while the world around him is also rapidly changing. The second story is dark and sad. It is about a beautiful young woman, but also about Sicilian traditions, honor, and customs. The two stories are closely intertwined, but their messages are indeed quite different.

The version of the film offered on Studio Canal’s Blu-ray release, reviewed here, is heavily edited, with virtually all of the cuts affecting the first story, and specifically Renato’s dreams and fantasies (most of which show Malena seducing or making love to Renato). This shorter version of the film runs at approximately 92 minutes, and it was the version of the film Miramax distributed on DVD in the United States.

The uncut version of Malena offered on this Korean release runs at approximately 108 minutes. Initially, it was available on DVD only in Italy, courtesy of local distributors Medusa (see here). Later on, Korean distributors Spectrum also released the uncut version of the film on DVD (their release is essentially an NTSC-encoded replica of the Italian PAL-encoded release; see here). Unlike the Italian DVD release, the Korean DVD release is English-friendly. However, interestingly enough, the uncut version of the film can only be seen as intended by director Tornatore if one turns on the English subtitles on the disc. If one turns on the Korean subtitles, plenty of the footage that is missing from the Miramax cut release is optically censored. The new and fully uncut Blu-ray release of Malena reviewed here is not optically censored.

*In 2001, Malena won Best Cinematography Award (Lajos Koltai) at the David di Donatello Awards as well as Silver Ribbon Award for Best Score (Ennio Morricone) granted by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists.

Malèna Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Malena arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint Films.

This release is sourced from the same master that Korean label GreenNarae Media used to produce this release in 2013. The encode is different, but the main characteristics of the presentation are practically identical.

I think that the film looks in high-definition. However, I also think that in an ideal world it could look quite a bit better. For example, there are several areas where noticeable density fluctuations impact delineation, clarity, and depth. For example, the black-and-white dream sequence is from one such area. Sharpness can fluctuate a bit too, though the fluctuations here are much, much smaller. However, the current master, which was prepared during the DVD era, reassembles the longer version of the film, so virtually all of these fluctuations are inherited. Colors look good. I am unsure if they are entirely accurate -- the cut version of the film that Miramax distributed has a different color scheme -- but several of Giuseppe Tornatore's films favor similar warmer primaries and supporting nuances. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. On my system, this release produces slightly more pleasing visuals than the Korean release as well, though there are still areas that could have benefitted from specific encoding optimizations. (For what it's worth, if you upscale it to 4K, you will eliminate virtually all inconsistencies that would have benefited from the encoding optimizations). Image stability is good. All in all, even though the uncut version of Malena looks slightly dated now, I think that it has good organic appearance. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Malèna Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Clarity, depth, and stability are very good. The dialog is very easy to follow, too. However, Malena is completed by such a lush, incredibly beautiful soundtrack that I would love to hear a fully remastered 5.1 track. Perhaps a new Dolby Atmos track could accomplish precisely what I think is possible. The English translation is very good and superior to the one that is present on the Korean release.

Malèna Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Life and Dream of Giuseppe Tornatore - this wonderful documentary was included on the Korean release of Malena but lacked English subtitles. In it, Giuseppe Tornatore recalls how he fell in love with cinema and acquired his first camera to begin making films. The director also explains how Sicily inspired him over the years and shaped the identity of his work and why water is always an important character in it. A portion of the documentary is dedicated on the making of Malena as well. In Italian, with English subtitles. (53 min).

• The Making of Malena - this archival program focuses on the production of Malena. Included in it are clips from interviews with Giuseppe Tornatore and Monica Bellucci. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• On Location - an archival program with plenty of raw footage from the shooting of Malena in Sicily. In Italian, with English subtitles. (36 min).

• Interview with Giuseppe Tornatore - in this archival program, Guiseppe Tornatore discusses his decision to shoot a portion of Malena in Morocco, the casting of Monica Bellucci and Giuseppe Sulfaro, and the period appearance of Malena. In Italian, with English subtitles. (10 min).

• Interview with Giuseppe Tornatore and Ennio Morricone - in this archival program, Guiseppe Tornatore and the great maestro Ennio Morricone discuss their professional relationship, which began with Cinema Paradiso, and what it was like to work together on Malena. Also, there are some particularly interesting comments about The Legend of 1900 and its complex narrative structure. In Italian, with English subtitles. (23 min).

• In Studio - Recording the Score - an archival program with plenty of footage from the recording sessions that were held after Ennio Morricone began working on the soundtrack for Malena. In Italian, with English subtitles. (22 min).

• Trailer - an original trailer for the cut version of Malena that Miramax distributed in the U.S. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• TV Spots - several TV spots for the cut version of Malena that Miramax distributed in the U.S. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Malèna Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is unlikely that the uncut version of Malena will ever reach North American shores, which of course is extremely disappointing because it is a spectacular film. Thankfully, the uncut version of Malena has reached Australian shores with this Blu-ray release from Imprint Films, which also introduces the wonderful documentary The Life and Dream of Giuseppe Tornatore. I think that it is a very good package for English speakers and anyone that does not have a Region-Free player. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.