7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.7 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Amidst the outbreak of World War II, Renato, a young Sicilian boy, becomes infatuated with beautiful war widow Malena. Malena is leered at by men, reviled by women and eventually suffers greatly for her beauty. Ever-watchful Renato does not come to her aid but, nevertheless, learns a valuable lesson about courage.
Starring: Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro, Luciano Federico, Matilde Piana, Pietro NotarianniForeign | 100% |
Erotic | 85% |
Romance | 62% |
Drama | 55% |
Coming of age | 19% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Korean, English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
The uncut version of Giuseppe Tornatore's "Malena" (2000) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Korean distributors GreenNarae Media. The supplemental features on this release include original trailers and TV spots; making of featurette; interviews with director Giuseppe Tornatore and composer Ennio Morricone; documentary film; and more. In Italian, with optional English and Korean subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Malena
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, the uncut version of Giuseppe Tornatore's Malena arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Korean distributors GreenNarae Media.
The uncut version of this beautiful film has very little in common with the cut version, which StudioCanal released in the United Kingdom last year. The drastically different color-scheme, in particular, is virtually identical to the one observed on the old Korean DVD release, which also boasted very strong, at times overwhelming yellows and browns. Obviously, detail and clarity are dramatically improved, but contrast levels are once again elevated. Furthermore, the daylight footage on the uncut version essentially looks like it was taken from an entirely different film - colors, brightness levels, and shadow definition are completely different. The range of black levels is also different. Naturally, with such massive discrepancies it is difficult to tell which of the two versions has the more accurate look. However, and this is strictly speculation on my part, I tend to believe that the uncut version, with its lush yellows and browns, is far closer to how director Tornatore intended Malena to look because in his rural Italian films (The Star Maker, Baarěa) bright yellows and browns are always prominent colors. Moreover, while not problematic, compression on the uncut version could have been better. For example, during select close-ups light artifacts are easy to see (see screencapture #13). On the other hand, there are no traces of excessive degraining and sharpening corrections. Unsurprisingly, when viewed in motion the film does have a relatively stable organic look. Lastly, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. Also, there are no large damage marks, debris, cuts, and warps. All in all, the presentation of the uncut version of Malena isn't flawless, but it represents a substantial upgrade in quality over the old R3 uncut DVD version of the film. With that in mind, and considering how incredibly difficult it has been to see Malena uncut, I think that this new Korean Blu-ray release is well worth importing. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, GreenNarae Media has provided optional English and Korean subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The lossless track does not disappoint. I did a few quick comparisons with my R3 DVD release and could immediately tell that Ennio Morricone's beautiful score sounds lusher and crisper. However, you should keep in mind that this isn't a film that will test the muscles of your audio system - it has a good range of nuanced dynamics but the sound is never overly aggressive. The dialog is crisp and clean. Also, there are no pops, cracks, dropouts, or distortions. The English translation is good.
Note: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray machines, including the PS3.
Seeing all the excitement this new Blu-ray release of the uncut version of Giuseppe Tornatore's beautiful film Malena generated is a bit strange. It felt as if I went back in time, shortly after 2000, when the first uncut Korean DVD release from Spectrum arrived on the market. I can vividly remember how excited a lot of people were to see the film no one saw theatrically on this side of the Atlantic. Now everyone gets a second chance to see the uncut version of Malena on Blu-ray, and once again thanks to a Korean distributor. While I think that there is room for some key improvements, the Blu-ray release undoubtedly represents a solid upgrade in quality over the old R3 DVD release. It is well worth importing, folks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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