7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Andrew's brave front convinces his father that he is unaffected by his mother's death. Playmate and protector of his little brother Miles, he is often blamed when mischief goes wrong. Only when tragedy strikes does his father recognize Andrew's true qualities.
Starring: Anthony Quayle, John Sharp, Giorgia Moll, Graziella Granata, Adriana FacchettiForeign | 100% |
Drama | 68% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Italian: LPCM 2.0 Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The 1960s saw some truly amazing performances from child actors in films, and three of them actually ended up garnering Academy Award nominations. Two of this vaunted trifecta competed against each other in the ceremony honoring 1962 films, Mary Badham in To Kill a Mockingbird and ultimate winner Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker, while Jack Wild in Oliver! was the third child actor to receive an Oscar nomination during this particular decade. Kind of interestingly, despite at least some beautiful child performances in foreign films during that decade, other than the English Wild, no international young performers were feted with nominations, let alone wins, but for anyone wanting a primer on how to coax beautifully naturalistic acting from kids, one might need look no further than Italy's Luigi Comencini. Comencini's name may well be less than renowned on this side of the pond, but as some of the supplements on this disc get into, he had a rather pronounced knack for finding children who had no acting experience and then not just casting them in his films but getting some really remarkable performances from them as well. Quite interestingly as is also disclosed in some of the supplemental content on this disc, many of these child actors never appeared in another film.
Misunderstood is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Radiance's insert booklet contains the following information: blockquote> Misunderstood was scanned from the original camera negative in 2K at Studio Cine, Rome. The film was restored by Radiance Films at Filmfinity in 2024. Thousands of instances of dirt, dust, stains and tears were removed and dozens of shots stabilised to attentuate mechanical jitter. This is by and large a really lovely looking transfer that offers some nicely tight grain resolution supporting an organic appearance, as well as some very nice suffusion in the palette, which is especially noticeable in a lot of the outdoor material with John and the boys on the grounds of their massive estate. There can be a just slightly yellowish undertone at times which can give a somewhat jaundiced look to flesh tones, as well as making reds like the schoolboy jackets tilt a bit toward orange territory. Fine detail is commendable throughout in both interior and exterior scenes. There are a few passing moments of splotchiness (see screenshot 9), as well as some minor age related wear and tear that has made it through the restoration gauntlet.
Misunderstood features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track in the original Italian. The post looping can be more than obvious at times, and the entire track has a somewhat boxy sound, but all dialogue is rendered without any major problems. Some classical source cues are combined with Fiorenzo Carpi's original score, and there can be some very slight distortion in elements like harpsichords, as well as some of the louder moments with the kids. There is some pretty inartful music editing at various moments, for those who notice things like jumps in cues. Optional English subtitles are available.
Misunderstood is undeniably manipulative, but that doesn't mean most who watch it will have a considerable lump in their throat by the story's conclusion. The intimate performances really elevate the material, and Radiance provides generally solid technical merits and some outstanding supplements. Recommended.
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