7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Jean Servais of RIFIFI fame stars in RIFIFI IN THE CITY, a nihilistic trip through a pulp underworld of thugs, snitches, nightclub dames and black-gloved giallo-style murders.
Starring: Fernando Fernán Gómez, Jean Servais, Laura Granados, Antonio Prieto (IV), Robert ManuelForeign | 100% |
Film-Noir | 1% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Franco
Noir.
In a typically informative supplement featuring Stephen Thrower which is included on this release, Thrower makes a perhaps cautionary statement
warning those who may think they know the "story" of Jess Franco to think again, at least if they presume that some of his more lurid
horror and sex suffused entries which appeared throughout the sixties and seventies in particular are the sum total of Franco's filmography.
Thrower
in fact makes a rather cogent case that Franco in his early years was at least a relatively more mainstream director, and the two films aggregated
for
this release help to support that thesis. Both of the offerings in this set have style to spare and also feature storylines that would have been
completely at home in any of the hard boiled post-World War II noir productions that Columbia in particular could churn out, at least
initially
for the American market. The fact that, depending on whether various online sources and/or a statement on the very cover of this release are
cited,
either
Death Whistles the Blues or Rififi in the City or possibly both together were enough to convince Orson Welles to hire
Franco
as his assistant on Chimes at Midnight may allude
to the unabashed style of these offerings, and there is a
certain florid Wellesian quality to the framings of both films, and Death Whistles the Blues in particular seems willfully evocative of one of
Welles' better remembered efforts.
Rififi in the City is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The back cover of this release (which lumps the two films on the disc together) states both transfers "feature HD scans from the original negatives for the first time ever". The element here looks like it may not have been as carefully curated as with regard to Death Whistles the Blues, as age related wear and tear is at least marginally more noticeable throughout this presentation. There are quite a few (still relatively minor) scratches, and there are some passing moments of flicker and brightness fluctuations. My hunch is stock footage was utilized for some establishing shots, and that footage can look considerably less detailed than the bulk of the presentation. Contrast is generally very strong, supporting a well modulated gray scale and good black levels. This entire presentation looks just slightly softer than Death Whistles the Blues, but detail levels are still quite inviting, even in some of the intentionally shrouded lighting. Grain resolves naturally.
Rififi in the City features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track in the original Spanish. Another jazz inflected score, this time by Daniel White, reverberates rather strongly, with things like bongo cues offering surprisingly acute force. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, though occasional sound effects like cars roaring away can be just slightly shallow. Optional English subtitles are available.
Rififi in the City is a rather interesting effort from a number of angles. Franco seems to be pulling the scab off of Spain's somewhat tortured political history with this film, but he also kind of amazingly presages the whole giallo movement in some significant ways. The result may be a little chaotic feeling at times, but it's a fascinating film that does indeed provide an excellent example of Thrower's thesis about what Franco's early films can tell us about the would be auteur. Technical merits are generally solid, and the Thrower supplement is extremely informative. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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