Roma Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Roma Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 29, 2016

Federico Fellini's "Roma" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original domestic trailer for the film; exclusive new interview with dierctor Paolo Sorrentino; new video interview with poet Valerio Magrelli; new audio commentary by writer Frank Burke; deleted scenes; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring professor David Forgacs' essay "Rome, Fellini's City". In Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

A calm voice coming from behind the camera routinely clarifies what the viewer sees on the screen -- historic buildings, beautiful streets, busy piazzas, popular restaurants and movie theaters. There are people everywhere. Some look happy, some look frustrated, some are in love, some are busy working. From afar the place looks like a giant ant colony that has gone crazy. But this is Rome, the Eternal City, a magical place the great Federico Fellini has fallen in love with, and this film is his confession, showing the world why.

The film is divided into two parts. In the first, a young man arrives in Rome and begins exploring the city. His accent and the way he carries himself immediately reveal to the Romans that he is an outsider, someone who does not yet understand the rhythm of life in the Italian capital. There is a short sequence in which he dines with a group of vulgar strangers in a small restaurant and looks so out of place that even the kids notice that he is different.

Soon after, the camera abruptly abandons the young man and moves away from the crowds. Now the viewer gets a glimpse of a different city -- a dark, dirty and lonely place where prostitutes and beggars hide in the shadows. The beautiful century-old ruins also look as if they are part of a giant cemetery people stopped visiting years ago.

These strange contrasts are what make Roma such a fascinating film to behold. A typical documentary film about the Italian capital would have focused on its beauty and great history, but Roma isn’t a typical documentary. In fact, it isn’t a typical film. It is like a very long dream that feels real while it lasts and becomes surreal when one tries to remember it.

The second part is just as unusual. This time Fellini takes the viewer on a short trip under the city, where a group of workers accidentally discover a beautiful Roman home while drilling with a giant machine. The frescoes on the walls are so beautiful that for a short moment everyone looks stunned. Then people panic because they realize that they will be the last ones to witness the beauty -- the fresh air coming through the hole they have drilled collapses the frescoes before their eyes.

There is another sequence later in the film where beauty is once again destroyed. This time Fellini’s camera visits some popular brothel where a group of prostitutes move in a circle while men of all ages are encouraged to choose quickly. Some of the women look old, some look tired, some are skinny, some are overweight. The young man with the accent is also here. He pays to make love to a young and very beautiful girl with long dark hair. Later on, she tells him that she likes her job, but when the camera comes close to her and looks into her eyes it is easy to tell that she isn’t sincere. It is also easy to see that her beauty has started fading away -- prematurely.

Fellini’s unusual tour of his favorite city ends almost as abruptly as it begins. There is no closure, no final words -- the camera simply stops filming. But Fellini has accomplished his goal, and the viewer knows it. The film has created a mental image of Fellini’s Rome that simply cannot be forgotten.

Roma was lensed by legendary Italian cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno (Luchino Visconti’s Rocco and His Brothers, Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz). The soundtrack for the film was created by Nino Rota (Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard).

Roma Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Federico Fellini's Roma arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This digital transfer was created from a 2010 restoration performed in 2K resolution at L'Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy, by the Cineteca di Bologna, the Cineteca Nazionale, and Musco Nazionale del Cinema, from the 35mm original camera negative. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at L'Immagine Ritrovata from the 35mm original soundtrack negative.

Transfer supervisor: Giuseppe Rotunno."

As the credits above confirm, the release is sourced from the same restored master that Eureka Entertainment accessed when they prepared their release of Roma in 2010. I like it quite a lot. It introduces substantial improvements in every single area we address in our reviews, from depth and clarity to general stability and fluidity. I think that the most significant improvements are noticeable during the darker/nighttime footage where the fussiness and blocking from the old R1 DVD release are completely eliminated and as a result depth is a lot more convincing. The daylight footage also impresses with better clarity and overall better dynamic range. (On the old R1 DVD release in addition to the poor definition the dynamic range was a major issue). I do like the current color grading as well, though I think that the green primaries and greenish/blueish nuances could have been toned down a bit. However, as I noted in our review of the previous release, the current green/blueish setting is certainly not out of sync with the color balance previous releases of the international version of the film have supported. Overall image stability is excellent. Large debris, cuts, damage marks, splices, scratches, stains, and other basic age-related imperfections have been removed as best as possible. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Roma Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Italian LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio has been fully remastered and depth and clarity are excellent. Overall balance is also terrific -- there are no sudden spikes or drops in dynamic activity, dialog/music-related balance issues, or other generic fluctuations. The dialog is always stable and easy to follow.

Roma Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• U.S. Trailer - original domestic U.S. trailer for Roma. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Deleted Scenes - a collection of restored scenes that were removed by Federico Fellini when the International Version of Roma was finalized. Two of the most notable scenes feature cameos by Marcello Mastroianni and Alberto Sordi. Each scene is preceded by a text description. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (18 min, 1080p).

• Paolo Sorrentino - in this brand new video interview, acclaimed dierctor Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty, Youth) discusses the impact Federico Fellini's films had on him, the manner in which the legendary director balanced creative freedom with technical expertise, some specific themes that were introduced in films like La Dolce Vita that years later re-emerged and evolved in his films, Roma and its placement in the director's oeuvre, etc. The interview is moderated by New York University film professor and critic Antonio Monda. It was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2016. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (16 min, 1080p).

• Valerio Magrelli - in this brand new featurette poet Valerio Magrelli, author of The Family Shaman: Homeopathy, Pornography, Directing in 77 Drawings by Fellini (2015), recalls his first encounter with Federico Fellini in Rome (which took place during the filming of Casanova), and discusses the great director's relationship with art and culture, the qualities that make his films stand out, Roma and the unique Fellini-esque image of the Italian capital it promotes, etc. The featurette was created exclusively for Criterion in 2016. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (17 min, 1080p).

• Felliniana - presented here are a selection of posters and promotional materials for Roma from collector Don Young's Felliniana Archive, followed by a selection of behind-the-scenes photographs of the production from the MGM archives. With music. (19 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - in this brand new audio commentary, Frank Burke, author of Fellini's Films, discusses in great detail the narrative structure and major themes of Roma, the symbolism in key sequences, some fascinating typically Fellini-esque visual contrasts, specific framing/lensing choices, politic themes that emerge throughout the film, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2016.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring professor David Forgacs' essay "Rome, Fellini's City".

Roma Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Playful, provocative, and at times simply indescribably bizarre, Federico Fellini's Roma is one of the Italian maestro's best films. It offers a glimpse at the Eternal City which, in my opinion, has a far stronger and lasting power than that of the legendary La Dolce Vita. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release is sourced from the 2K restoration of the film that was supervised by cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno and completed in 2010. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.