7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
An urban fantasia interweaving recollections of Federico Fellini's young adulthood in the era of Mussolini with an impressionistic portrait of contemporary Rome, where he and his film crew are shooting footage of the bustling cityscape.
Starring: Peter Gonzales Falcon, Fiona Florence, Britta Barnes, Pia De Doses, Marne MaitlandForeign | 100% |
Drama | 87% |
Surreal | 13% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Italian: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: LPCM Mono
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Federico Fellini's "Roma" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; deleted scenes; music & effects track; and conversation with Chris Wagstaff, lecturer of Italian Studies at Reading University. In Italian or English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
On the streets of Rome
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 British distributors Eureka Entertainment.
The release uses as a foundation Cineteca di Blogona's restoration of the international version of Roma, which was carried at the Immagine Ritrovata lab, Bologna, in 2010.
The restoration is beautiful. Clarity and especially image depth are dramatically improved. For example, the footage from the underground construction site now allows one to see various small objects and even tiny cracks on the walls; on the R1 DVD release there are traces of light macroblocking and noise that seriously affect definition. The outside footage and especially the parts of the film where natural light is in abundance look even more impressive -- clarity, sharpness and definition are very good (see screencapture #2). Contrast levels remain stable. Color stability and saturation are excellent. I also like the color grading, though I feel that the greens could have been slightly toned down a bit. Still, 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. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening corrections. Additionally, it is easy to see that debris, scratches, splices, cuts, and stains have been carefully removed. Unsurprisingly, the film has a very solid organic look. All in all, I am very pleased with the technical presentation of Roma, and I am convinced that viewers who have previously experienced the film on DVD will be as well. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Italian LPCM 1.0 and English LPCM 1.0. Also included is a Music & Effects track (LPCM 1.0). For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
Depth and clarity are substantially improved on the Italian track. Generally speaking, the dialog and the music are also better balanced (with the music also being better rounded). The improvements are immediately noticeable if one listens to the clarinet solo during the opening credits. The dialog is free of crackle, hiss, pops, and distortions. The English translation is very good.
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 lasting power than that of the legendary La Dolce Vita. Beautifully restored by Cineteca di Blogona, Roma looks simply terrific on Blu-ray. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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