7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 2.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A populist right-wing tabloid newspaper tries to derail the official police investigation of a brutal murder of a young girl in order to help the fascist and right-wing candidates it supports in the upcoming elections.
Starring: Gian Maria Volontè, Fabio Garriba, Carla Tatò, Jacques Herlin, John SteinerForeign | 100% |
Drama | 73% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Italian: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Slap the Monster on Page One has what Alex Cox in a supplement on this disc calls an unfortunate title, but it is obviously the "newprint" version of the oft quoted "if it bleeds, it leads (and/or ledes)" from broadcast news environments. Despite that arguably less than felicitous title, or maybe because of it (if you're looking for excuses), this may not be the best film to watch for any left of center Americans still reeling from the latest election, since Slap the Monster on Page One deals with an overtly right wing publisher who is not above "tweaking" what might be called "straight news" to fit his personal ideologies, including setting up left wing agitators to take the fall for bad behavior that they're not actually responsible for. Bizanti (Gian Maria Volonté) runs an Italian paper called Il Giornale, and since Alex Cox overtly compares (or at least alludes to) the character as someone quite like Rupert Murdoch, I'll just leave that there as another example of how weirdly prescient this film may be for our own fraught times. It may also serve as something of a comfort, as odd as that may sound, if only to indicate the world has been through eras dominated by right wing figures in both politics and the press, and has managed to somehow survive.
Slap the Monster on Page One is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Radiance's insert booklet offers the following information on the transfer:
Slap the Monster on Page One was restored in 4K resolution from the original camera negative by Cineteca di Bologna in collaboration with Surf Film and Kavac Film, under the supervision of director Marco Bellocchio. The film is presented in the original aspect ratio with original mono audio.For those interested, a series of prefatory text cards before the presentation also gives a bit more information (but rather weirdly the subtitle translations leave out the part about this being sourced off the negative). This is a fantastic looking presentation, with consistent densities and a really nicely tightly resolved grain field which adds a perfectly organic look without ever overwhelming fine detail. It may be arguable that color timing can skew just a bit toward blue or brown at various moments, but on the whole the palette is really vibrant and natural looking. Fine detail on things like suit jackets and other costuming is typically excellent. Some brief use of archival newsreel (or the like) video is understandably shoddier looking (see screenshot 9).
Slap the Monster on Page One features LPCM 2.0 Mono audio in the original Italian. This tends to be a fairly talk heavy piece, and the mono track supports all spoken material without any issues. Occasional calamitous sound effects can enter the fray, both in terms of "outside" protest activity, but also with regard to the clattering of old school printing presses producing that day's paper. Nicola Piovani's score also sounds full bodied. Optional English subtitles are available.
This is the rare film that may intentionally upset those on both sides of the political spectrum, albeit for different reasons. Disturbing, unsettling and ultimately rather darkly depressing, Slap the Monster on Page One may have seemed too provocative for 1972, but almost plays like a documentary for contemporary times. Technical merits are solid and the supplements very appealing. Recommended.
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