7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Set in a small Sicilian town, the story follows a Carabinieri chief investigating a murder, hampered by the deep-seated presence of the Mafia that perpetuates a culture of silence.
Starring: Claudia Cardinale, Franco Nero, Lee J. Cobb, Tano Cimarosa, Nehemiah PersoffForeign | 100% |
Drama | 54% |
Crime | 20% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Cosa Nostra: Franco Nero in Three Mafia Tales by Damiano Damiani set from Radiance
Films.
Franco Nero is one of those huge international superstars who perhaps perplexingly never really seemed to make a consistent impact in the United
States market for whatever reason, though some have mentioned his lack of facility with English for having potentially contributed to that situation.
In
that
regard, it's at least arguable that the "average Joe" and/or "Joanne" filmgoer on this side of the pond would only be able
to point to Camelot, perhaps ironically even if they hadn't
actually seen it, simply because of the gossip column fodder that erupted courtesy of his burgeoning relationship with co-star Vanessa
Redgrave.
That said, Camelot and maybe, just maybe titles like The Bible: In the Beginning... and/or Die Hard 2: Die Harder might occur to some
stateside fans as offering Nero
performances they've seen, but of course his European popularity was unmatched in his heyday, spurred by his star making performance in Django. As is recounted in some of the supplements Radiance has
included with this three disc set, Nero matriculated from westerns in the sixties into some late sixties through seventies films that were at least
tangentially related to
Poliziotteschi, though often from the "flip side", i.e., focusing on the criminals rather than the good guys. Radiance has aggregated three of
those entries in this appealing set, which features productions ranging from 1968 to 1975 all directed by Damiano Damiani, and at least somewhat
interestingly only one of which features Nero as a policeman.
The Day of the Owl 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 on the transfer:
The Day of the Owl was scanned in 2K from the original camera negative and restored and colour graded by Studio Cine, Rome. The original Italian and English mono soundtracks were restored by Radiance Films in 2022.This is a great looking transfer with secure detail levels and a really nicely organically resolved grain field, along with an often quite sumptuously suffused palette. The color timing may strike some as just a tad on the yellow side at times, but a lot of the outdoor material in particular pops beautifully and offers sometimes surprisingly fulsome fine detail levels even in midrange and wide framings. There are some very slight deficits in shadow detail in some nighttime scenes and a couple of dimly lit interior moments.
The Day of the Owl features LPCM 2.0 Mono tracks in either Italian or English. The English track at least gives you Lee J. Cobb's memorable voice, but the Italian track struck my ears as being noticeably brighter and louder, perhaps helping to deliver a more generally satisfying listening experience. Both tracks offer dialogue cleanly and clearly. Optional English subtitles are available.
The Day of the Owl serves as a potent introduction to some of the themes that Damiano will explore in all three of the films in the Cosa Nostra set, though it is arguably the most "standard" of the three in terms of its depiction of a powerful crime family and attempts to clean things up. Technical merits are solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Perché si uccide un magistrato
1975
L'istruttoria è chiusa: dimentichi
1971
Un maledetto imbroglio | Limited Edition
1959
Standard Edition
1976
懲役十八年 / Chōeki jū hachi-nen | Limited Edition
1967
博徒外人部隊 / Bakuto gaijin butai | Limited Edition
1971
1973
天注定 / Tian zhu ding
2013
Deux hommes dans la ville
1973
Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum
1975
アウトレイジ / Way of the Yakuza
2010
Rote Sonne | Limited Edition
1970
2020
Plemya
2014
南方车站的聚会 / Nán fāng chē zhàn de jù huì
2019
Irezumi ichidai / 刺青一代
1965
影なき声; / Kage naki koe
1958
1971
1970
2002