6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Sicily, Fascist Italy, 1925. Dictator Benito Mussolini appoints Cesare Mori, a man as tough as he is honest, as the new police prefect of Palermo and entrusts him with the arduous task of putting an end to the Mafia, a sinister criminal organization that has sown terror on the island for centuries.
Starring: Giuliano Gemma, Claudia Cardinale, Stefano Satta Flores, Rik Battaglia, Enzo FisichellaForeign | 100% |
Drama | 41% |
Crime | 12% |
Period | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Italian: LPCM Mono
English: LPCM Mono
English, English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
As absolutely different as they are, there are some curious correspondences between The Iron Prefect and Fighting Back. While Fighting Back is set in the United States of the 1970s, and The Iron Prefect takes place during the Fascistic Mussolini era in Italy, both films document a man tasked with ridding a designated area of crime, only to find out he may have become something rather like a criminal in the process. The Iron Prefect is actually based on a real life Italian named Cesare Mori (Giuliano Gemma), who was sent to Palermo by Mussolini himself in order to clear the area of Mafia influences. Mori is spectacularly successful in his efforts, which actually then leads to some of his problems.
The Iron Prefect 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 brief verbiage on the transfer:
The Iron Prefect was scanned in 2K from the original camera negative and restored by Cinema Communications, Rome. The films is presented in the original aspect ratio with original mono audio.In brighter lighting conditions, and especially in some outdoor material, this transfer pops quite appealing and warmly, with natural looking flesh tones and a good accounting of the earthy backgrounds that often fill the frame. There are some passing but recurrent moments where things can either look slightly yellow or green, especially in lower light situations. A few really dark scenes have noticeably chunkier grain, though grain resolves tightly for the most part. There are some very minor nicks and flecks, but nothing of any import.
The Last Prefect features Italian and English language versions of the film, presented in LPCM Mono. While I always tend to opt for the original language version, and you certainly won't go seriously wrong with that version on this disc, to my ears the English track is noticeably clearer with better amplitude, something that may help the enjoyment of another fantastic Ennio Morricone score. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly on both tracks. Optional English subtitles are available.
There's that old adage that goes something like "be careful what you wish for", and that in essence is what this film seems to suggest Mori may have realized, perhaps a bit too late for his own good. The film has a rather understated performance by Gemma and the supporting cast is uniformly excellent. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.
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