Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Monster Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 15, 2019

Roberto Benigni's "The Monster" (1994) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an archival trailer for the film as well as an exclusive new audio commentary by critic Peter Tonguette. In Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The elusive Mozart of vice

Roberto Benigni’s character is essentially a replica of Pierre Richard’s ‘tall blond man with one black shoe’. The two are very, very colorful losers who accidentally get stuck in utterly bizarre predicaments that provide them with brand new identities. However, for a long period of time they continue to live their lives with their authentic identities, completely unaware that there are powerful forces gravitating around them, which is why the chaos that they unintentionally create is so outrageously funny.

In The Monster, the chaos is unleashed shortly after Loris (Benigni) is mistaken for a serial rapist that has been terrorizing a big Italian town. During a lavish party, a good friend describes the perfect date to Loris while she is sitting right behind him -- a young and very sexy girl that would sleep with anyone because ‘she really is a nymphomaniac’ -- but he makes a crucial mistake and ends up approaching someone else, and when a series of clumsy moves nearly give the sure thing a heart attack, he is instantly recognized as the elusive rapist. It is all downhill from there. While Loris desperately tries to remain a tenant in a building whose owner hates him with a passion and cannot wait to kick him out, the police begin monitoring every move he makes and gather visual evidence proving that he is one of the sickest human beings to ever be profiled by the experts. Right before the inevitable arrest, a brave female agent pretending to be single and looking for a roommate (Benigni’s wife Nicoletta Braschi) is also dispatched to the monster’s lair to study his planning routine.

Even though the critics were a lot more enthusiastic about Life Is Beautiful, out of the eight films that Benigni directed throughout his career The Monster is unquestionably his best work. The type of risky situations this film produces and then the manner in which it turns them on their head to deliver seemingly endless laughs are so brilliant that at times it feels right to speculate that Benigni might have discovered and worked with Buster Keaton’s magic book. It really does. The timing and coordination in many of Benigni’s gags come with such remarkable precision that over time the extraordinary begins to look ordinary, and this is precisely the impression that Keaton’s best films leave. It is a deceiving impression, obviously, but while the man before the camera entertains the idea that all of his moves were carefully choreographed and put together never crosses the viewer’s mind, and this is mastery of the highest caliber.

The blending of the ‘dirty’ from the narrative and Benigni’s charisma, however, is what makes the film absolutely irresistible. It stays right on the edge of decency, juggling a huge amount of double talk and suggestive visuals, but never once becomes crude. And instead of appearing stiff or cautious Benigni is like a euphoric kid in a giant toy store with endless shelfs of goodies, only the goodies are all those taboo situations and risky dreams that grown-ups always try to avoid so that they appear respectable in public. It is delicious entertainment of the kind that is desperately needed in the current overly-sanitized socio-cultural environment.

The Monster was lensed by award-winning Italian cinematographer Carlo Di Parma, whose legacy includes such classics as Michelangelo Antonioni’s first English language film, Blow-Up, and Red Desert, Pietro Germi’s Divorce Italian Style, and Mario Monicelli’s For Love and Gold.

*The two Yves Robert films featuring the famous 'tall blond man with one black shoe' character that is referenced at the top of this article are already out on Blu-ray. You can see our reviews of these releases here and here.

The Monster Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Monster arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a very nice recent 4K remaster. Depth and clarity are outstanding; fluidity remains very pleasing throughout the entire film as well. The color grading job is equally impressive. All of the primaries are solid and with terrific saturation levels, while the supporting nuances are nicely balanced. Needless to say, the visuals are lush but with strong organic qualities. Image stability is excellent. There are no scratches, debris, cuts, damage marks, or other similar anomalies to report. (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).

The Monster Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

There are no technical issues to report in our review. The audio is very clean and clear. Dynamic intensity is good, but the film does not really have any show-off material that could make an impression on folks that appreciate the strong active soundtracks that modern big-budget action films do. The English translation is good, but the size of the English subtitles is a bit too small for my taste.

The Monster Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage international trailer for The Monster. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 480/60i).

• Commentary - an exclusive new audio commentary by critic Peter Tonguette.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Transylvania 6-5000
  2. My Boyfriend's Back
  3. Spaced Invaders
  4. Highway to Hell
  5. Haunted Honeymoon

The Monster Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Monster offers a massive dose of fearless old-fashioned humor that at present mainstream comedians are not allowed to deliver. (Dave Chappelle and a couple of other 'rebels' are trying to bring back sanity, but they have a huge battle ahead of them). It was written and directed by its star, Roberto Benigni, and as far as I am concerned it is his best work to date. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release is sourced from a very handsome new 4K remaster that makes revisiting the film quite the treat. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.