The Night of the Shooting Stars Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Night of the Shooting Stars Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 16, 2016

Note: This film is available as part of The Taviani Brothers Collection.

The history of Italian cinema in the post World War II era is a really fascinating subject, though one that often is traditionally shorthanded to concentrate largely if not solely on neorealism. That now iconic genre, as evidenced by such legendary films as Rome, Open City, The Earth Trembles, Bicycle Thieves and Umberto D. introduced (or at least reintroduced) global audiences to such incredible filmmakers as Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio de Sica while also offering (especially American) audiences movies that were in some ways diametrically opposite to the glossy, staged and often predictably formulaic entries that had tended to be part of Hollywood’s studio system. (It’s interesting to note that the typically grittier film noir popped up in Hollywood at around the same time as neorealism, something that might indicate a more universal attempt to bash through norms of presentation.) But while neorealism is often used as a catch all into which some unlikely suspects are stuffed (like Federico Fellini, albeit for his less whimsical fifties work like La Strada), anyone who takes the time to pore over the huge gamut of films which were produced and released in Italy even in the few years directly after World War II would have to admit that there was a lot more going on than “just” neorealism. The sixties saw the rise of filmmakers (like Fellini, in fact) who pushed the stylistic envelope in ways that the neorealists never would have, and as time and society moved on past the hardscrabble days of the late forties and early fifties, it’s at least arguable that some elements of Italian cinema actually started to ply territory that was in fact closer to the glossy, staged and predictably formulaic efforts that (at least once, and maybe continually) typified Hollywood. While a number of different genres or at least cinematic niches popped up in Italy in the ensuing years, including giallo (Castle of Blood, included as an extra on Nightmare Castle, The Bird With the Crystal Plumage), perhaps understandably Italian cinema became even more fragmented and varietal as the seventies gave way to the eighties. That may be one reason why the films of brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani can sometimes be hard to peg, at least accurately. The two are on record (including in some lengthy interviews included as supplements on this new Blu-ray set) as stating that neorealism unavoidably played a part in their cinematic upbringings, and therefore became a perhaps subliminal influence on their work, but there are other elements of the Tavianis’ oeuvre which don’t fit quite so neatly in that (or in fact any) preconceived category.

Films featuring interrelationships in quaint Italian villages have often offered loving depictions of communities which are both unified and fractious, as evidenced by such disparate entries as Amarcord , Cinema Paradiso and even The Secret of Santa Vittoria. That same tendency is on display throughout The Night of the Shooting Stars, a film which was released in Italy under the (translated) title of The Night of San Lorenzo. That reference may have been too obscure for secular Westerners, necessitating the title change, but the upshot is that Saint Lawrence is a highly venerated martyr whose feast day often intersects with the Perseid Meteor Shower, leading that phenomenon to be described as “the tears of St. Lawrence”. In The Night of the Shooting Stars, the hagiography is amended somewhat to a perhaps more pedestrian element where mid-summer shooting stars provide the opportunity to make a wish which believers have faith will come to pass.

This films plays out on a somewhat broader canvas than some other Taviani Brothers outings, at least in terms of intersecting storylines and sheer number of characters. The Night of the Shooting Stars is in essence one long flashback (rather like Cinema Paradiso, in fact), with what seems to be a mother’s voice talking about making wishes on falling stars on the night of St. Lawrence (as the screen is filled with an evocative scene of a clear cobalt blue night), and then moving on to relaying a story of a long ato night of St. Lawrence. That turns out to be back in the waning days of World War II, where a Tuscan village is impatiently waiting for the end of hostilities, something the villagers are certain must be right around the corner, even as some stubborn Nazi forces are still ensconced in the area and some desperate Italian fascists are threatening the very existence of at least part of the town.

With explosives already set around the town, some villagers seek (literal) sanctuary in the local church, while another group sets out to make their way beyond the village to see if there are perhaps American forces close by enough to help forestall if not outright prevent the threatened devastation. There’s a rather wide array of stories that are at least touched upon in both groups, though the film ultimately follows the forager refugees, who are led by Galvano (Omero Antonutti). As unlikely as it may seem given the time period and context, the film turns out to be at least nearly as picturesque as other redolent Taviani Brothers film, but where it really excels is in its depiction of the inner lives and sometimes rather boisterous outer behavior of a gaggle of people under various forms of duress.

The Night of the Shooting Stars Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Night of the Shooting Stars is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cohen Film Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1. It's at least arguable that this is the most pleasing and consistent looking transfer of the three films in the new Taviani Brothers set, one which supports the film's nice range of tones as it ventures between sometimes drab interiors and the more lush exteriors. Detail is commendable throughout the presentation, and even some of those aforementioned interior scenes have above average levels of shadow definition (see screenshot 11 for a typical example). The grain field resolves naturally and there are no issues with compression anomalies.

The Night of the Shooting Stars Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Night of the Shooting Stars' lossless LPCM mono track (in the original Italian, with optional English subtitles) provides ample and consistent support for both dialogue and the large amount of various ambient environmental effects scattered throughout the film. While narrow, the track has some appealing depth, especially in some outdoor sequences. Dialogue is cleanly rendered and well prioritized.

The Night of the Shooting Stars Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Taviani Brothers Interview - Part 2 (1080p; 1:01:31) presents the siblings with Richard Pena and Alessia Pallanti which covers a rather wide swath of material, including the early influence of neorealism and their approach toward making their films. This second part covers The Night of the Shooting Stars and Kaos. In Italian with English subtitles.


• Re-release Trailer (1080p; 1:46)

The Night of the Shooting Stars Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Taviani Brothers films like Padre Padrone may have a more visceral emotional impact, but The Night of the Shooting Stars manages to be bittersweet, heartfelt and genuinely moving as it documents the travails of a gaggle of characters in potentially life threatening situations. Perhaps just a bit too fragmented for its own good, the film is nonetheless hugely involving and manages to balance its melancholic and life affirming tendencies. Technical merits are strong, and The Night of the Shooting Stars comes Highly recommended.