6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Young girls (13-20's) are drawn into the web of prostitution, where they are bought and sold like slaves.
Starring: Cinzia Mambretti, Annarita Grapputo, Sergio Masieri, Mario Mattia Giorgetti, Marisa FabbriForeign | 100% |
Erotic | 1% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
BDInfo verified
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Carlo Lizzani's "The Teenage Prostitution Racket" a.k.a. "Storie di vita e malavita" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video US. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; archival documentary featuring interviews with Carlo Lizzani, screenwriter Mino Giarda, and cinematographer Lamberto Calmi; and deleted scenes. The release also arrives with a 12-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Bret Wood and technical credits. In English, without optional subtitles. Region-Free.
In the shop
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Carlo Lizzani's The Teenage Prostitution Racket arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Raro Video US.
The film looks a tad softer than it should be, but I much prefer this type of appearance over some of the very harsh looking Italian remasters that the label has used in the past for other releases of Italian genre films. The most obvious limitations of this remaster usually pop up during indoor/darker footage where crushing clearly collapses detail. However, there is plenty of footage where even though the softness remains prominent detail and depth range from decent to above average and good. Another positive is the fact that there are no traces of sharpening corrections. Colors are stable, but ideally saturation ought to be better and there should be expanded ranges of nuances. Still, for the most part balance is mostly decent. Image stability is very good. Finally, there are no distracting large cuts, debris, or similar annoying imperfections. All in all, this is a pretty decent presentation of this very difficult to track down and see film. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Optional English subtitles are not provided for the main feature.
The film appears to have been shot with actors uttering lines in English and Italian at the same time, and later on it was
overdubbed in English in the studio. As it is the case with many such 'international' dubs of Italian genre films, there is some unevenness and and the range of dynamic nuances is anything but impressive. In fact, there are even a few exchanges where clarity is rather problematic. However, this is how the Italians created the English track and this is the type of quality that the lossless track reproduces. Ultimately, the dialog isn't difficult to follow, but maybe optional English subtitles should have been included.
The impact that Carlo Lizzani's work had on the evolution of Italian post-war cinema cannot be overstated. He was incredibly prolific as a director and writer and his name is attached to such timeless classics as Germany Year Zero and Bitter Rice. I think that the best films that he directed are the ones where his neorealist roots are most obvious and some of his political anger sneaks in. The Teenage Prostitution Racket was once a very difficult film to track down and see so this recent release fills an obvious void. In terms of style and tone, it is very similar to Lizzani's period gangster drama Wake Up and Kill, but its focus is on the fast and dangerous disintegration of Italy's social fabric during the 1970s. I think that folks that like to explore the work of the Italian post-war directors will at the very least find it intriguing. RECOMMENDED.
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