The Vanquished Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

The Vanquished Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 9, 2014

Released in 1953, “The Vanquished” presented Michelangelo Antonioni as a work-in-progress, perfecting on his directorial skills as he experimented with tone, theme, and style. Curious about the post-war effect on the youth of the day, the helmer created three chapters (“Italy,” “France,” and “England”) to explore the plague of violence, with callousness becoming all the rage, filling headlines with tales of murder and remorselessness. Over the course of three short stores, Antonioni wasn’t looking to solve this crisis of conscience, only to dissect it, inspecting passionate characters caught up in ugly business.

It’s prescient work, with a bold opening that condemns the rise of thrill-killing and media exploitation, yet “The Vanquished” doesn’t necessarily follow through with this initial fury. Instead, the viewer is treated to pointed examples of evil, sold with cautious timing and restraint, hoping to strengthen final statements of horror. In the best Antonioni way, the humanity of select moments shine through, but profound patience is required to manage his studious approach.

The Vanquished Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Although it's billed as a "restoration," the VC-1 encoded image (1.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation is more of a patchwork quilt. Assembled from a variety of source materials, "The Vanquished" isn't visually consistent, with varying levels of damage on display, while intensity of flicker, debris, and rough reel changes also provide a bumpy viewing experience. Filtering is present, with an absence of grain making the image very clean and semi-soft, diluting fine detail. Contrast is satisfactory, never remarkable. Pockets of noise, haloing, and banding are found. Perhaps this is the best condition "The Vanquished" can manage without a full restoration budget, but what's here doesn't retain filmic texture, often looking like a television program.

The Vanquished Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 LPCM mix (in Italian and original country-specific audio) supplies the essentials without any overt distortion, with hiss kept to a bare minimum. Dubbed dialogue exchanges are thick but expressive, sustaining intended emotional highs and lows, while scoring and soundtrack offerings are smoothly worked in the flow of things. There's limited power here, but intended stillness and passionate character interaction are retained.

The Vanquished Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet contains eight pages, featuring an essay by Stefania Parigi.

• Interview (10:23, SD) with actor Franco Interlenghi (star of "Italy") discusses his brief time working with Antonioni, sharing how the director controlled the set and insisted on repetition to achieve perfection. A charming man, Interlenghi is filled with anecdotes about filming and his career, also providing some insight about the changes make to "The Vanquished."

• Interview (12:53, SD) with writer/producer Turi Vasile provides a brief history of post-war Italian cinema and his assertion that "The Vanquished" was a turning point for the industry. Exploring themes and alterations to the movie, Vasile is extremely rehearsed and ready to praise the effort to the hilt.

• "Tentato Suicidio" (22:47, HD) is a segment from "Love in the City," directed by Antonioni.

• "Italy" (30:07, HD) is the original, uncut version of the controversial middle segment, originally exhibited in 1953.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

The Vanquished Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Although the presentation suffers, "The Vanquished" remains potent for Antonioni purists, while the addition of the full, uncut "Italy" sequence supplies an interesting look at the censorship of the day.