7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Four generations of a family live crowded together in a cardboard shantytown shack in the squalor of inner-city Rome.
Starring: Nino Manfredi, Maria Luisa Santella, Francesco Anniballi, Maria Bosco, Giselda CastriniForeign | 100% |
Drama | 59% |
Dark humor | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Italian: LPCM 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Ettore Scola's "Ugly, Dirty and Bad" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement. The supplemental features on the disc include a remastered trailer for the film and exclusive audio commentary by professor Richard Pena. In Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
True love
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ettore Scola's Ugly, Dirty and Bad arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Movement.
The release is sourced from a recent 2K remaster that was prepared to celebrate the film's 40th anniversary. It is a decent remaster that offers the best technical presentation of the film to date, but it is not immaculate. If I had to guess I would say that it was struck from an interpositive because the density levels on display are not optimal, but it is also possible that a different element was accessed. Regardless, the film looks slightly softer than it should, and during the darker/nighttime footage there is light black crush that sneaks in. There are no traces of sharpening adjustments. Colors appear healthy, but there are some inconsistencies with specific nuances that lead me to believe that some LUT values are not entirely correct. The good news is that overall balance remains decent. Image stability is excellent. There are no large cuts, debris, damage marks, stains, or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one standard audio audio track on this Blu-ray release: Italian LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The audio is stable, clean, and nicely balanced. There are certain segments where Armando Trovajoli's score adds to the atmosphere, but it does not have the preeminent role that other scores from the great maestro have in classic and popular genre films. There are no traces of age-related imperfections in the background.
The only other director that has come close to matching the fearless deranged brilliance of Ettore Scola's Ugly, Dirty and Bad is Serbian auteur Emir Kusturica. I have a very old theory that a viewing of Ugly, Dirty and Bad is what assured Kusturica that he could go as far as he did in gems like Black Cat, White Cat and Time of the Gypsies because even though they come from another period, the only difference I could see is that these films promoted a more wicked Balkanized sense of humor. Film Movement's release was one of my favorite in 2016, which is why I placed it on my annual Top 10 list. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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