Raro Video U.S. have confirmed that they will release on Blu-ray Antonio Pietrangeli's
Adua e le compagne a.k.a.
Adua and her Friends (1960), starring Simone Signoret, Marcello Mastroianni, Emmanuelle Riva, Sandra Milo, and Gina Rovere. The release is expected to arrive on the market later this year.
A rare masterpiece and a wonderful example of Italian Cinema starring two European film icons, Simone Signoret and Marcello Mastroianni,
Adua e le compagne tells the story of four prostitutes forced to fend for themselves when a new law closes the bordellos of Rome. They pool their savings to open a trattoria, but find they cannot get a license. A prominent fixer with connections obtains the license for them, on the condition that they conduct their old business upstairs and pay him an exorbitant monthly fee. The works of Pietrangeli, one of the most talented members of the Italian neo-realism movement and capable of delivering gems such as
Adua and her Friends and
The Visitor definitely deserves to be revisited and to be exposed to a larger international audience.