(Infinity Arthouse (2-disc) - Region 0 - PAL TOP
vs. Warner - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
Italy / France / West Germany 1986
Masina and Mastroianni's
dancing duo reunite for a 1970s TV show in Fellini's comedy-drama
It is hard not to be won over by Giulietta Masina at her best. This tiny,
expressive actress had an air of Chaplin's tramp about her, and the requisite
ability to simultaneously break and lift hearts. Federico Fellini cast Masina,
his wife and his muse, in a number of roles where her innocent clowning was used
to great effect,
La Strada being the most obvious and most beloved of her
pictures. In Ginger And Fred, Fellini pairs her with another great icon of
Italian cinema, Marcello Mastroianni.
Masina and Mastroianni play Amelia and Pippo, an old-time dance double act.
Accomplished imitators of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, they wowed provincial
Italian audiences with their polished song-and-dance shtick throughout the
1930s. Long since parted to lead ordinary family lives, they are reunited for a
Christmas edition of a popular Italian variety TV show. The duo are reacquainted
as they wait in the wings with their fellow guests, a hoard of freaks, deviants
and oddballs.
Excerpt from Channel 4 located HERE
Posters
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Theatrical Release: January 13th, 1986
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Comparison:
Infinity Arthouse (2-disc) - Region 0 - PAL vs. Warner - Region 1 - NTSC
(Infinity Arthouse (2-disc) - Region 0 - PAL LEFT vs. Warner - Region 1 - NTSC RIGHT)
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| Distribution | Infinity Arthouse - Region 0 - PAL | Warner - Region 1 - NTSC |
| Runtime | 2:02:08 (4% PAL Speedup) | 2:07:00 |
| Video | 1.33:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 4.63 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s |
1.78:1
Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.54 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Bitrate: PAL |
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| Bitrate: WARNER |
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| Audio | Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0) | Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0) |
| Subtitles | English, None | English, None |
| Features |
Release Information: Edition Details: • La
Felliniana - Epilogo: Passarella Finale (29:51) |
Release Information:
Edition Details:
• Trailer (1:44) |
| Comments: |
ADDITION: Warner - NTSC - Unfortunately neither appear in the film's proper 1.66 aspect ratio. This AR appears problematic for some DVD production companies who don't wish to confuse their purchasers with a warning of black bars down the side when played on widescreen TV's. It is really very silly promoting this ignorance. Hence the Infinity has excess headroom and the Warner is fairly tight. The single-layered Infinity shows more weakness than the brighter, anamorphic Warner. Their are more digital artifacts in the Infinity but the Warner has scenes that appear very red. Forced to choose I would pick the slightly sharper Warner for the image. The Warner has no extras save a trailer, where the Infinity has a 2nd disc of excellent supplement featurettes (see below). The Warner is almost 1/3 the price of the Infinity and although neither gets a strong nod for the transfer - in my opinion the Warner is the way to go (lesser of two evils) and if you are extremely keen you can get the Infinity later. NOTE: The subtitle translation appears quite different at times. ***
The
image quality is quite clear on this DVD5 (single layered disc). Funnily
enough I can't recall two many packages where the main film is on a
single layer and the extras are on a dual layered DVD... but here we
have it. Clarity is quite strong with consistency in the softer lens
usage when muse Masina is in the frame. Colors also are quite strong and
subtitles are good. The original aspect ratio is 1.66 and this appears
to be an open matte.
Extras are a high point of the package with about 2 1/2 hours of
reminiscences and other informative material.
The film itself would be considered a
'miss' by many Fellini fans, but it is still part of his unique oeuvre.
Certainly those who enjoy Masina will want to pick it up and the package
is very well done by new label; Infinity Arthouse - I look forward to
more of their production in the future.
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DVD Menus
(Infinity Arthouse (2-disc) - Region 0 - PAL LEFT vs. Warner - Region 1 - NTSC RIGHT)
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Disc 2 - Infinity
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(Infinity Arthouse (2-disc) - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Warner - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Infinity Arthouse (2-disc) - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Warner - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Infinity Arthouse (2-disc) - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Warner - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Infinity Arthouse (2-disc) - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Warner - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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(Infinity Arthouse (2-disc) - Region 0 - PAL TOP vs. Warner - Region 1 - NTSC BOTTOM)
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Report Card:
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Image: |
Warner for 16X9, sharpness |
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| Extras: | Infinity |
| Menu: | - |
Recommended Books on Federico Fellini (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
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Federico Fellini by Christopher Wiegand |
Fellini on Fellini by Federico Fellini, Isabel Quigley |
The Cinema of Federico Fellini by Peter Bondanella |
The Films of Federico Fellini (Cambridge
Film Classics) by Peter Bondanella, Ray Carney |
I'm a Born Liar: A Fellini Lexicon by Damian Pettigrew |
Fellini by Lietta Tornabuoni |
Fellini: A Life by Hollis Alpert |
I, Fellini by Charlotte Chandler, Billy Wilder |
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| Distribution | Infinity Arthouse - Region 0 - PAL | Warner - Region 1 - NTSC |
Mail cheques, money orders, cash to: or CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
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Gary Tooze
Mississauga, Ontario, CANADA |
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Thank You!
