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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "La Caduta Degli Dei" or "Die Verdammten")
directed
by Luchino Visconti
Italy 1969
The Blu-ray of The Damned is compared to the DVDs HERE
"1969's The Damned (La caduta degli dei) was director Luchino Visconti's most explosively controversial film to date. Set in the 1930s, the film zeroes in on a Krupp-like family of German munition manufacturers. Ever in pursuit of more millions to add to their already bulging coffers, the family plays along with the Nazis, descending into corruption, betrayal and murder all along the way. The stylized decadence depicted by Visconti was of such graphic intensity that the film was released in the U.S. with an X rating." |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: November 14th, 1969
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Recommended Books on Italian Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)
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Italian Cinema: From Neorealism to the Present by Peter E. Bondanella |
Fellini on Fellini by Federico Fellini, Isabel Quigley |
Italian Film in the Light of Neorealism by Millicent Marcus |
Vittorio De Sica: Contemporary Perspectives (Toronto
Italian Studies) by Howard Curle, Stephen Snyder |
Italian Film (National Film Traditions) by Marcia Landy, David Desser |
Italian Movie Goddesses: Over 80 of the Greatest
Women in Italian Cinema by Stefano Masi, Enrico Lancia |
Italian Cinema by Maggie Gunsberg |
I, Fellini by Charlotte Chandler, Billy Wilder |
Vittorio De Sica: Director, Actor, Screenwriter by Bert Cardullo |
DVD Comparison:
Warner - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Luce - Region 2 - PAL
Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for the Luce Screen Captures.
(Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Luce - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)
DVD Box Covers |
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Distribution |
Warner Home Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC |
Luce
Region 2 - PAL |
Runtime | 2:36:50 | 2:30:00 (4% PAL speedup) |
Video |
1.66:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
1.33:1.00
Open Matte |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes |
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Bitrate:
Warner . |
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Bitrate:
Luce
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono) |
Italian (Dolby Digital 5.1) , Italian (Dolby Digital Mono) |
Subtitles | English, Spanish, French and none | English, and none |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Warner Home Video Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.66:1 ![]() Edition
Details: Chapters
35
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Release Information: Studio: LUCE Aspect Ratio: Open Matte- 1.33:1
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: 2003 |
Comments: |
The Blu-ray of The Damned is compared to the DVDs HERE The Luce Region 2 PAL DVD shows the film in Open Matte containing a substantial amount of additional information. I always questioned that if this were not meant to be shown in anything but the intended widescreen ratio, for what reason do they even make an Open Matte print ?... or better yet, keep it in existence ? Is it for TV viewing ? I understand it is a format of shooting, but as it is not as the director intended, why is this form of print kept around ? Regardless, the anamorphic widescreen version is the way to go - the Warner image is sharper and really exemplifies the digital manipulation of the Luce DVD. The contrast boosting on the Luce gets very bad, distorting skin tones and color balance as well as creating inordinate brightness. For audio, the LUCE has 5.1 Italian as a choice (English subs), but the Warner only offers English 2.0 mono. No matter. go with the Warner which has a nice extra feature on Visconti. |
DVD Menus
(Warner
- Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Luce - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)
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Screen Captures
(Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Luce - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Luce - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Luce - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Luce - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP vs. Luce - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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Report Card:
Image: |
Warner |
Sound: |
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Extras: | Warner |
Menu: | - |
DVD Box Covers |
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Distribution |
Warner Home Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC |
Luce
Region 2 - PAL |