I Vitelloni Blu-ray - Alberto Sordi

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Les Inutiles" or "Spivs" or "Vitelloni" or "LesVitelloni" or "The Young and the Passionate")

Italy 1953

Five young men linger in post-adolescent limbo dreaming of adventure and escape from their small seacoast town. They while away their time spending the lira doled out by their indulgent families on drink, women, and nights at the local pool hall. Federico Fellini’s second solo directorial effort (originally released in the U.S. as The Young and the Passionate) is a semi-autobiographical masterpiece of sharply drawn character sketches: Skirt chaser Fausto, forced to marry a girl he has impregnated; Alberto, the perpetual child; Leopoldo, a writer, thirsting for fame; and Moraldo, the only member of the group troubled by a moral conscience. An international success and recipient of an Academy Award® nomination for Best Original Screenplay, I Vitelloni compassionately details a year in the life of small-town layabouts struggling to find meaning in their lives.

***

Considered Fellini’s absolute masterpiece, I VITELLONI directly influenced films like ‘Mean Streets’, ‘American Graffiti’, ‘Diner’ and other bunch-of-guys-hanging-out, coming of age movies. Autobiographical and set in the director's seaside hometown of Rimini, it shows a clique of male friends who won’t or can't grow up. Close to their 30s, mostly unemployed, they are the Vitelloni of the title, killing time from bar to beach, as they seek to spice up their uneventful provincial lives.

One of them, Moraldo (Franco Interlenghi), serving as Fellini's alter ego, finally breaks free and leaves for Rome. The concluding farewell sequences considered one of the most poignant in cinema. Rooted in Italian neo-realism, Fellini is already announcing his fantastical, carnivalesque cinema of weirdness! I VITELLONI is the springboard of his career and his future worldwide reputation - yet rarely revived until this new HD restored and re-graded CultFilms special edition for the 1st time on Blu ray.

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Theatrical Release: August 26th, 1953 - Venice Film Festival

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Comparison: Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Cult Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray

(Criterion - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT vs. Cult Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT)

Box Cover
Distribution	Criterion Collection - Spine # 246 - Region 0 - NTSC	Cult Films Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:47:32	1:42:53.080 (4%)
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.52 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1080i Disc Size: 24,955,441,693 bytes Feature Size: 21,637,757,376 bytes Average Bitrate: 25.00 Mbps Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Bitrate: Blu-ray
Audio	Italian (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono)	LPCM Audio Italian 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Subtitles	English, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Criterion / Home Vision Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • The Making of I Vitelloni: an exclusive documentary featuring interviews with late actor Leopoldo Trieste, actor Franco Interlenghi, assistant director Moraldo Rossi, Fellini biographer Tullio Kezich, Fellini friend Vincenzo Mollica, and director of the Fellini Foundation, Vittorio Boarini • Collection of stills, posters, and memorabilia • Original theatrical trailer and movie newsreels from the time of the film’s release • New essay by Grammy Award-winning writer Tom Piazza (Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: A Musical Journey) DVD Release Date: August 24th, 2004 Keep Case Chapters: 24	Release Information: Studio: Cult Films 1080i Disc Size: 24,955,441,693 bytes Feature Size: 21,637,757,376 bytes Average Bitrate: 25.00 Mbps Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Unique, especially commissioned Video Essay by Oxford Prof. Guido Bonsaver "Becoming Fellini" (15:05) Blu-ray Release Date: August 27th, 2018 Blu-ray case Chapters: 13

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Cult Films - Region FREE - Blu-ray (August 2018): Cult Films have transferred Fellini's I Vitelloni in 1080i - so it is in the PAL timing. This, however, seems the least of its unfortunate issues as there is a soft waxiness to the visuals - connoting digitization and/or DNR, it is overly bright and loses immense detail against the Criterion SD. There is plenty of inconsistency almost looking like two sources were used with immense disparity between them. Unfortunately, the HD image get low marks. It is unacceptable.

Cult Films use a linear PCM 2.0 channel mono transfer (only 16-bit) for the audio. It is in the original Italian language. Dialogue is imperfect but there is a pleasant score by Nino Rota (Rocco and His Brothers, Il Bidone, 8 1/2, I Clowns, Purple Noon, The Leopard etc.) but there is little depth in the uncompressed rendering. There are optional English subtitles. This is a Region FREE Blu-ray.

Extras consistent of a 1/4 hour video essay entitled "Becoming Fellini" by Oxford Prof. Guido Bonsaver. It looks back on the director's career with mention of I Vitelloni. There is value here.

Unfortunately, this was a hard package to review as my expectations were high... but slowly dashed as I watched the Blu-ray. Criterion please come to the rescue with a true 1080P, max'ed out bitrate, dual-layered transfer for Fellini's I Vitelloni.

- Gary Tooze

ON THE DVD: The print used shows some softness in spots but also some good clarity and film grain at times. It appears occasionally uneven. Subtitles are perfect as are contrast levels. I am not as overwhelmed as I have been by other Criterion releases in the recent past, but it is still a worthy purchase. "Making of..." extra etc. are solid. Overall, a good DVD for a lower tier Criterion. Fellini fans will be quite happy I expect. out of

Gary W. Tooze

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