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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka 'Miracle in Milan')

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/direct-chair/desica.htm
Italy 19
51

 

Renowned filmmaker Vittorio De Sica followed up his international triumph Bicycle Thieves with this enchantingly playful neorealist fairy tale, in which he combines his celebrated slice-of-life poetry with flights of graceful comedy and storybook fantasy.

On the outskirts of Milan, a band of vagabonds work together to form a shantytown. When it is discovered that the land they occupy contains oil, however, it’s up to the cherubic orphan Totò (Francesco Golisano)—with some divine help—to save their community from greedy developers.

Tipping their hats to the imaginative whimsy of Charles Chaplin and René Clair, De Sica and screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, adapting his own novel, craft a bighearted ode to the nobility of everyday people.

***

Following The Bicycle Thief De Sica casts a spell over the viewer with a Capra-esque fantasy fable instilling a healthy dose of social relevance. A baby found in a cabbage patch grows up to unite Milan's poverty stricken and homeless leading the construction of a shanty town. He eventually grants wishes with the help of a magic dove and his simplistic vision bonds the villager's into revolutionaries - hopelessly fighting the stacked social ills. A wonderful light film filled with humor, thought-provoking social inequities and human warmth. If this isn't a masterpiece then its pretty darn close.

Posters

Theatrical Release: February 8th, 1951

Reviews                                   More Reviews                         DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Arrow Films - Region 0 - PAL vs. Arrow Academy (3-disc) - Region 'B' - Blu-ray vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

BONUS CAPTURES:

Distribution Arrow Films Distribution - Region 0 - PAL Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray Criterion Spine #1119- Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:32:54 (4% PAL Speedup) 1:36:46.041 1:36:51.013
Video 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.89 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

Disc Size: 33,080,923,659 bytes

Feature Size: 27,906,846,720 bytes

Video Bitrate: 34.99 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 Video

Disc Size: 47,208,848,292 bytes

Feature Size: 28,946,233,344 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.74 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Bitrate Arrow: Blu-ray

Bitrate Criterion: Blu-ray

Audio Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0)  LPCM Audio Italian 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit LPCM Audio Italian 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles English, None English, None English, None
Features

Release Information:
Studio: Arrow Films Distribution

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1

Edition Details:

• Footage of the Premiere in Milan
• Interviews with both Manuel De Sica and Brunella Bovo
• Poster Artwork and Lobby Stills
• Trailer

DVD Release Date: February 20th, 2006

Keep Case
Chapters: 12

Release Information:
Studio: Arrow Films Distribution

Aspect Ratio:
1.33:1

Disc Size: 33,080,923,659 bytes

Feature Size: 27,906,846,720 bytes

Video Bitrate: 34.99 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 Video

Edition Details:

• Full length feature: Il Tetto [The Roof], Vittorio De Sica s 1956 film also written by Zavattini, made available for the first time in the UK on DVD

Footage of the Premiere in Milan
• Interviews with both Manuel De Sica and Brunella Bovo
• Trailer

DVD of the Feature

Comprehensive booklet including writing on Miracle in Milan and Il Tetto, a re-print of John Maddison's 1951 article The Case of De Sica, illustrated with original stills and artwork.

Blu-ray Release Date: March 26th, 2012
Transparent
Blu-ray Case
Chapters: 12

Release Information:
Studio: Criterion

Aspect Ratio:
1.37:1

Disc Size: 47,208,848,292 bytes

Feature Size: 28,946,233,344 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.74 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 Video

Edition Details:

• New interview with scholar David Forgacs (27:20)
Feature-length documentary about Zavattini (53:51)
Archival interviews featuring De Sica and the cast (Brunella Bovo - 5:32 / Manuel De Sica - 7:10 / Vittorio De Sica- audio only - 8:58)
Trailers (original - 5:06 / 2021 Re-release trailer - 1:35)

Essay by film critic Christina Newland and, on the Blu-ray, “Totò il buono,” a 1940 treatment by Zavattini that is the earliest version of the story on which Miracle in Milan is based

Blu-ray Release Date: April 19th, 2022
Transparent
Blu-ray Case
Chapters: 1
4

 

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (March 2022): Criterion have transferred Vittorio De Sica's Miracle in Milan to Blu-ray. A text screen informs us: "The 4k restoration of Miracle in Milan was carried out by the Cineteca di Bologna and Compass Film Foundation starting from the original image and sound negatives and from a period interpositive preserved in the Studio Cine laboratory. Some parts of the negative were in an advanced state of chemical decay and were seriously compromised. For these parts the interpositive was used. A first generation period copy, deposited by Manuel De Sica in the Cineteca di Bologna, was used as a reference. Thanks to director of photography Luca Bigazzi for supervising the grading. The processes were carried out at the L'Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in Bologna in 2019. "

So this new 4K digital restoration differs quite significantly from the Arrow 1080P from almost a decade ago. The Criterion Blu-ray image is darker and doesn't show the digitization of the Arrow, and black levels are more 'pitch'. Notably the Criterion is in the accurate 1.37:1 aspect ratio and there are some framing differneces. In a cursory glance the glossier, brighter, Arrow may appear better but it seems boosted and suffers from edge enhancement. Th Criterion has superior filmic textures and, overall, it seems a better representation of Miracle in Milan, imo.     

NOTE: We have added 60 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original Italian language. Miracle in Milan has a few 'fantasy related' effects but the audio is authentically flat and a bit tinny. The score is by Alessandro Cicognini (Ulysses, Terminal Station, De Sica's Bicycle Thieves, Shoeshine, Umberto D. etc.) and supports the film effectively with some surprising bass notes - exemplifying the expression and warm tones of the film. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.  

Criterion don't offer a commentary (neither did the Arrow) but there are some valuable extras. There is a new 1/2 hour interview with scholar David Forgacs  - recorded in New York in 2021—where he discusses the source material for Miracle in Milan, director Vittorio De Sica's and screenwriter Cesare Zavattini's multifaceted careers, and why the film sparked an uproar upon its release in Italy. There is a 54-minute documentary, in Italian with English subtitles, about screenwriter, publisher, novelist, and film theorist Cesare Zavattini that was made in 2019 and is part of an ongoing Italian television series profiling important historical figures. Each episode in the series, 'italiani' con Paolo Mieli, is introduced by Mieli, a journalist and the editor of Italy's leading newspaper. The interviews with Brunella Bovo and Manuel De Sica, also on the Arrow Blu-ray and DVD, are duplicated here. Criterion include a 9-minute audio interview, conducted by film critic Gideon Bachmann in the late 1960s, with director Vittorio De Sica where he looks back on his career and discusses how Italian cinema has moved away from neorealism. There is a lengthy original trailer and a new, 2021, re-release trailer plus the package has liner notes with an essay by film critic Christina Newland and, on the Blu-ray, “Totò il buono,” a 1940 treatment by Zavattini that is the earliest version of the story on which Miracle in Milan is based.

Miracle in Milan always puts me in a wonderful mood - there is a lot of De Sica mastery here. It's a real treat to see this in the the new 4K restoration without the digitization issues of the Arrow. Once seen, the edge-enhancement can't be unseen. There are interviews, a lengthy documentary on Zavattini and liner notes booklet. A must-see film - the Criterion Blu-ray is strongly recommended! 

***

ADDITION: Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - (March 2012): The new 1080P transfer looks vastly superior to the DVD but there is some high-frequency edge-enhancement (bowler hat edge capture it is most prominent). It appears to have been applied unevenly and may not be a big distraction to those uninitiated into its visibility. It is easier to see in some scenes than in most others. Beyond that the image is still impressive beside the flat, muddier SD transfer. The contrast is more layered with whiter whites and deep black levels. The Blu-ray is much brighter. The EE is a shame - limiting the grain appreciation - but I wouldn't let is spoil the Blu-ray presentation - this is a fun, warm, thoughtful film.

The audio is now in a linear PCM 2.0 channel track at 1536 kbps. The source still exhibits some difficulties - more notable in the beginning but the score is quite bold its supportive nature with some surprising bass. Arrow have added optional English subtitles.

Extras duplicate the DVD with the two interviews, Manuel De Sica and Brunella Bovo, and footage of the Premiere plus a trailer. We lose the gallery but with the Dual-format package we gain a DVD of the feature and a second DVD. This third disc, a single-layered effort, has the1956 De Sica film 'II Tetto'. It looks decent for SD and is a super film. It's about a young Italian couple searching for a place to start their lives in an poverty-stricken post-war city. There is also a comprehensive booklet including writing on Miracle in Milan and Il Tetto, a re-print of John Maddison s 1951 article The Case of De Sica, illustrated with original stills and artwork.

***

ON THE DVD: I am quite high on this film and DVD - the progressive transfer is quite acceptable although there are some damage marks and scratches. For the most part the image is fairly crisp and has rich black levels. Subtitles were okay with a few minor absentee gaps but the font is clear and easily readable. I counted 2 minor audio pops but I wouldn't say that this will be an issue in enjoying the presentation. The Extras are quite good - footage of the premiere - two short but relevant interviews, a trailer and some poster artwork (mostly lobbycards). I really enjoyed this film - an almost total departure from The Bicycle Thief This is a true gem that I am very happy to have seen an now own on DVD. We give this a strong recommendation!

Gary W. Tooze

 


Menus

1) Arrow Films - Region 0 - PAL LEFT
2) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray RIGHT

 


 

 

Criterion Spine #1119- Region 'A' - Blu-ray

 


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

Subtitle Sample

 

1) Arrow Films - Region 0 - PAL TOP
2) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

3) Criterion Spine #1119- Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

1) Arrow Films - Region 0 - PAL TOP
2) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

3) Criterion Spine #1119- Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Arrow Films - Region 0 - PAL TOP
2) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

3) Criterion Spine #1119- Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Arrow Films - Region 0 - PAL TOP
2) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

3) Criterion Spine #1119- Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Arrow Films - Region 0 - PAL TOP
2) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

3) Criterion Spine #1119- Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Arrow Films - Region 0 - PAL TOP
2) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

3) Criterion Spine #1119- Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Arrow Films - Region 0 - PAL TOP
2) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

3) Criterion Spine #1119- Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE

 


Box Cover

BONUS CAPTURES:

Distribution Arrow Films Distribution - Region 0 - PAL Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray Criterion Spine #1119- Region 'A' - Blu-ray




 

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