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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Diva escarlata")

 

Directed by Asia Argento
Italy 2000

 

In her stunning, semi-autobiographical directorial feature debut, Asia Argento plays Anna Battista, a rising young actress who, despite her popularity and success, experiences despair and degradation at the hands of an abusive industry. Her harrowing journey towards redemption leads her on a sordid spree of excess across America and Europe while trying to recapture her innocence and find true love. Newly restored in HD, SCARLET DIVA has been rediscovered by audiences and critics alike in the wake of the "Time's Up" movement for its "full-throated rage against the international filmmaking machine" and is credited as "perhaps the earliest film" (San Francisco Chronicle).

***

A young Italian actress embarks on a self-destructive spree of sex, drugs and other excess while doing some soul searching to find the path for redemption.

Posters

Theatrical Release: May 26th, 2000

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Review: Film Movement Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray

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Bonus Captures:

Distribution Film Movement Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:30:44.856        
Video

1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 33,469,995,446 bytes

Feature: 26,549,673,984 bytes

Video Bitrate: 33.98 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

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

Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Commentaries:

Dolby Digital Audio English 448 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps / DN -31dB

Subtitles English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio:
Film Movement Classics

 

1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 33,469,995,446 bytes

Feature: 26,549,673,984 bytes

Video Bitrate: 33.98 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

Two audio commentaries by Asia Argento - the original commentary from 2002 and a new commentary recorded exclusively for the 2018 re-release
 Looking into the Eye of the Cyclops featurette with Joe Coleman (8:01)
Asia Argento interview (16:48)
The Making Of Scarlet Diva featurette (8:28)
2018 theatrical trailer (1:35) and original theatrical release promos (1:01 / 8:04)


Blu-ray Release Date:
 September 24th, 2024
Transparent Blu-ray Case

Chapters 13

 

 

     v

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Film Movement Classics Blu-ray (September 2024): Film Movement Classics have transferred Asia Argento's Scarlet Diva to Blu-ray. Scarlet Diva was shot entirely on digital video (mini-DV cameras), making it one of the earliest features to utilize this technology. The resulting image, even in 1080P, has some of the deficiencies of the early results of the format; smeary in-motion, waxy and flaring bright spots etc. This has been improved upon immensely but this image quality shows those inconsistencies. It's on a dual-layered disc here with a very high bitrate. While very watchable, the image weaknesses - origins considered SD-level - are notable but acceptable as this is similar to how it was produced - a function of its low budget "guerilla filmmaking" roots.

NOTE: We have added 36 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE.

On their Blu-ray, Film Movement Classics use a linear PCM 2.0 channel track (24-bit) in the original English / Italian and some French languages used in the film. Scarlet Diva has few aggressive moments that come through with modest depth and score by John Hughes (his only feature film composition), sounding clean with consistent dialogue in the lossless transfer. Film Movement Classics offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Film Movement Classics Blu-ray offers two commentaries by Asia Argento - the original commentary from 2002 and a 2018 commentary that is recognized as more revealing in regards to her claims of sexual assault by Harvey Weinstein represented in Scarlet Diva by a sleazy film producer named Mr. Paar (played by Joe Coleman). The commentaries - almost 16-years apart - have some overlap and they are interesting to understand the filmmaker and her process. I would encourage anyone interested in the film top indulge and note the differences if you listen back-to-back. Looking into the Eye of the Cyclops is an 8-minute featurette with Joe Coleman (Mr. Paar) showing him as an artist and a creation he made as an ode to the film. A text screen prefaces it with "Joe Coleman is a world-renowned painter, writer and performer who has exhibited for four decades in major museums throughout the world including one-man exhibitions at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin, the Barbican Centre in London, Tilton Gallery and Dickinson Gallery in New York. He was the subject of an award-winning feature length documentary, Rest in Pieces: A Portrait of Joe Coleman (1997), and has acted in films such as Asia Argento's Scarlet Diva (2000) and The Cruel Tale of the Medicine Man (2015)." Included is a 2004 interview with Asia Argento running over 1/4 hour. Much is repeated in the commentaries. The Making Of Scarlet Diva is an 8-minute featurette on the production details and there are also a trailer and a couple of promo videos. There is a liner notes booklet with photos, credits and an essay by Canadian writer Kier-La Janisse.

Asia Argento's Scarlet Diva received notoriety for the early #MeToo cascade well before its time. It's a fairly easy effort to dismiss but you can see innovation, a strong cinematic spirit of expression and a certain level of fearlessness. It's episodic and scattered but I was keen to finally see it. I, strangely, liked it but I don't think it is something I will watch again. Maybe in a few years. There is a protective feeling for Asia Argento - her pain, rejections / frustrations and abuse. The Film Movement Classics Blu-ray has been around for a while and this appears to be a re-issue. It's absolutely recommended to the curious but certainly no reason to double dip.

Gary Tooze

 


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Distribution Film Movement Classics - Region FREE - Blu-ray


 


 

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