Kapo - Susan Strasberg

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

(aka 'Kapò')

Directed by Gillo Pontecorvo
Italy / France / Yugoslavia 1959

Before he left his mark on cinema forever with the revolutionary The Battle of Algiers, Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo directed this audacious World War II drama about a young Jewish woman (Susan Strasberg) in a Nazi concentration camp, who saves herself from death by assuming another’s identity and becoming a ruthless warden. The Oscar-nominated Kapò was one of the first films to depict the horror of the Holocaust, and it does so with brutality and daring emotional complexity.

Poster

Theatrical Release: April 17th, 1959

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DVD Review: Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Criterion (part of Essential Art House) - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:56:28
Video	1.66:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.22 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	Italian \| German (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Criterion Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.66:1 Edition Details: • 6-page liner notes with essay by MK DVD Release Date: April 13th, 2010 Transparent Keep Case Chapters: 16

Comments:

Firstly this is a magnificent film - one very worthy of the 'full' Criterion treatment with further digital extras and a commentary. It is one of the most impacting viewings I've had this year.

There are both Italian (with English subs) and French (without English subs) DVD editions of this masterpiece available. The Criterion transfer maintains the original 1.66 aspect ratio in their dual-layered, anamorphic, transfer. Black levels may have had some boosting and moiring may be noticeable on some systems. In my viewing the visuals looked exceptionally strong - with decent detail excellently supporting Aleksandar Sekulovic's precise cinematography. It doesn't look totally perfect, noise artifacts can creep into play, but I was suitably impressed with the final presentation.

Audio is 1.0 unremarkable but clean and clear - close enough, I'll wager, to the way it was produced. There are optional English subtitles.

Like other Essential Art House releases by Criterion there are no extras save a couple of pages of liner notes. While I regret the lack of supplements - surely a title like this is worthy - the asking price makes it a bona-fide essential purchase in my opinion. Don't hesitate.