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Il Divo [Blu-ray]
(Paolo Sorrentino, 2008)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Indigo Film Video: MPI Home Video
Disc: Region: 'A'-locked! (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:57:56.069 Disc Size: 22,067,839,020 bytes Feature Size: 19,097,217,024 bytes Video Bitrate: 19.85 Mbps Chapters: 12 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: October 27th, 2009
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: Dolby Digital Audio Italian 448 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps Dolby Digital Audio Italian 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps
Subtitles: English, none
Extras: • Making Of Il Divo (31:09 in SD - Italian with optional English subtitles) • 'F/X Reel' (7:18 in SD - Italian with optional English subtitles)• Deleted Scenes (11:56 in SD - Italian with optional English subtitles) • Interview with director Paolo Sorrentino (12:15 in SD - Italian with optional English subtitles)
Bitrate:
Description: For more than 50 years, he has been Italy's most powerful, feared and enigmatic politician. And as Giulio Andreotti begins his seventh term as Prime Minister, he and his hardliner faction take control of a country reeling from the brazen murders of several high-level bankers, judges and journalists, as well as the kidnapping and assassination of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro. But as the Christian Democrat party crumbles in a nationwide bribery scandal, suspicion begins to fall on Andreotti himself as the center of a shocking conspiracy involving the Vatican, the Mafia and the secret neo-Fascist Masonic Lodge P2. In what is called 'The Trial of the Century', Italy's legendary Senator for Life will stand accused of corruption, collusion and murder.
The Film: What is astonishing is that a film like this could be made about a man still living. One imagines Andreotti reflecting that it only enhances his larger-than-life image. His Christian Democrats ruled postwar Italy until 1992, by which time the party was in such disrepute that it no longer survives. Yet he prevails. He prevails, and the legend is only enhanced by the great performance here by Toni Servillo, an actor who succeeds in making him hypnotizing by supplying him with an almost cheerful lack of the slightest magnetism. Here was a man who suppressed the usual charm of a politician, perhaps aware he worked better as an enigma. Was he thinking of himself when he famously said, “You sin in thinking bad about people; but, often, you guess right.” The film proceeds like a black comedy version of "The Godfather," crossed with Oliver Stone’s "Nixon." It assembles a roll call of figures in postwar Italian politics, society and crime, uses an abundance of names and dates in captions, and makes us despair of keeping track until we realize we’re not intended to — the purpose of all these facts is simply to evoke the sheer scope and breadth of Andreotti’s machinations. The more we learn, the more fascinated we become, as Servillo portrays him as poker-faced, hunched, impassive, observing all, revealing little, wise and cynical beyond measure. Imagine Dick Cheney without the jolly charisma. Excerpt from Roger Ebert at the Chicago Sun_Times located HERE
Along with the abundantly stylish cinematography this single-layered Blu-ray from MPI of Sorrentino's Il Divo produces a wonderful image presentation in 1080P. It shows remarkable clarity in the many close-ups and there is a fine sheen of consistent grain giving the canvas a pleasing texture. This is really quite an impressive looking transfer. Skin tones seem accurate and contrast exhibits healthy, rich black levels. There is frequent depth and no intrusive noise. This is definitely one of the better looking Blu-ray discs that I have seen in a long while. I see no DNR or edge-enhancement manipulations and I expect the image advances handily over any existing DVD renditions. Suitable to the film this is a 'powerfully strong' visual transfer.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :Unfortunately the audio is not at the same level as the video with a choice between only a standard 5.1 at 448 kbps or a less dynamic 2.0 channel. A 'lossless' HD track would particularly benefit the poignant scene early in the film with Andreotti walking the streets under heavy bodyguard while the precise "Pavane in F-sharp minor op. 50" plays uninterrupted - dominating the aura. Actually there is a lot of great and diverse music in the film from plenty of wonderful classical (Sibelius, Vivaldi, Fauré and more) to Trio's ridiculously addictive 'da da da' as the end credits roll. There is some separation in the 5.1 and the track obviously supports some rear speaker violence/aggression. The mix is okay but the film deserved a more buoyant track. There are only optional English subtitles - no other choices - and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.
Extras :The supplements seem standard fare - all being in Italian with optional English subtitles. We get a half hour Making Of Il Divo with input from much of the cast/crew. More specific on production is the 7-minute "F/X Reel' and there are also 12 minutes of deleted scenes that didn't seem as relevant to the narrative. I got the most out of the lone interview with director Paolo Sorrentino running for another dozen minutes. He talks with some passion about the project and covers some interesting details. It's worth a visitation.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze October 14th, 2009
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About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3500 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
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find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. So be
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