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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r
 vs.

 

Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection

DVDs vs. Blu-rays

Caliber 9 (1972)      The Italian Connection (1972)

The Boss (1973)     Rulers of the City (1976)


Blu-ray Package Comments: I'll make some general remarks on the entire collection in 1080P instead of individually. The 4 Blu-ray transfers are all on separate single-layered discs with modest bitrates but do advance beyond the SD in terms of detail and colors.  Caliber 9 shows significant improvement and adds quite a bit more information on the right edge - losing a smidgeon on the left. The framing also shows movement from SD to HD in Rulers of the City - which now, surprisingly, displays the English title screen. The Boss probably has the least benefit to Blu-ray, but does showcase some textured, pleasing, grain. As the comparative screen captures should attest - the move to hi-def has been positive for the image quality - advancing from a softer video-look closer to an actual film-experience.

All 4 films get DTS-HD master 2.0 channel stereo transfers in both Italian and English. The cheesy music doesn't sound as tinny and overall there is a bit of depth exported. Nothing dramatic - but another area of improvement. DUBs remain obvious if scrutinized. There are optional English subtitles. Thankfully the disc are region FREE playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

Extensive supplements are duplicated from the DVD package - but still in SD. As is the twenty page liner notes booklet interview with Francesco Di Leo (with bookmark.) Raro has gone the extra mile here and should be commended! 

There should definitely be a reference to spaghetti-westerns here. Production values are more limited than Hollywood fare but these films have their own charm. Great to see Woody Strode, Richard Conte, Henry Silva, Jack Palance (as 'Scarface' Manzari ) et all in these earthy crime dramas. There are some rough edges - no doubt - but I found them thoroughly entertaining. In the right mood these 70's features are... a 'gas'. At only $4 more than the DVDs - this is a definite recommend!


 

(aka "Calibre 9 " or "Milano Calibro 9" or "The Contract")

 

directed by Fernando Di Leo
Italy 1972

 

Ugo Piazza (Gastone Moschin, THE CONFORMIST) has just gotten out of prison after serving three years of a four-year sentence for a botched bank robbery. His former boss The Americano (Lionel Stander, THE EROTICIST) believes that Piazza made off with $300,000 dollars in smuggled money and got himself arrested and imprisoned purposefully. The police commissioner (Frank Wolff, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST) offers to give Piazza the money to return to The Americano in exchange for insider information, but Piazza insists that he did not steal the money (even his girlfriend Nora [Barbara Bouchet, AMUCK] does not believe him). Piazza is constantly harassed by The Americano's men Rocco (Mario Adorf, THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE), Pasquale (Mario Novelli, VIOLENT CITY) and Nicola (Giuseppe Castellano, ISLAND OF THE FISHMEN). Piazza appeals to hitman Chino (Philippe Leroy, THE FRIGHTENED WOMAN) for help, but he does not want to get involved (Chino has been caring for blind Don Vincenzo [Ivo Garrani, BLACK SUNDAY]). When Rocco busts in and harasses Piazza, Chino gives him what-for. The Americano takes this as an insult and demands an apology. After another bungled exchange that results in more missing loot and a dead henchman, The Americano sends Piazza to kill the suspected robber. When he discovers that the target is Chino, he balks but Rocco gets off some shots and hits Don Vincenzo. Piazza is able to cast doubt on The American's suspicions, but Chino is already planning a bloody revenge. CALIBER 9 was the first of Di Leo's noir trilogy (including THE ITALIAN CONNECTION and THE BOSS). Based on a novel by Giorgio Scerbanenco (Di Leo had previously adapted a Scerbanenco novel for the film NAKED VIOLENCE), CALIBER 9 is widely regarded as Di Leo's best film. It has one of his strongest casts (including Moschin, Adorf, and Leroy), a cool score by Luis Bacalov (performed by Osanna) that vacillates between solo piano, classical strings, and progressive rock (the near wordless opening smuggling scene and its brutal aftermath set to the main theme is a mini-masterpiece of a movie in itself). Di Leo's action scenes are rousing and riveting (the final death scene had to be trimmed by the censors, not of any graphic gore but because of the intensity of Adorf's performance).

Eric Cotenas

Posters

Theatrical Release: 25 February 1972 (Italy)

Reviews        More Reviews       DVD Reviews

Comparison: 

Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the DVD Review!

Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray RIGHT

Box Cover

Individual Covers

 

 

 

Distribution

Raro Video/eOne

Region 0 - NTSC

Raro Video/eOne

Region FREE - Blu-ray

Runtime 1:41:15 1:41:43.387
Video

1.84:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.25 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

Disc Size: 23,728,759,842 bytes

Feature Size: 14,932,548,480 bytes

Average Bitrate: 15.05 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4- AVC

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

Bitrate

Bitrate Blu-ray

Audio English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono; Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio English 1608 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1608 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio Italian 1600 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1600 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles English, none English, none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Raro Video/eOne

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.84:1

Edition Details:
• Documentary: Calibro 9 (4:3; 29:39)
• Documentary: La Morale del Genere (4:3; 38:28)
• Documentary: Scerbanenco Noir (4:3; 26:07)
• Photo Gallery with Commentary by Gaston Moschin (4:3; 3:25)
• Director Biography/Filmography
• Twenty page booklet interview with Francesco Di Leo (with bookmark)

DVD Release Date: 15 March 2011
1 of 4 slimline cases in cardboard slipcase

Chapters 11

Release Information:
Studio: Raro Video/eOne

 

Disc Size: 23,728,759,842 bytes

Feature Size: 14,932,548,480 bytes

Average Bitrate: 15.05 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4- AVC

 

Edition Details:
• Documentary: Calibro 9 (4:3; 29:39)
• Documentary: La Morale del Genere (4:3; 38:28)
• Documentary: Scerbanenco Noir (4:3; 26:07)
• Photo Gallery with Commentary by Gaston Moschin (4:3; 3:25)
• Director Biography/Filmography
• Twenty page liner notes booklet interview with Francesco Di Leo (with bookmark)

Blu-ray Release Date:
January 31st, 2012
1 of 4 slim Blu-ray cases in cardboard slipcase

Chapters 11

 

Comments

ON THE DVD: Raro/eOne's transfer is progressive and anamorphic. The English and Italian audio tracks are in good condition (the Italian track is recommended for the superior voicing of Mario Adorf's character, but the English track is also worth a listening since there is a lot of variance between the two tracks). The Italian Raro version was a 2-disc set with the film on one disc and the extras on the second disc. The Raro/eOne disc combines the feature and extras onto one disc. While the bitrate might possibly be lower, none of the extras on the Italian set had English subtitles.

"Calibro 9" features input from Di Leo, actors Philippe Leroy and Barbara Bouchet, editor Amedeo Giomini, composer Luis Bacalov, assistant director Franco Lo Cascio (aka porn director Luca Damiano), and producer Armando Novelli among others. "Fernando Di Leo: The Genesis of the Genre" follows Di Leo's work in westerns, noir, and erotica with input from several of his stars (Nino Castelnuovo, Barbara Bouchet, Gianni Garko, Pier Paolo Capponi, Howard Ross, Luc Merenda, and Jenny Tamburi) as well as some of his crew members with plenty of clips. "Scerbanenco Noir" is a featurette on the late author Giorgio Scerbanenco, whose work was adapted by Di Leo for this film, NAKED VIOLENCE, and THE ITALIAN CONNECTION (and his script for YOUNG, VIOLENT, DANGEROUS directed by Romolo Guerrieri). A phone interview with Gastone Moschin appears over a stills gallery with English subtitles. The text director biography/filmography seen in all of the other titles in the set rounds out the extras.

  - Eric Cotenas

 


Menus

 

Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray RIGHT
 

 


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

 

Screen Captures

 

Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM


Subtitle sample

 


Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


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 Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

(aka "The Italian Connection" or "La Mala Ordina" or "Manhunt" or "Black Kingpin" or "Hired to Kill" )

 

directed by Fernando Di Leo
Italy/West Germany 1972

 

Very British - well, Irish by way of South Africa - New York mobster Corso (Cyril Cusack, SACCO & VANZETTI) sends Steve Catania (Henry Silva, THE BOSS) and Frank Webster (Woody Strode, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST) to Italy to take out small-time pimp Luca Canali (Mario Adorf, WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO OUR DAUGHTERS?) in a very public and brutal manner as a message to the Italian mafia from the American mafia. They obtain the consent of Don Vito Tressoldi (Adolfo Celi, THUNDERBALL), but he is suspicious as to their motives. Lovely guide Eva (Luciana Paluzzi, also of THUNDERBALL) reluctantly guides them through the city's fleshpots in search of Canali (even though Don Vito has promised to deliver him to them). Canali dodges Catania and Webster as well as Don Vito's men (delivering brutal beatings when they attempt to capture him), all the while not knowing why he is being targeted. When Don Vito targets his ex-wife (Sylvia Koscina, LISA AND THE DEVIL) and his daughter (Lara Wendel, PERFUME OF THE LADY IN BLACK), Canali arms himself and faces off against the local mafia and the American hitmen. Di Leo ups the violent content considerably from CALIBER 9 here (perpetual Italian giallo victim Femi Benussi does get a bit more dialogue before she is stripped and roughed up and a shocking hit-and-run precedes the film's most exciting car chase). It's always fun to see smirking Henry Silva and stoic Woody Strode kicking ass, but Adorf's charismatic-yet-brutal Luca Canali is quite formidable. Armando Travajoli provides a nice, loungy score (not as exciting as Bacalov's work but it really amps up the chase scenes) and some cheesy vocals.

Eric Cotenas

Posters

Theatrical Release: 2 September 1972 (Italy)

Reviews        More Reviews       DVD Reviews

Comparison: 

Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the DVD Review!

Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray RIGHT

Box Cover

Individual Covers

 

 

Distribution

Raro Video/eOne

Region 0 - NTSC

Raro Video/eOne

Region FREE - Blu-ray

Runtime 1:35:36 1:35:38.149
Video

1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 5.72 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

Disc Size: 19,917,562,787 bytes

Feature Size: 17,892,212,736 bytes

Average Bitrate: 20.02 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4- AVC

 

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

Bitrate

Bitrate Blu-ray

Audio English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono; Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio Italian 1646 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1646 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1695 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1695 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles English, none English, none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Raro Video/eOne

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1

Edition Details:
• Documentary: Roots of the Mafia (4:3; 20:35 - Italian with English subtitles
• Photo Gallery
• Director biography and filmography

DVD Release Date: 15 March 2011
1 of 4 slimline cases in cardboard slipcase

Chapters 10

Release Information:
Studio: Raro Video/eOne

 

Disc Size: 19,917,562,787 bytes

Feature Size: 17,892,212,736 bytes

Average Bitrate: 20.02 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4- AVC

 

Edition Details:
• Documentary: Roots of the Mafia (4:3; 20:35 - Italian with English subtitles
• Photo Gallery
• Director biography and filmography

 

Blu-ray Release Date: January 31st, 2012
1 of 4 slim Blu-ray cases in cardboard slipcase

Chapters 10

 

Comments

ON THE DVD: Raro/eOne's DVD features an attractive anamorphic, progressive, dual-layer transfer with no evidence of edge enhancement. The English and Italian mono audio tracks are in good condition (the English track is a bit louder). The optional subtitles are mostly error-free (they are likely the same English subtitles that appeared on Raro Italy's PAL release).

Besides a photo gallery and the usual text director biography/filmography seen on the other discs, the disc's main extra is "Roots of the Underworld" which features the input of Di Leo, assistant director Franco Lo Cascio, producer Armando Novelli, and actress Franceca Romana Coluzzi. Some interview footage about the film is rehashed from the "Fernando Di Leo: Genesis of the Genre" career-wide documentary featured on the CALIBER 9 disc.

  - Eric Cotenas

 


 Menus

 

Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray RIGHT
 

 


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

 

Screen Captures


Subtitle sample

Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM


Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


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(aka "I padroni della cittą" or "Mister Scarface" or "The Big Boss")

 

directed by Fernando Di Leo
Italy/West Germany 1976

 

Tony (Harry Baer, BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ) is a low-level mob protection collector working for Luigi Chercio (Edmund Purdom, PIECES). When rival mobster Manzari (Jack Palance) - aka Scarface - deliberately passes a bad check for three million lire at Luigi's gambling hall, Tony is the only guy dumb enough to volunteer to get the money back. He makes the acquaintance of Ric (Al Cliver, THE BEYOND) - just been ousted from Manzari's group - who comes up with a con to get the money (with plans to then hightail it to Brazil). Tony hires an actor to pose as a tax inspector and accompanies him in disguise to Manzari's office. Tony convinces Manzari's second-in-command Luca (Roberto Reale, TO BE TWENTY) to bribe the tax inspector and Tony makes off with ten million lire. He is brash enough to leave the bad check for Manzari and to pay Luigi the three million lire. Luigi goes into hiding and his second-in-command Beppe (Enzo Pulcrano, THE KIDNAP SYNDICATE) spills the beans about Tony (they have no knowledge of Ric's involvement). Beppe kills Luigi and is offered a top position by Manzari in exchange for taking out Tony, so he mobilizes his own band of debt collectors, purse snatchers, and burglars with the more violent assistance of Manzari's goons. With the help of veteran hood Napoli (Vittorio Caprioli, TOUT VA BIEN), Tony and Ric try to stay one step ahead of Manzari and his men. RULERS OF THE CITY is somewhat atypical Di Leo. While it is entertaining with some nice action setpieces, fisticuffs, shootouts, and stuntwork (along with some requisite nudity), the film is a bit more lighthearted and at times very funny (in a much more successful manner than Di Leo's Ursula Andress vehicle LOADED GUNS). Baer and Cliver are likeable leads and Caprioli adds some nice comic relief. Purdom and Palance are not particularly formidable as mobsters, but it appears that they were not meant to be (Luigi constantly defers to Napoli's advice in front of his own men, while Manzari seems easily flustered). The pre-credits childhood trauma sequence and its bearing on the rest of the plot is a touch spaghetti western and a tad giallo (the script nicely plays with our expectations regarding this sequence and the protagonist).

Eric Cotenas

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 1977 (USA)

Reviews        More Reviews       DVD Reviews

Comparison: 

Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the DVD Review!

Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray RIGHT

Box Cover

Individual Covers

 

 

Distribution

Raro Video/eOne

Region 0 - NTSC

Raro Video/eOne

Region FREE - Blu-ray

Runtime 1:35:27 1:35:38.733
Video

1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 7.69 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

Disc Size: 21,288,144,609 bytes

Feature Size: 19,837,194,240 bytes

Average Bitrate: 22.48 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4- AVC

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

Bitrate

Bitrate Blu-ray

Audio English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono; Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio English 1824 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1824 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio Italian 1833 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1833 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles English, none English, none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Raro Video/eOne

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterboxed - 1.85:1

Edition Details:
• Documentary: Cittą Violenta (4:3; 15:31 - Italian with English subtitles)
• Director Biography/Filmography

DVD Release Date: 15 March 2011
1 of 4 slimline cases in cardboard slipcase

Chapters 10

Release Information:
Studio: Raro Video/eOne

 

Disc Size: 21,288,144,609 bytes

Feature Size: 19,837,194,240 bytes

Average Bitrate: 22.48 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4- AVC

 

Edition Details:
• Documentary: Cittą Violenta (4:3; 15:31 - Italian with English subtitles)
• Director Biography/Filmography

 

Blu-ray Release Date: January 31st, 2012
1 of 4 slim Blu-ray cases in cardboard slipcase

Chapters 10

 

Comments

ON THE DVD: Like the Raro Italy disc, Raro/eOne's DVD of RULERS OF THE CITY is the only non-anamorphic widescreen transfer in the set. That said, the image quality of this dual-layer, progressive transfer is miles ahead of the previous PD versions under the title MISTER SCARFACE. The English and Italian tracks are in mostly good condition (there are three loud clicks on the English track in the shot that introduces Edmund Purdom) and the English subtitles are optional. The documentary on the film is well edited, dovetailing the comments of actor Al Cliver, director Fernando Di Leo, editor Amedeo Giomini, and weapons expert Gilberto Galimberti without seeming forced. A text biography and filmography for Di Leo rounds out the extras on this disc.

  - Eric Cotenas

 


Menus
 

Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray RIGHT

 

 


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

 

Screen Captures

 

Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM


Subtitle sample

 


Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


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(aka "The Boss" or "Murder Inferno" or "Wipeout!")

 

directed by Fernando Di Leo
Italy 1973

 

Under orders from exiled Don Daniello (Claudio Nicastro, HOW TO KILL A JUDGE), hitman Lanzetta (Henry Silva, THE ITALIAN CONNECTION) takes out Don Attardi (Andrea Aureli, LADY FRANKENSTEIN) with a rocket launcher (along with several of his men). In retaliation, Attardi's second-in-command Cocchi (Pier Paolo Capponi, CAT O'NINE TAILS) has Daniello's daughter Rina (Antonia Santilli, DECAMEROTICUS) abducted and agrees to return her only in exchange for Daniello's life. The Don is willing to make this sacrifice, but Don Carrasco (Richard Conte, THE GODFATHER) fears that Cocchi will torture Daniello to get his mafia contacts. When Daniello tries to rescue his daughter, Carrasco has Lanzetta kill him. Since Lanzetta was an orphan raised by Daniello, he goes ahead with rescuing Rina, although she proves to be no innocent (and remains a horny thorn in his side while he is dealing with other pressing matters). Despite pressure from higher up (Milan and Palermo, the corrupt government, the clergy) for Carrasco to make peace with Cocchi, he orders Lanzetta to use all his resources to take out Cocchi's gang. Cocchi survives and wants revenge on Lanzetta and corrupt Commissioner Torri (Gianni Garko, NIGHT OF THE DEVILS) needs a scapegoat for the citywide massacre. Carrasco gives him the evidence to arrest Lanzetta, but Lanzetta has decided he wants to grab some power for himself. Marino Mase (THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES), Howard Ross (IMAGES IN A CONVENT), and Andrea Scotti (WEREWOLF WOMAN) co-star. Unlike the previous two Di Leo films (CALIBER 9 and THE ITALIAN CONNECTION) based on novels by Giorgio Scerbanenco, THE BOSS was based on a novel by Irish-American pulp author Peter McCurtin and the double/triple/quadruple-cross plot is a bit hard to follow (it does not help that the film stops completely for three lengthy static expository dialogues between Vittorio Caprioli [RULERS OF THE CITY] and Mario Pisu [JULIET OF THE SPIRITS' philandering husband]). The violence and sexual content is upped from the previous films (there's a montage of Lanzetta and company doing away with Cocchi's men set to Luis Bacalov's score) and Di Leo's direction (and Amedeo Giomini's editing) is energetic. Silva also gets to take center stage after being sidelined for much of THE ITALIAN CONNECTION.

Eric Cotenas

Poster

Theatrical Release: 1 February 1973 (Italy)

Reviews        More Reviews       DVD Reviews

Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for the DVD Review!

Box Covers

Individual Release Cover

 

 

 

The Boss is coming to Blu-ray from Raro in the UK in April 2024:

Distribution

Raro Video/eOne

Region 0 - NTSC

Raro Video/eOne

Region FREE - Blu-ray

Runtime 1:49:16 1:49:14.089
Video

1.84:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 7.75 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

Disc Size: 24,132,822,870 bytes

Feature Size: 22,006,453,056 bytes

Average Bitrate: 22.01 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4- AVC

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

Bitrate

Bitrate Blu-ray

Audio English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono; Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio Italian 1598 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1598 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1590 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1590 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles English, none English, none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Raro Video/eOne

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.84:1

Edition Details:
• Documentary: Mafia Story (4:3; 23:18 - Italian with English subtitles)
• Director Biography/Filmography

DVD Release Date: 15 March 2011
1 of 4 slimline cases in cardboard slipcase

Chapters 10

Release Information:
Studio: Raro Video/eOne

 

Disc Size: 24,132,822,870 bytes

Feature Size: 22,006,453,056 bytes

Average Bitrate: 22.01 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4- AVC

 

Edition Details:
• Documentary: Mafia Story (4:3; 23:18 - Italian with English subtitles)
• Director Biography/Filmography

 

Blu-ray Release Date: January 31st, 2012
1 of 4 slim Blu-ray cases in cardboard slipcase

Chapters 10

 

Comments

ON THE DVD:  NOTE: The sync issues with the documentary featurette for THE BOSS have been rectified on the DLT tapes for future pressings.

The English and Italian audio tracks are in good condition (although the English is punchier). For roughly 50 seconds just after the twelve-minute mark, the English audio reverts to lesser quality Italian audio (probably added before that track was cleaned up since the actual Italian track sounds better) requiring one to turn on the subtitles. Watching the film in English with the English subtitles on is an interesting experience, since there are a lot of differences in dialogue between the two. In the set's only noticeable authoring error is found in the featurette "Stories about the Mafia." As with all of the Nocturno featurettes, it was preceded on the imports by the Nocturno Horror Club logo (with its ear-splitting logo music). The logo was removed, but the corresponding audio remained, causing the featurette's audio track to be out of sync with the on-camera participants. It is still watchable since it is subtitled in English, but it can be distracting. A photo gallery and the usual text director biography and filmography fill out the extras.

  - Eric Cotenas

 


Menus
 

 


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Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM


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Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


  Raro Video/eOne - Region 0 - NTSC TOP vs. Raro Video/eOne - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

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