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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "Luna" )
directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
Italy 1979
Like the final act of "Last Tango in
Paris," the whole of Bernardo Bertolucci's 1979 film "La Luna" is more
compelling than it is emotionally coherent. With his story about a recently
widowed opera singer whose attempts to wean her teenage son off heroin (with
his syringes perhaps serving as a stand-in for the teat) lead to a fully
realized sexual relationship between them, Bertolucci seems to be
endeavouring to make the ultimate psychosexual statement here without having
a lucid thesis in mind. The behaviours of the characters are always
tantalizing and interesting, but frequently implausible, and by the end, the
viewer is left with a jumble of half-baked notions about Oedipal love,
motherhood, and emotional need that appears to come full-circle because the
film has structural closure, but really doesn't. |
Posters
Theatrical Release: September 29, 1979 - New York Film Festival
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
Kinowelt / Arthaus - Region 2 - PAL vs. Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Kinowelt - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray RIGHT |
Box Covers |
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Distribution |
Kinowelt / Arthaus Region 2 - PAL |
Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 2:16:04 (4% PAL speedup) | 2:22:15.527 |
Video |
1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 42,133,661,314 bytesFeature: 31,648,677,888 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 25.96 Mbps |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate |
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Bitrate: Blu-ray |
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital 1.0), German 1.0 (Dolby Digital 1.0) |
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1556 kbps
2.0 / 48 kHz / 1556 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509
kbps / 16-bit)
Dolby Digital Audio English 256 kbps 2.0
/ 48 kHz / 256 kbps |
Subtitles | German, None | English, None |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Kinowelt / Arthaus Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 24 |
Release Information: Disc Size: 42,133,661,314 bytesFeature: 31,648,677,888 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 25.96 Mbps
Edition Details:
• Audio Commentary by Star Matthew Barry and
Filmmaker Elijah Drenner Chapters: 8 |
Comments
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NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray October 16': Kino's 2016 Blu-ray transfer looks pretty solid. Detail in the film's later close-ups show off the higher resolution superiority. The overall image is shade brighter with slightly more information in the top and bottom of the frame. The Kino Lorber transfer is dual-layered with a supportive bitrate - it retains some pleasing grain texture and there is occasional depth. One major advantage over the SD is that it is in theatrical sunning time (no PAL speed-up.)Kino use a DTS-HD Master at 1556 kbps (16-bit). It exports the film's minor effects sound competent if unremarkable but the score by the iconic Ennio Morricone (A Bullet for the General, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, U Turn, Stay As You Are etc. etc.) plus The Bee Gees' Night Fever, and the Giuseppe Verdi opera pieces sound quite tight and impressive. There are optional English subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked. Kino stack the disc with supplements - we get two audio commentaries - one with actor Matthew Barry and filmmaker Elijah Drenner and a second with filmmaker/writer Howard S. Berger and Mondo Digital's Nathaniel Thompson discussing Bertolucci extensively and adding educational content and background to understanding and appreciating the film. There is also a 42-minute on-camera interview with director Bernardo Bertolucci reflecting on the production and a 7-minute piece with Matthew Barry. There is also a trailer. A marvelous package from Kino - one of their best Blu-rays of the year. The commentaries add so much value and to see Bertolucci - another of his controversial 70's films - in 1080P is always a treat. Interesting performances and the Rome backdrop are hallmark's of this challenging cinema. Strongly recommended!
ON THE DVD: A
characteristically stunning transfer from Arthaus, which has
apparently emerged as Germany's equivalent to America's Criterion.
The image is crisp, clean, and sharp, with vivid colors and natural
contrast and grain, with only occasional noise visible over black in
darkly lit scenes. The disc is dual-layered with a progressive
transfer, and the monaural sound presents no problems. The original
soundtrack, included on this disc, is 99% in English, yet there's
the odd instance of Italian dialogue here and there. Although the
disc contains only removable German subtitles, I didn't sense that
the Italian dialogue contributed anything vital to the film. |
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Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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Screen Captures
2Kinowelt - Region 2 - PAL - TOP Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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2Kinowelt - Region 2 - PAL - TOP Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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2Kinowelt - Region 2 - PAL - TOP Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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2Kinowelt - Region 2 - PAL - TOP Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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2Kinowelt - Region 2 - PAL - TOP Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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2Kinowelt - Region 2 - PAL - TOP Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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2Kinowelt - Region 2 - PAL - TOP Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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More Blu-ray Captures
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Distribution |
Kinowelt / Arthaus Region 2 - PAL |
Kino Lorber - Region 'A' - Blu-ray |