Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Disc:

Video:

Audio:

Subtitles:

• Brand-new interview with actor Flavio Bucci (19:46)
• Brand-new interview with producer Claudio Mancini  (23:33)
• Brand-new interview with make-up artist Pierantonio Mecacci (23:05)
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet containing new writing on the film by Camilla Zamboni

Bitrate:

 

Description: Having tackled the corrupting nature of power with Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion and taken an angry, impassioned look at labour relations with The Working Class Goes to Heaven, Italian master Elio Petri next turned his attentions to capitalism for the darkly comic Property is No Longer a Theft.

A young bank clerk (Flavio Bucci, the blind pianist in Dario Argento's Suspiria), denied a loan by his employer, decides to exact his revenge the local butcher (Ugo Tognazzi, La Grande bouffe) who is not only a nasty, violent, greedy piece of work but also one of the bank's star customers. Quitting his job, the clerk devotes all of his time tormenting the butcher, stealing his possessions one-by-one, including his mistress (Daria Nicolodi, Deep Red).

Told in an off-kilter fashion by Petri, abetted by the woozy sound design and another outstanding score by Ennio Morricone, Property is No Longer a Theft presents a caustic, blackly comic look at a corrupt society.

 

 

The Film:

***

Italian Director Elio Petri, best known for his film Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, here tells a complicated tale about a bank clerk who is literally allergic to money. Not only that, the clerk (Flavio Bucci) doesn't like the effect money has on people. For some reason, he steals things from a dishonest butcher (Ugo Tognazzi). This gives the butcher a convenient opportunity to file huge insurance claims for the thefts.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

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

This is the another Arrow Blu-ray release that is being simultaneously released in both region 'A' (US) and 'B' (UK). It is the exact same package on both sides of the Atlantic to the best of our knowledge, with only cosmetic differences on the disc labels and sleeve to do with differing copyright info and barcodes, and the US release doesn't have BBFC logos.

Property in No Longer a Theft gets an impressive transfer to Blu-ray from Arrow cited as a "4K restoration from the original film negative".  It is dual-layered with a max'ed out bitrate for the 2 hour feature. It is exceptionally clean and has a heavy, film-like appearance. It seems to be a solid representation of the original theatrical film. It is in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio and contrast and detail, notably in close-ups, are rich and thick. They are a few examples of depth and many colors are dark with a bold appearance. This Blu-ray supplies an impressive 1080P presentation.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio is transferred via a faithful linear PCM mono track at 1536 kbps (16-bit) in the original Italian language. Only a handful effects that the lossless handles easily.  The score by the iconic Ennio Morricone (Luna, 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.) tying a serious tone into the lighter moments. It's buoyant and clean. There are optional English subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A' + 'B'.

Extras :

There are 20-minute X 3, brand new, interviews with actor Flavio Bucci, producer Claudio Mancini and with make-up artist Pierantonio Mecacci all remembering the production and Petri - in Italian with English subtitles. The package has a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh and for the first pressing there is an illustrated collector's booklet containing new writing on the film by Camilla Zamboni.

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Property in No Longer a Theft was quite a fun surprise. It is a very intelligent and politicized effort with themes of inequality, property rights, wealth, theft and ambition. The leanings also add a humorous aspect. What an excellent film! The Arrow Blu-ray provides an wonderful a/v presentation with very keen supplements. I suggest this is one of the 'lost' Italian gems that you don't want to miss. We strongly recommend.