Una familia de tantas Blu-ray (A Family Like Any Other)

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

(aka "A Family Like Many" or "A Family Like Many Others")

Directed by Alejandro Galindo
Mexico 1949

Director Alejandro Galindo is an attentive observer of social realities. A Family Like Many Others is not only the most popular and beloved family melodrama of the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema, it's also an intelligent, subtle cinematic dialogue with the audience. Widely considered a masterpiece, the film reflects the morals of the urban middle class and questions the authoritarian logic of family structure. Galindo purposely displaces genre conventions, offering instead freedom of interpretation. Fernando Soler (Rodrigo Cataño) rules his household with draconian authority. The family's conservative, middle-class life is shaken by a young salesman (David Silva) who attracts the attention of 15-year-old daughter Maru (Martha Roth). In addition to traditional melodramatic elements, the film also features themes of adolescence and finding one's own independence. Maru's rebellion is in open opposition to the entrenched patriarchal regime and a refusal to passively accept traditional gender roles. (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston)

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Theatrical Release: March 11th, 1949

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Review: VCI - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	VCI - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	2:10:57.808
Video	1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 24,866,776,690 bytes Feature: 23,462,369,280 bytes Video Bitrate: 21.01 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: VCI 1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 24,866,776,690 bytes Feature: 23,462,369,280 bytes Video Bitrate: 21.01 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • None Blu-ray Release Date: February 25th, 2020 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 13

Comments:

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

ADDITION: VCI Blu-ray (February 2020): VCI have transferred Alejandro Galindo's Una familia de tantas (A Family Like Many Others) to Blu-ray. This Mexican film from 1949 has been lauded, but not extensively seen outside of its home country. The presentation starts with a text screen (in Spanish, with English subtitles): "The digitization of this film was made from the acetate 35mm positive copy by Laboratorio de Restauracion Digital de la Cineteca Nacional. The material has an advanced state of deterioration: Film shrinkage, deep scratches, emulsion and image loss, mechanical damage and stains from the development stages. In spite of the digital process some damages persist. However, the historic relevance of "A Family Like Many" and its director, Alejandro Galindo make it a film worthy of broadcasting." This looks to be like VCI have partnered with an existing Mexican Blu-ray company to release this in the US and Canada. It is on a single-layered disc with a low-ish bitrate. The image is weak, aside from the damage (marks and a cluster of vertical scratches notable in the final scene) with middling contrast, sometimes appearing digitized and waxy with only SD-level detail. I see some blockiness in the darker scenes. There is some depth and it looked acceptable in-motion. The 1080P is not stellar by any stretch but, certainly, thanks to the restoration, watchable.

VCI are coming out with other Mexican Blu-rays, that look like similar digital production releases; Hasta El Viento Tiene Miedo (Even The Wind Is Afraid), Luis Bunuel's El Bruto (cited as a 4K Restoration), and El Esqueleto De La Senora Morales aka Skeleton Of Mrs. Morales.

On their Blu-ray, VCI use a linear PCM mono track (16-bit) in the original Spanish language. It is as weak as the video with some scattering and a score by Raúl Lavista (285 composure credits including Bunuels' The Exterminating Angel), sounding authentically flat. VCI offer optional, yellow, English subtitles (see sample) on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The VCI Blu-ray has no extras which is particularly disagreeable if they want to encourage appreciation of Una familia de tantas. The disc presentation does start with trailers from Hasta El Viento Tiene Miedo (Even The Wind Is Afraid), Luis Bunuel's El Bruto (cited as a 4K Restoration), and El Esqueleto De La Senora Morales aka Skeleton Of Mrs. Morales.

I thought Una familia de tantas was well-realized by Alejandro Galindo but as far as family dramas, I wouldn't put it in the realm of, say, Yasujiro Ozu. There is definite historical relevance to the film and certainly worthy of a Blu-ray release. I'd be interested to see more from the director... and to have some supplements to educate me on his work. I think the market for this release is fairly small given it's modest a/v, and lack of extras, although I am glad to have seen the film.