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

ADDITION: Studio Canal Blu-ray (January 2021): This Studio Canal 1080P actually was released before the Criterion (Essential Fellini Blu-ray set) but we only were able to get a copy by buying it in North America. While I suspected it to come from the same restoration (100th Anniversary of Fellini's birth) - this European Blu-ray starts with a screen detailing; "Restored in 4K from an interpositive and French and Italian soundtrack negatives. With the support of centre national du cinema et de animee. The digital and photochemical restoration work was carried out by Llmage Retrouvee (Paris - Bologna) in 2019 ".

It has the exact framing of the Criterion but is just slightly brighter (lighter). It still provides a wonderful presentation although I might lean to the darker look if forced to choose a preference. It is also on a dual-layered disc with a similarily high bitrate. This European release has all the attributes of the Criterion in terms of grain support, film-like appearance in-motion etc. which, likewise, towers above the older DVDs.

This also offers a linear PCM track (dual-mono though) audio in the original Italian (24-bit), but includes an optional German DUB and optional English or German subtitles. These have a different translation than the Criterion (see our samples below) and is a Region 'B'-locked Blu-ray disc.

Extras include close to a 1/2 hour with Phil Kemp (in English) - who talks about Fellini's influences to make Nights of Cabiria, feminism etc. There is also a trailer.

It's one of my favorite films of all time - if not my #1 - and I had to see how it compares to the transfer in the Essential Fellini Blu-ray set. It's certainly a huge upgrade over DVD for those that didn't shell-out for the larger US set. For Region 'B'-locked audiences - it also has a highest recommendation!    

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ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (October 2020): Criterion have transferred Federico Fellini's Nights of Cabiria to Blu-ray as part of their 14 films (15-Blu-rays) package of Essential Fellini that includes Toby Dammit 1968, Variety Lights 1950, The White Sheik 1952, I vitelloni 1953, La strada 1954, Il bidone 1955, Nights of Cabiria 1957, La dolce vita 1960, 8½ 1963, Juliet of the Spirits 1965, Fellini Satyricon 1969, Roma 1972, Amarcord 1973, And the Ship Sails On 1983 and Intervista 1987. This is the 6th Blu-ray in the Essential Fellini package.

The package has "New 4K restorations" but the biggest issue with Nights of Cabiria was the digitization, artifacts and DNR of the DVDs going back more than 20-years ago to Criterion's. This has been replaced with a scintillatingly textured, darker and highly attractive 1080P image that looks beautiful in-motion. It shows more information in the top and sides over the SD transfers with a shade less on the bottom edge. I've been waiting for this title for as long as the BD format has existed. I have not been let down. This is a stunning film-like presentation that leaves the DVDs in the dust. I couldn't be more pleased.   

NOTE: We have added 78 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original Italian language. This would be a minor complaint that the authentically flat audio can make the film's music very tinny - almost unbearably so in the opening but I am happy to say that settles as the film runs. The post DUB'ing is, at times, imperfect but that is a function of the production. The melodic and memorable score is by Nino Rota (Juliet of the Spirits, Rocco and His Brothers, Death on the Nile, Il Bidone, 8 1/2, I Clowns, Purple Noon, The Leopard etc.) adding further emotion to the narrative. Criterion lose the English DUB of their DVD and offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray has included both the 1/2 hour interview with Dominique Delouche (Delouche was director Federico Fellini's assistant from 1955 to 1960, working on the films Il bidone, Nights of Cabiria, and La doce vita. He has gone on to a successful career directing feature films, documentaries, and opera This interview was conducted at Delouche's Paris apartment in March 1999.) and the 4-minute audio interview with Dino De Laurentiis on this disc. Also included on the Nights of Cabiria Blu-ray is a 2006 documentary, Giulietta Masina: The Power of a Smile, which mixes numerous interviews and film clips to tell the story of the career of actor, Fellini’s wife and frequent collaborator, starting with her early work in radio. It runs 53-minutes. In the third episode of Second Look running 33-minutes, part of a four-part interview series Federico Fellini did on Belgian television in 1960, the director, actor Giulietta Masina, and screenwriter and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini discuss La strada and Nights of Cabiria. Included are the original theatrical trailer and re-release theatrical trailer.

NOTE: The deluxe packaging, includes two lavishly illustrated books with hundreds of pages of content: notes on the films by scholar David Forgacs, essays by filmmakers Michael Almereyda, Kogonada, and Carol Morley; film critics Bilge Ebiri and Stephanie Zacharek; and novelist Colm Tóibín, and dozens of images spotlighting Don Young’s renowned collection of Fellini memorabilia collector’s set designed by Raphael Geroni, with new illustrations by Abigail Giuseppe.

Federico Fellini's Nights of Cabiria is, probably, my favorite film of all time. Although perceptions change over the years - this has been constantly in my Top 5. The Blu-ray effect was fully in place in this viewing and the film was even more impacting via this new 4K-restored 1080P presentation. I could extol the film, Giulietta Masina's performance, the neo-realism touches etc. for many paragraphs. I will just state that this is an integral part of Criterion's upcoming Essential Fellini Blu-ray package... which is an obvious front-runner for best of the entire 2020 year. This is, indeed, essential.

Gary Tooze

ON THE DVDs: The newer Umbrella DVD in Region 0 - in the NTSC standard and has the same running time as the 'director's cut' Criterion. It is horizontally compressed with thinner faces and the Criterion looks more correct to me. The Aussie SD also shares the digitization issues that plagued the Criterion with both mild DNR and some edge-enhancement (see zoomed-in capture below). It has no menus or extras and starts with a 'Canal' logo followed by a 'La Paramount Prestenta' logo. Still worth owning to see the film as the Criterion is out-of-print and fetching big bucks.

1999: As stated on the Criterion box; "This new digital transfer was created from the restored 35mm dupe negative. The sound was created from the restored digital soundtrack. These new master elements were created through extensive replacement of damaged frames in the original negative and resynchronization of the restored sound." Looking at the Restoration Demonstration offered as an extra you can see the huge difference this cleaned print has made. Solid extras with the Dominique Delouche interview as the highlight.