More Rossellini?

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ellipsis7 · #51 Post by **ellipsis7** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 4:49 am

I have a off air recording from the BBC from circa 1989 - wonder which version it is? Also recorded INGRID IN ITALY, fascinating docu including lots of colour footage of the shoot etc. on Stromboli... Nearly got to the actual island last year, but seas too rough to sail from Sicily!...

Such are the stirrings in the grass, the possibility of a ROSSELLINI/BERGMAN set from Criterion seems very real...

Scharphedin2 · #52 Post by **Scharphedin2** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 5:52 am

Not willing to wait, and probably being more forgiving with respect to poor conditions of prints and transfers than most members of the forum, I went ahead and purchased BFI's Journey to Italy and Arrow's Rome, Open City. Both films are wonderful, and both discs are, as has been stated elsewhere, not of the very best quality.

I wondered about Rome, Open City... the print is rather blurry and worn looking, but there are not that many actual defects in the print itself. Given the time and circumstances in which this particular film was made, does anyone know how much better the film actually "should" look?

ellipsis7 · #53 Post by **ellipsis7** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 6:02 am

Thing is about the Arrow disc, not all the dialogue has been translated into the subtitles - my off air recordings on vhs have far better COVERAGE... There is presumably a better restored print as part of the Rossellini retro touring Cinametheque Ontario, MOMA NYC & the bfi NFT (Fall 06 into early 07)... However Rossellini scavenged most of the original negative stock, including lengths of still film, so some unevenness is inevitable...

JabbaTheSlut · #54 Post by **JabbaTheSlut** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 5:01 am

NY Times article on the Rosselini retro

Gosvig · #55 Post by **Gosvig** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 7:32 am

Having read this discussion I have confirmed that I am definetely not the only one looking for decent Rossellini DVDs. The quality of fx. the FSF releases range from shameful to fairly decent, as PaÃ¬sa being the absolute lowpoint, with the visible damage throughout especially the first episode (however the quality of the film still shines through this at times litterally unwatchable copy, so far I've seen it three times...) and Stromboli as far as I remember being decent throughout the film being the best of the releases (correct me if I'm wrong, but the transfer seemed consistent...). Does anyone know if MoC or Criterion are considering releasing more Rossellini, besides the "Francesco..." and would you recommend the version of "Il Generale..." from Minerva (The DVDs from Raro et al. are sometimes Criterion-standard, especially when it comes to italian titles, and other times not very good considering the "Flesh for Frankenstein" and Jodorowsky-releases...)?

It is so frustrating when wanting to explore the work from a great director like Rossellini that so little is accesible on DVD, and that very few of the releases available are of a decent quality...

Awesome Welles · #56 Post by **Awesome Welles** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 12:40 pm

I recently attended a retrospective of a few Rossellini films (couldn't afford to catch as many as I would have liked) the films I saw were, for the most part, in shocking condition. Fortunately I speak basic Italian and the [long] gaps of absent subtitles fortunately wasn't too bad.

It is a real shame when such a towering figure as Rossellini is so underrepresented on [quality] DVD given the volume of his work. I was fortunate enough to see a few of his pre-Bergman works and I must say it is, frankly, criminal that these classics have not been restored for DVD.

Given that MoC have not focused too heavily on Italian cinema the past few years I would be surprised if they didn't have something up their sleeve. However I would doubt seeing any Rossellini from them any time soon. The prints I saw were in dire shape and really need a restoration, I imagine something like this would probably be undertaken by the BFI (in the UK at least)? Although I have no idea what the situation is with ownership of these films.

Criterion have made great strides with Italian cinema in the past, but with the Fellini's aside I don't know how well they've sold and it may seem to them that to release less famous Rossellini films might not be worth it, when Japanese cinema is so in vogue at the moment. Concerning the more famous Rossellini's the only reason I can come up with is that materials are unavailable, why else wouldn't they have released them already. I imagine a boxset of Rossellini's War Trilogy (Roma, Citta Aperta, Paisa and Germania Anno Zero) would sell like hotcakes...

ptmd · #57 Post by **ptmd** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 12:59 pm

The number one thing holding up a proper release of Paisa anywhere in the world is a rights dispute among Rossellini's children. A restoration was completed about 5 years ago in Rome, but it has barely been shown anywhere (it was not in the travelling retrospective) and can't be licensed out to anyone until the rights dispute is resolved. The FSF DVD is ample demonstration of what the non-restored prints look like and I'm fairly certain that Criterion won't release anything until they can get access to good prints of Paisa.

otis · #58 Post by **otis** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 1:48 pm

There are actually a reasonable number of Rossellini's films available in good quality editions on DVD, but unfortunately most of them don't have English subtitles. Ones that I'm aware of:

Un pilota ritorna
L'uomo dalla croce
Desiderio
Available individually and in a box set from Ripley's Home Video, no English subs. Screen caps from Un pilota ritorna here.

Francesco giullare di Dio
Criterion and MoC, English subs

Viaggio in Italia
BFI, English language version

Il generale Della Rovere
Minerva Classic, gorgeous restoration, English subs and booklet. Screen caps here.

La Prise de pouvoir par Louis XIV
mk2, no subs, not even French

The TV films from 1970 onwards are all out on DVD in Italy. Socrate, Cartesio and Anno uno have English subtitles.

Giovanna d'Arco al rogo and Vanina Vanini have both come out recently in Italy. I haven't seen either of these discs, but I presume Vanina uses the restoration shown in Bologna last year. The Rome city council sponsored a restoration of Roma cittÃ aperta last year, but there's no DVD as yet.

Gosvig · #59 Post by **Gosvig** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 4:36 pm

Thank you very much for the info! I luckily do speak both Italian and French so I guess things does not look that bad after all. However it is really a shame that the restored version of PaisÃ is being held back because of some rights dispute, shame on whoever it is...

It surprises me that his fascist-era documentaries have been released I thought they were impossible to find... would really like to see them as they "haunted" him by influencing him in a way throughout his whole career (at least that's what I've been letting people tell me...).

I was actually at the screening in Bologna at Il Cinema Ritrovato last year as well, but could not make much sense from the film to be honest as I was a Rossellini-rookie back then having only seen "Roma...", but definitely good fun watching Sandra Milo in person speedtalking in Italian forgetting that the translator had to follow her...

By the way Otis; in the thread that you refer to that shows the screen captures from Il Generale della Rovere you also posted some captures from the Ripley DVD edition of "La Terra Trema" would you prefer that one to the Image and BFI? You seem to know what you're talking about...

Don Lope de Aguirre · #60 Post by **Don Lope de Aguirre** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 5:27 pm

definitely good fun watching Sandra Milo

She was quite something in Vanina Vanini! Impossible to take seriously with those big boobs and bouffant hair!

Fellini cast her better...

The Italian DVD is stellar by the way. Don't hesitate!

otis · #61 Post by **otis** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 6:25 pm

I haven't seen the Image disc, but RHV's restored La terra trema is about 1000 times better than the knackered old BFI version (and has both Italian and English subs for those who aren't fluent in Sicilian dialect). I read somewhere that Ossessione was coming from them too, but there's no sign of it at the moment.

Don Lope de Aguirre · #62 Post by **Don Lope de Aguirre** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 6:27 pm

Madonna!

tavernier · #63 Post by **tavernier** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 6:31 pm

Don Lope de Aguirre wrote:Madonna!

Even worse than Madonna!

Cinephrenic · #64 Post by **Cinephrenic** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:30 am

Besides Bicycle Thieves, we haven't got anything else that is Italian this year. Hopefully, they are pulling a Rossellini boxset in the works.

Gosvig · #65 Post by **Gosvig** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 7:24 am

Wow, still going strong in 1990! Complimenti! =D>

planetjake · #66 Post by **planetjake** » Tue Aug 28, 2007 12:21 pm

No new DVD news, sorry.

Could anyone tell me anything about the DVD and/or film Rossellini did for TV in 1970 called Socrates? I found the DVD on xploited but literally know nothing about it. My interest is piqued to say the least. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Ashirg · #67 Post by **Ashirg** » Wed May 21, 2008 4:52 am

I wasn't sure if we should start a new topic about the upcoming Rossellini films that were on last month's newsletter, but here's what I gather so far.

Istituto Luce released 6 films in "I Grandi della Storia" collection:

Socrate (1970)
Blaise Pascal (1972)
Agostino d'Ippona ( Augustine of Hippo ) (1972)
L'età di Cosimo de Medici ( The Age of the Medici ) - released on 2 discs at 124 minutes + Leon Battista Alberti at 88 minutes.
(I'm not sure if it's 2 different edits or part 1 and part 2)
Cartesius (1974)
Anno uno (Year One) (1974)

3 of them were confirmed in a clue, so the rest is also a possibility. They may also include Il Messia ( The Messiah ) (1976) which was released on DVD in Italy by San Paolo.

Dr Amicus · #68 Post by **Dr Amicus** » Wed May 21, 2008 5:18 am

I saw several of these many years back, when I did a Rossellini course at Uni - all projected on 16mm!

The Medici - IIRC this is 3 parts, each around 90 mins. The last part concerns Battista. My personal favourite of the history films - even sitting through parts 2 & 3 in one session in a lecture theatre that was far from comfortable.

Anno Uno - I have to say, much as I would like to see it available, I think this is the least likely of all the history films to make an appearance in the Eclipse box. Unlike the others, this was made for the cinema (again, IIRC) and concerns itself with postwar Italian politics. I did like it, and the opening WW2 sequence is extraordinary (zooming in and out of different groups in a hilltop battle) - but it would be out of place next to the others.[/b]

ellipsis7 · #69 Post by **ellipsis7** » Wed May 21, 2008 5:44 am

Ashirg wrote:I wasn't sure if we should start a new topic about the upcoming Rossellini films that were on last month's newsletter, but here's what I gather so far.

Istituto Luce released 6 films in "I Grandi della Storia" collection:

Socrate (1970)
Blaise Pascal (1972)
Agostino d'Ippona ( Augustine of Hippo ) (1972)
L'età di Cosimo de Medici ( The Age of the Medici ) - released on 2 discs at 124 minutes + Leon Battista Alberti at 88 minutes.
(I'm not sure if it's 2 different edits or part 1 and part 2)
Cartesius (1974)
Anno uno (Year One) (1974)

3 of them were confirmed in a clue, so the rest is also a possibility. They may also include Il Messia ( The Messiah ) (1976) which was released on DVD in Italy by San Paolo.

It's 4 surely in the clue, PASCAL, SOCRATE & CARTESIUS verbally checked, while the graphic Hippo suggests AGOSTINO!.... Fact that Criterion in their blog have referred to the set as 'Rossellini History Films' might also point to MEDICI being included, but makes ANNO UNO unlikely...

That would make a 6 disc Eclipse set!....

otis · #70 Post by **otis** » Wed May 21, 2008 9:33 am

The Istituto Luce Anno Uno has English subtitles. Still haven't got round to watching it. One of these days I'll post caps.

justeleblanc · #71 Post by **justeleblanc** » Wed May 21, 2008 10:27 am

Make that 7 discs.... Blaise Pascal anyone?

Perkins Cobb · #72 Post by **Perkins Cobb** » Wed May 21, 2008 12:44 pm

Well, the most we've ever gotten in an Eclipse set is 5 discs (and no more than five films unless some were shorts), so I wouldn't get one's hopes up for more than five of these. The hippo, alas, being cute but not standing up in court as a contractual obligation to deliver Augustine, by my reckoning.

MadJack · #73 Post by **MadJack** » Wed May 21, 2008 4:07 pm

the most we've ever gotten in an Eclipse set is 5 discs

The Louis Malle Eclipse was 6 discs. I reckon Augustine is a given; they - why else would they have a hippo as the animal?

Hopscotch · #74 Post by **Hopscotch** » Wed May 21, 2008 10:35 pm

they - why else would they have a hippo as the animal?

Preach.

Perkins Cobb · #75 Post by **Perkins Cobb** » Thu May 22, 2008 12:24 pm

MadJack wrote:why else would they have a hippo as the animal?

Just because they needed to pick an animal for the cartoon and a hippo was the obvious choice for that period of Rossellini? But, hey, maybe you're right and they have figured out by now that a bunch of internet weenies will jump all over 'em if they give us a hippo but no Hippo. I hope so.