Roma (1972)

[MifuneFan]

Criterion will be releasing Federico Fellini's Roma (1972) on December 13th.

https://www.criterion.com/films/28039-roma

Travelogue, memoir, and outrageous cinematic spectacle converge in this kaleidoscopic valentine to the Eternal City, composed by one of its most iconic inhabitants. Leisurely one moment and breathless the next, this urban fantasia by Federico Fellini interweaves recollections of the director’s young adulthood in the era of Mussolini with an impressionistic portrait of contemporary Rome, where he and his film crew are gathering footage of the bustling cityscape. The material delights of sex, food, nightlife, and one hallucinatory ecclesiastical fashion show are shot through with glimmers of a monumental past: the Colosseum encircled by traffic, ancient frescoes unearthed in a subway tunnel, a pigeon-befouled statue of Caesar. With a head-spinning mix of documentary immediacy and extravagant artifice, Roma penetrates the myth and mystique of Italy’s storied capital, a city Fellini called “the most wonderful movie set in the world.”

• New high-definition digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
• Audio commentary featuring Frank Burke, author of Fellini’s Films
• Deleted scenes
• New interview with filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino on the lasting influence of director Federico Fellini
• New interview with Italian poet and Fellini friend Valerio Magrelli
• Images from the Felliniana archive of collector Don Young
• Trailer
• New English subtitle translation
• PLUS: An essay by film scholar David Forgacs

[starman15317]

I've been wanting to see this for a while. Glad to see it's being added to the collection.

[ElliesDad]

One of the top twenty in my list of hoped-for DVD upgrades. Just a remarkable work. Perplexing on a first viewing with it's extraordinary kinetic pastiche of mood, image, and theme until the realization finally hits that its necessary only to simply relax and be swept along by the intoxicating flow of image, haunting melodic theme, and emotional pitch. Wasn't sure at first glance concerning the cover art, but like the film itself it grows on you!

[javi92]

Not top tier Fellini, but it'll do until something better gets upgraded.

[Dubstar]

That cover artwork is so so weird

[MifuneFan]

I love the art. It looks like a dazzling, magical celebration of Rome, which is essentially what the film is. Even the description above calls it "kaleidoscopic" which the artwork resembles too.

[ElliesDad]

Originally Posted by javi92

Not top tier Fellini, but it'll do until something better gets upgraded.

Something better like "Nights of Cabiria"!?! That would be in the top five of my hoped for DVD up-grades.

[javi92]

Ditto. Or La Strada. I'd also settle for I Vitelloni or Juliet of the Spirits. Alas, I don't think Criterion is ever going to resolve their issues with Studio Canal.

[MifuneFan]

Nights of Cabiria would be my top want. I don't care who releases it. It's tragic there's no releases at all on BD.

[starman15317]

We need Nights of Cabiria and La Strada on Blu!!

[deepbreathsanddeath]

Originally Posted by javi92

Not top tier Fellini, but it'll do until something better gets upgraded.

I disagree. I think this is one of Fellini's best films. It's a visual love letter to Rome and not a traditional (if you can call any of his movies traditional haha) film. I can easily see how it wouldn't be as satisfying to some, but I just wanted to throw my praise out there. This is a great addition to the Criterion collection.

[castor]

Roma is top tier Fellini for me, along with Satyricon and 8 1/2.

[malakaheso]

Roma is good, but it's definitely not my favourite Fellini. I even prefer And The Ship Sails On to it!

I'm curious to see whether the transfer is better than the Eureka disc though.

[hoytereden]

I like this well enough especially the early scenes which were reminiscent of Amarcord with its humor especially

[Show spoiler]the little girl reciting the naughty nursery rhymes.

I thought it lost a bit of steam as it went along but I've only seen it once. As a big Fellini fan I'll certainly be picking it up and hopefully Juliet of the Spirits, and La Strada won't be far behind.

[xenoyako]

Originally Posted by javi92

Ditto. Or La Strada. I'd also settle for I Vitelloni or Juliet of the Spirits. Alas, I don't think Criterion is ever going to resolve their issues with Studio Canal.

the issues with Studio Canal? Anyone know what exactly happened? Link or info would be much appreciated. Thanks

[ThisKid]

Review's Up
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Roma-...164464/#Review
5/5 for the film and audio quality, 4.5/5 for picture quality, 4/5 for special features, with a 4.5/5 overall score.

[leoganzi]

As for the cover, I prefer the UK Eureka artwork.


Sometimes Criterion's covers are weird!

[Supermartyoh]

Originally Posted by xenoyako

the issues with Studio Canal? Anyone know what exactly happened? Link or info would be much appreciated. Thanks

StudioCanal (who licensed out titles to Anchor Bay, Artisan, and Criterion in the past) has a US distribution agreement with Lionsgate. Lionsgate, like Warner, prefers to release content themselves and doesn’t license anything out to third parties. This is why Canal owned titles previously released by Criterion and other labels went OOP (read $$$$!) as part of the agreement with Lionsgate. Lionsgate releases of SC owned titles in the US is a usually a port of the WW StudioCanal Blu ray disc, being most of them are region A/B coded and saves Lionsgate costs in manufacturing a separate master by using the same disc.

[Khronikos]

Wow, what a nice package. They killed it with the artwork too.

[UncleBuckWild]

To mark Criterion's recent restoration of Fellini's ROMA ... A rather interesting and insightful event was held at NYU's Casa Italiana.

... Gotta say the NYU faculty seem totally awesome! and I enjoyed watching as Becker & friends tryna market FilmStruck.

Fellini's "Roma" Restoration presented at NYU - YouTube