Shockproof / Penny Video

[Saimo]

I am starting a new thread devoted to our Penny Video/Shockproof releases. In the last 5 years our company has been releasing both mainstream and independent films in Italy, mainly on DVD, but we are now starting to work on international scale. Our main focus is on restoring Italian and European forgotten films, rescuing titles that have never been available on home video.

A selection of our discs will be regularly available in the US through Diabolik DVD, while European customers may found easier to order through Amazon.




Our first BD release, Non contate su di noi (Don't Count on Us, 1978), won the Peter von Bagh award at the last Cinema Ritrovato. This is an independent film that tells the story of a young musician and a drug addicted girl, giving way to a love story that intertwines with the drama related to drugs. Shot on Super16, this is must see for everyone interested in Italian indie scene of the 1970s. Diabolik is carrying the limited mediabook edition, co-published with our friend ad Cineploit. English (and German) subtitles on film and bonus.

Diabolik also sells some of our English friendly DVD-only releases:


Senza lasciare traccia (Leaving No Trace, 2016)
A disturbing noir on a terminally ill man who looks for revenge against the men who abused him as a child.



Domani si balla! (Tomorrow We Dance, 1982)
Science-fiction comedy, done in the style of Georges Méliès and starring Maurizio Nichetti (The Icicle Thief) and Mariangela Melato (Swept Away).


Montedoro (2016)
The true story of an Italian-American woman born in the ghost town of Craco (near Matera) and given up for adoption when she was a toddler to a family in New York.

[Funktion]

I just became aware of your label, while searching around on Amazon.it.

Is there a list of your releases (especially which ones are English friendly)?

thank you

[Saimo]

Is there a list of your releases (especially which ones are English friendly)?

Sorry, I've just seen your message now.
You can find a full list on dvd-store, but I will be posting the new English-friendly releases on this page.



Now available at Amazon.it: Apollon/Contratto, two films by Ugo Gregoretti.
This collection features two of the most important Italian political documentaries from the late 1960s, Apollon: una fabbrica occupata (Apollon: An Unoccupied Factory, 1969) and Contratto (Contract, 1970), directed by Ugo Gregoretti and sponsored by the Communist Party. Direct cinema Italian-style (16mm, live sound where possible, docufiction reenactment where needed), they chronicle the worker's struggle during the so-called "hot autumn" (the same period narrated by Godard in his Lotte in Italia). DVD only, with English subtitles.

Coming soon: a Blu-ray of Giuliano Montaldo's Pigeon Shoot (1961) and a DVD collection of Italian Railways shorts.

[Saimo]

Following our Don't Count on Us BD/DVD combo, we have just released Pigeon Shoot (1961) by Giuliano Montaldo, a long-unavailable classic war movie, recently restored and screened at Venice 2019. The film chronicles the last days of the Mussolini's Republic of Salò, as seen through the eyes of a young fascist soldier. This approach was source of great controversy and the film soon disappeared. For a few years Montaldo devoted himself to more genre-oriented projects (Grand Slam, Machine Gun McCain), before gaining critical success with his 1970s political cinema hits (Sacco and Vanzetti, And Agnes Chose to Die).
The all-region BD features a new 4K restoration from original negative, an exclusive interview with director Giuliano Montaldo (27 min.) and a photogallery. English and French subtitles. You can find it at DiabolikDVD (USA), Metaluna (France) and Amazon.it.

On Amazon.it you can also find our L'Italia in viaggio con le FS, a collection of newsreels and short films sponsored by Italian Railways between the 1950s and the 1960s. Kind of Italian answer to the British Transport Films collection, also featuring two beautiful documentaries by Oscar-nominated director Romolo Marcellini. DVD only, from newly scanned 2K masters, with English subtitles.

[Saimo]

We have recently released on DVD a little-seen backstage comedy, Dora Nelson (1939) by Mario Soldati. Centered on a young girl (Assia Noris) who looks exactly like a famous movie star, the film offers a precious portrait of Italian 1930s cinema. The disc is English-friendly and also includes a short children film by Soldati (Who is God?). Available on Amazon.it.

[djvaso]

German movie ...soviel nackte Zärtlichkeit (Per te nuda mi vendo l'anima) (So Much Naked Tenderness) (1968) will be released on February 1. In spite of the title, the movie has got some good reviews on German sites: critic.de (Michael Kienzl), Dirty Laundry [Lukas Foerster], Hard Sensations [Silvia Szymanski], Remember it for later (Oliver Nöding), Thomas Groh.