Ken Russell's Valentino (Bel Air Classiques)

[Frank Leonidas]

According to Bel Air Classiques website and Amazon.fr, the run-time for this Blu-ray is 123 minutes, approximately 4-5 minutes shorter than the original run-time for the film.

The MGM DVD-R is 127 minutes.

The Blu-ray was also made "with the support of the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation". I know that Nureyev was extremely difficult during the making of this film, and even director Ken Russell spoke negatively about its troubled production.

I was wondering if anyone has seen the Blu-ray and could comment on the image quality and this discrepancy between run-times? I'm especially curious to know if the Blu-ray has been truncated or censored in any way. There is some explicit nudity in the film (including Nureyev) and the infamous jail cell scene in which Nureyev/Valentino must deal with a sadistic guard (Bill McKinney from Deliverance) with a urine fixation, a puddle of vomit on the floor and some very unsavory prisoners including a man with his hand down his front trousers.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Valen...4591/#Overview
http://www.belairclassiques.com/blog/film/valentino-bd/

[tenia]

The 4-5 minutes shorter might be a question of 1080i50.

[Nika]

I have the Disc and the image is excellent! And I haven't noticed any scenes missing so don't worry about that.

[Frank Leonidas]

Originally Posted by tenia

The 4-5 minutes shorter might be a question of 1080i50.

thank you, tenia...I didn't consider the PAL frame rate could be responsible.

Originally Posted by Nika

I have the Disc and the image is excellent! And I haven't noticed any scenes missing so don't worry about that.

thanks for your feedback, Nika...as long as the nudity and jail cell scenes are perfectly intact, I don't know what else they could even consider cutting Glad to hear the image quality is nice. I've always thought this was an extremely underrated film. Nureyev was perfect. I'll probably be ordering from Amazon.fr now.

[tenia]

Originally Posted by Frank Leonidas

thank you, tenia...I didn't consider the PAL frame rate could be responsible.

Just to precise : I don't own the disc, so was just throwing a possibility in the air. We have, in France, a lot (too much, actually) of movies being released in BD in 1080i50 instead of a proper 1080p.

Given the length of the movie, and the quite new / unknown editor of this BD, the 4-5 minutes difference could fit with a 4% speedup.

If Nika has the possibility to verify this, that would help to ensure that everything is there, but that it's "just" a speed problem.

[Frank Leonidas]

Originally Posted by tenia

Just to precise : I don't own the disc, so was just throwing a possibility in the air. We have, in France, a lot (too much, actually) of movies being released in BD in 1080i50 instead of a proper 1080p.

Given the length of the movie, and the quite new / unknown editor of this BD, the 4-5 minutes difference could fit with a 4% speedup.

If Nika has the possibility to verify this, that would help to ensure that everything is there, but that it's "just" a speed problem.

thanks for the clarification. I cannot find any further info on the technical specs of this BD other than what's already been provided. I had hoped for an official review of it before taking the plunge.

The only known excised footage from the film that I am aware of, was done by the film's producers before the theatrical release. Not to spoil the plot, but according to the original script, the film begins with Valentino laying in state inside an opulent funeral home. Various characters who knew him come to see his body and tell their stories (or the Ken Russell version) of how they knew Valentino. The truncated scene would have made Russell's final shot in the movie make much more sense. Early on, as crowds of people begin to riot outside the funeral home, we see three moguls standing around his coffin discussing the good business his death will bring their studios. The funeral director doesn't like the way Valentino's hands are folded at his chest, so he removes a pair of scissors and cuts off one of the thumbs. Horrified, the studio chiefs soon realize that the body everyone has come to see is actually just a wax dummy. The final shot of the film (left intact but far less ironic due to the excised scene) shows the real body of Valentino lying on a cold slab inside what appears to be a morgue as the end credits begin to roll.

In my opinion, it's a solid film, as long as you are willing to accept the typical Ken Russell excess and flourishes to the "real story". As with all of Russell's brilliantly personal biopics, this one is informed by so many authentic details it's hard to establish what is and isn't real. More to the point, what we get is simply Russell's version (or impression) of events, which may not be everyone's particular cup of tea. I find Valentino to be one of his more accessible films (compared to the wildly comic yet sporadically serious Lisztomania) and Nureyev's brave performance in particular to be quite strong, given his lack of experience in front of the movie camera. It's also interesting to note that he appeared on The Muppet Show around the time of Valentino's disastrous theatrical run. I doubt anyone at the time would want their children seeing Nureyev in a Ken Russell movie

[tenia]

I asked a forumer at DVD Classik who did some screencaps there, and he confirmed me that :

- the BD is 1080p
- the runtime is 127 min
- the runtime for the DVD is 123 min

It would thus point to an uncut print, and a misinfo from Amazon which put the runtime of the DVD instead.

[Frank Leonidas]

Originally Posted by tenia

I asked a forumer at DVD Classik who did some screencaps there, and he confirmed me that :

- the BD is 1080p
- the runtime is 127 min
- the runtime for the DVD is 123 min

It would thus point to an uncut print, and a misinfo from Amazon which put the runtime of the DVD instead.

that's great news, tenia! Thank you so much for your brilliant detective work I just placed an order for the BD from Amazon.fr -- it came to just about $40 USD -- that's probably a little steep for most buyers who aren't already fans of the movie or Ken Russell, but it's definitely worth discovering for the adventurous cinephile.

It's a shame more people aren't aware of this BD, especially since I understand it's also region free.

While the film may not be one of Russell's all-time best, it does evoke the Twenties and early-Hollywood quite beautifully. The sets and costumes are simply gorgeous. It's also the last of Russell's great run of biopics concerning composers, artists and dancers from his classic Sixties/Seventies period. The Ken Russell BBC DVD set in a must-have for anyone interested in this great director. Let's hope The Devils (Russell's masterpiece, although I'd wager Women in Love, The Music Lovers and The Boy Friend are close contenders) makes it's way to BD soon...as well as his infamous Dance of the Seven Veils!

thanks, again!

I added a link to the screencaps you mentioned. While it's a bit difficult for me to tell conclusively how an image looks when it's not actually in motion, these grabs look far superior to the image quality of MGM's made-on-demand DVD-R of Valentino which sells for around $20 USD.
http://www.dvdclassik.com/forum/view...p?f=32&t=34588

[Aunt Peg]

Does Valentino have removable French subtitles or are they forced?

[Frank Leonidas]

Originally Posted by Aunt Peg

Does Valentino have removable French subtitles or are they forced?

excellent question. I won't know personally till mine arrives ... hopefully in a week or so.

[Nika]

The subs are removable thank God!

[tenia]

Originally Posted by Frank Leonidas

that's great news, tenia! Thank you so much for your brilliant detective work

To be fair, I was lucky that someone on Classik had a copy and was able to check this.