Bitter Rice (1949)

[ArnoldLayne56]

Well, I see that Silvana Mangano is Giada DeLaurentiis' grandmother!

[ElliesDad]

Originally Posted by ArnoldLayne56

Now that the missing frames issue is exhausted, there have been no posts or user reviews since the release date ;-)
Did anyone actually buy and watch this film yet?
I'd be interested to hear some of your thoughts before buying (having nothing to do with missing frames)
Cheers

Just came in from Amazon last week. Did a quick preview on the first ten minutes or so before heading out the door and was more than happy with the picture quality. Its been many, many years since I saw this but it did leave an impression and the first few minutes of re-viewing did not disappoint. It's classic Italian neorealism with a touch of spice (and yes, some pulp) but in terms of atmosphere and social consciousness in relation to time and place I'd personally place it in the same heady league as "Bicycle Thieves", "Two Women", and the rest of its contemporaries.

[ArnoldLayne56]

Originally Posted by ElliesDad

Just came in from Amazon last week. Did a quick preview on the first ten minutes or so before heading out the door and was more than happy with the picture quality. Its been many, many years since I saw this but it did leave an impression and the first few minutes of re-viewing did not disappoint. It's classic Italian neorealism with a touch of spice (and yes, some pulp) but in terms of atmosphere and social consciousness in relation to time and place I'd personally place it in the same heady league as "Bicycle Thieves", "Two Women", and the rest of its contemporaries.

Having purchased and watched the film, I agree with your assessment.
Any fence-sitters out there- it's $14.99 today on Amazon.

[dkelly26666]

This must be one of Criterion's poorest sellers. It seems to ALWAYS be on sale, and that just doesn't happen with Criterion titles very often. I haven't seen it above 14.99 in many months (it's MSRP is 29.95). I'm thinking Amazon is trying to clear them out offering them at a discount, yet it still never goes out of stock. Anyway, that aside, I love the film, and the A/V quality. And I picked it up for 14.99 some months back.

[WaverBoy]

If the Criterion release has needless skips and missing frames, I'm sticking with my Italian DVD. Thanks for the heads up!

[ArnoldLayne56]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

If the Criterion release has needless skips and missing frames, I'm sticking with my Italian DVD. Thanks for the heads up!

It appears to be minor, I did not notice it and some reviewers did not. I wonder if your version also has it.

[WaverBoy]

Originally Posted by ArnoldLayne56

It appears to be minor, I did not notice it and some reviewers did not. I wonder if your version also has it.

No, the Italian DVD doesn't have it.