The
Assassin
(1961/aka L'Assassino/MVD
Visual/Arrow Blu-ray w/DVD Set)
Picture:
B+/B- Sound: B/B- Extras: B Film: B
Fans
of Marcello Mastroianni (La
Dolce Vita)
and his other works with Federico Fellini will want to check out the
beautiful new 2K restoration of Italian crime drama The
Assassin
(1961) that is packed with great extras to accompany a presentation
that only Arrow could deliver.
The
first feature by Elio Petri (Investigation
Of A Citizen Under Suspicion,
The
Tenth Victim
(reviewed elsewhere on this site)), the film tells the story of an
antiques dealer (Mastroianni) whose arrest for no good reason at
first (we discover he allegedly has committed murder in Rome) sheds
some light on the man's villainous double life and his lavish life of
luxury that he takes for granted. This is an underseen film worth
catching, especially considering the talent involved.
Restored
in 2K high definition and presented in 1080p with a widescreen aspect
ratio of 1.85:1, the black and white feature film (lensed by the
great Director of Photography Carlo Di Palma) simply looks marvelous
on Blu-ray disc, with exquisite detail and a print that is clean
throughout. The sound mix is also impressive with an Italian LPCM
Mono 2.0 track with clean dialogue and an interesting sound mix.
Also includes is a standard definition DVD of the film with a 1.85:1
widescreen aspect ratio and a PCM 2.0 Mono mix that sounds fine for
the format.
Special
Features...
Elio
Petri and L'Assassino,
an introduction by Italian cinema expert Pasquale Iannone
Tonino
Guerra: A Poet in the Movies:
Nicola Tranquillino's documentary about the great Italian
screenwriter
Theatrical
Trailer
Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Jay Shaw
Collectible
insert booklet
An
interesting film that is smartly made and features great
performances, I would certainly suggest this release to those who
have an interest in classic foreign cinema.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
