Three Brothers

Rating:
Summary: good movie but....
Review: Hands down the worst transfer to dvd I've ever seen. If you know Italian you'll still have the subs on because the sound is totally messed up. Dialogue comes in ever so faintly through the front left speaker instead of the center (and all the speakers are providing hiss. 5.0 surround hiss sound. and the image appears to be transfered from a video source instead of original elements. Result: video burps and vibrating black bars. Ridiculous. Normally I fall back and say: hey, at least it's available at all...but in this case I won't. This is very unpleasant viewing experience.

Rating:
Summary: 3 Brothers - an obscure masterpiece
Review: If you love Italian films, see this...

The story is of 3 brothers who have lost their emotional bond and must deal with it after being reunited at their mothers funeral. Charles Vanel (Wages of Fear - also plays a great cameo in Rosi's 'Illustrious Corpses') plays their father and Philippe Noiret's Judge character brings in a resonance and subtext of 70's Italian terrorism that plays rather freshly in America post 9/11.

Make no mistake, this is an all-star cast, with no American scenery chewing or faux sentiment. Vittorio Mezzogiorno is virtually unknown in the U.S. and that is a crime...watch this 20 times :)

Rating:
Summary: Emotionally brillant
Review: One of the best Italian films from the 1980's. Rosi' direction is top notch - one of the few films where the director's craft shines through magnanimously. Brilliant acting and beautiful story telling. And amazing, emotional journal that is more meditative drama than high drama. Stunning visuals and great cinematography. Brillant!