Il Generale Della Rovere (The Criterion Collection)
by Roberto Rossellini
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DVD details
Actor: Baronessa Barzani, Hannes Messemer, Ivo Garrani, Mary Greco, Vittorio CaprioliDirector: Roberto Rossellini
Brand: Image Entertainment
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Italian (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 132 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-03-31
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Criterion Collection
DVD Reviews of Il Generale Della Rovere (The Criterion Collection)
DVD Review: Not his greatest, but still great....
Summary: 5 Stars
Roberto Rossellini may be the single most under-appreciated director in the history of cinema. While Fellini has risen to god-like status, Rossellini remains rather obscure to the vast majority of modern film viewers, and that's a shame. Bertolucci, Antonioni, Visconti, etc, have all received more attention in the age of DVD, while Rossellini's films have been practically ignored. But, as Martin Scorsese once said: "He is the father of us all," and that oversight is finally being rectified. As chic as the New Wave remains, the neo-realism of Rossellini is one of the most enlightening, powerful, and exciting eras in cinema.
This absorbing look at the Italian resistance during World War II rates among his more interesting films. Though not as arresting as his earlier Roberto Rossellini's War Trilogy (Rome Open City/Paisan/Germany Year Zero) (Criterion Collection) (Which is also available from Criterion as of January, 2010, and may be the single greatest release from the esteemed company!), it is nonetheless riveting in its own unique way. Again he makes use of old footage and finds piles of rubble to add to the sense of the time. The humor is dark, but then so were the times, and the final act really comes together as our faulty hero reassesses his life and his place in a nation being torn apart by war. De Sica is truly magnificent here, and he alone is reason enough to give this a thumbs up...one of the great performances of his career - and remember, while an esteemed director, he also acted in over 150 films!
For a lower-tier criterion release, there are also some great extras here, particularly the interviews with Rossellini's family members, Isabella among them, and their memories of the film and where it fits in his career. As usual, Tab Gallagher steps up and contributes an excellent video essay as well. These innovative features he has done on different Rossellini discs are among the coolest uses of the format. It ads some great context to the film's narrative, and really hits at the heart of Italy's national conscience that was so tortured in the 1950s - having of course to reconcile their contributions and suffering during the War. It was only in the late 50s that it became possible to look back, for naturally in the immediate aftermath it was just too painful to do so. So in some ways Rossellini contributes to the healing by suggesting even a worthless con man was a nationalist at heart...but it's naive to suggest that is all that is going on here. Nevertheless, the context is absolutely imperative to understanding and appreciating Il Generale Della Rovere.
In short, you really can't go wrong with Rossellini, and you can do a lot worse than this little-known gem from the late 50s. The recent output from Criterion will hopefully help to bring his canon into the limelight, and we can only home more is on the way - how about a Rossellini-Bergman Box Criterion?!?!??!
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Description of Il Generale Della Rovere (The Criterion Collection)
In a magnetic performance, Vittorio De Sica is Bardone, an opportunistic rascal in wartime Genoa, conning and cheating his fellow Italians, exploiting their tragedies by promising to help find their missing loved ones in exchange for money. But when the Nazis force him to impersonate a dead partisan general in prison to extract information from fellow inmates, Bardone finds himself wrestling with his conscience for the first time. Roberto Rossellini s gripping drama, among his most commercially popular films, is further evidence of the compassionate artistry of one cinema s most important voices.SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:
New, restored high-definition digital transfer
New video interviews with Isabella, Renzo, and Ingrid Rossellini, as well as film scholar Adriano Aprà
New visual essay by Tag Gallagher, author of The Adventures of Roberto Rossellini
Original theatrical trailer
New and improved English subtitle translation
PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic James Monaco and an excerpt from a 2000 interview with Indro Montanelli, author of the story that inspired the film
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