222 The Desert of the Tartars

[Finch]

Lieutenant Drogo (Jacques Perrin, Corruption) is a young soldier eager to join the fight. After enlisting, he is sent to a border fortress where the troops prepare for battle. As he acclimatises to his new surroundings, he discovers that there is little action and instead of fighting, he becomes embroiled in a battle of endless bureaucracy. The troops strain for sanity as they await an onslaught that may never arrive. The final film by celebrated auteur Valerio Zurlini ranks among his finest, an existential parable about the futility of war, with echoes of Kafka and Orwell. A haunting adaptation of the influential novel by Dino Buzzati, The Desert of the Tartars stars an incredible cast of the era's finest European actors.

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES:

4K restoration of the film from the original negative by Luce-Cinecittà
Deserts of Vast Eternity - a documentary on Zurlini’s career and influences leading up to the making of The Desert of the Tartars featuring Navid Ghazanfari, Lawrence Venuti, Daniel Riccuito, Willard Bohn, Stephen Volk, Pasquale Iannone and Federica Fioroni (David Cairns, 2026, 68 mins)
Archival interview with cinematographer Luciano Tovoli (2005, 36 mins)
Archival interview with producer Mario Gallo (2005, 18 mins)
Trailer
Gallery of promotional materials
Newly improved English subtitle translation
Reversible sleeve featuring artwork based on original promotional materials
Booklet featuring new writing by Michael Brooke and an archival interview with Zurlini
Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

[TMDaines]

One of my favourite novels. Love the film too. Been waiting for this one to rewatch with my wife.

[Peacock]

Thank you Fran, very very excited about this one! Hopefully this means A Casa Assassinada* isn’t too far away!


* Not that they are in any way related, but it’s worth a punt!