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They both turn 100 next year. Are there any other 1916 Italian films more likely to edge them out? Il fuoco is the only film I've seen meeting those criteria, and it is a great one.

Well, the only film that could rival them in importance would be Febo Mari's "Cenere", incorrectly (I think) listed as 1917 on imdb, but that one can already be had on dvd from the Cineteca Milano. So if these 'cinema libri' from the Cineteca Bologna indeed follow the '100 years later' mode, probably there's a good chance for at least one of the Pastrones next year. And then in 2017 Nino Oxilia's ultimate masterpiece "Rapsodia Satanica" perhaps. But for Christ's sake, can't they simply release a box set with all of these films right now?

Tommaso wrote:Well, the only film that could rival them in importance would be Febo Mari's "Cenere", incorrectly (I think) listed as 1917 on imdb, but that one can already be had on dvd from the Cineteca Milano.

Does the DVD have English subtitles?

Also, what about I promessi sposi (1922), is it English-friendly?

I think all of the Cineteca Bologna discs have English subtitles. All the Italian silents certainly do.

That I promessi sposi disc is a great find. None of their DVDs are available through usual channels though. The screenshots look impressive.

I think all of the Cineteca Bologna discs have English subtitles. All the Italian silents certainly do.

The silents from Bologna have subtitles, but other films don't. They have recently released very interesting documentaries by Gianni Amico, Luigi Di Gianni and Giuseppe Bertolucci, but unfortunately these discs lack any kind of subs.

TMDaines wrote:That I promessi sposi disc is a great find. None of their DVDs are available through usual channels though. The screenshots look impressive.

It sure is impressive and the site's video database lists Sottotitoli: inglese. Yay!

Just hoping the DVD packaging isn't similar to Assunta Spina which is the size of a CD case. Normal keep cases, please!

The Bologna discs are technically sold as books, which partly explains their unorthodox packaging and allows them to fix the price of the product.

L.A. wrote:Just hoping the DVD packaging isn't similar to Assunta Spina which is the size of a CD case

Assunta Spina doesn't have a CD-like packaging (but the previous DVDs did). These films are sold as books+DVD because this format allows Cineteca to pay much less taxes.

You're right, my mistake. I just checked and it's a size of a DVD case but not quite the same as earlier Cineteca Bologna releases Maciste and Inferno which are thicker digipacks with a book.

I've just watched the "Assunta Spina" disc, and I have to say it's truly marvellous. A wonderful transfer which is on the level of a silent film dvd from MoC or Edition Filmmuseum, and the film comes with new music for guitar, mandoloncello and occasional voice which fits it perfectly. Even though some singing is involved, everything that went wrong with "Varieté" went absolutely right here. The music, based on Neapolitan folk tunes, is so good that it's probably worth listening to on its own, without the film.

But then, it also never distracts from the stunning visual treat that the film is. While the film is rightfully revered as being a first step into 'verismo', even a pre-decessor of neo-realism, the performance of Francesca Bertini is nevertheless wonderfully controlled, artful and completely enchanting, so in a way this still fits into the concept of the 'diva film', which is a good thing. As the very informative booklet points out, here is an actress who could express a whole range of emotion just by the way she carried her silk shawl or by the most minute variation of a glance or a body movement. Complete perfection.

The two extra short films come from surviving prints with Dutch intertitles, but they're English subtitled like everything else on this disc, too, and provide two more fine glimpses at the rather accomplished Italian filmmaking of the early 1910s (and they've never been available even in the backchannels before). Add to this 15 pages of introductory essays in English in the booklet, all well worth reading, plus a short visual filmography of Bertini with excerpts from other, unavailable films which just made me swoon. And all this for a recommended retail price of only 12 Euros! Seriously, every fan of silent films of this vintage needs to have this disc in their collection. If you don't know what else to order from Italy, just go for the discs of "Ma l'amor mio non muore" (1913, starring Lyda Borelli) and "Sangue Blu" (1914, also with Bertini) from the same label and at an even cheaper price.

L.A. wrote:

TMDaines wrote:That I promessi sposi disc is a great find. None of their DVDs are available through usual channels though. The screenshots look impressive.

It sure is impressive and the site's video database lists Sottotitoli: inglese. Yay!

Just hoping the DVD packaging isn't similar to Assunta Spina which is the size of a CD case. Normal keep cases, please!

Where are you ordering it from? The Cineteca di Milano site won't offer me a delivery method to the UK.

In my case, I found you have to contact the Cineteca di Milano directly, paying by bank transfer/tramite bonifico bancario, then they post the discs out... Picked up Corrado d'Errico's STRAMILANO & a series of docs on LA RICEVITRICE, highly recommended... Milan was one of the first cities in Europe to be electrified & filmmakers & Futurists alike were fascinated by the arrival of electric power and electric light....

I sent an email to Cineteca di Milano and asked whether they ship to Finland and is the DVD really English-friendly (want a confirmation before ordering) couple weeks ago but no reply yet. Guess I'll have to send another then.

Too bad Amazon.it don't have it on sale but they do have a version from 1941 directed by Mario Camerini which interests as well. Not sure does the Cristaldi DVD have English subs.

L.A. wrote:Too bad Amazon.it don't have it on sale but they do have a version from 1941 directed by Mario Camerini which interests as well. Not sure does the Cristaldi DVD have English subs.

The Camerini DVD doesn't feature English subtitles, only Italian hard-of-hearing subtitles.

ellipsis7 wrote:In my case, I found you have to contact the Cineteca di Milano directly, paying by bank transfer/tramite bonifico bancario, then they post the discs out... Picked up Corrado d'Errico's STRAMILANO & a series of docs on LA RICEVITRICE, highly recommended... Milan was one of the first cities in Europe to be electrified & filmmakers & Futurists alike were fascinated by the arrival of electric power and electric light....

How much was postage?

Each DVD was €10, the postage flat rate €9, so €29 total...

Tommaso wrote:Well, the only film that could rival them in importance would be Febo Mari's "Cenere", incorrectly (I think) listed as 1917 on imdb, but that one can already be had on dvd from the Cineteca Milano. So if these 'cinema libri' from the Cineteca Bologna indeed follow the '100 years later' mode, probably there's a good chance for at least one of the Pastrones next year. And then in 2017 Nino Oxilia's ultimate masterpiece "Rapsodia Satanica" perhaps. But for Christ's sake, can't they simply release a box set with all of these films right now?

Febo Mari's Cenere is 1916 and not 1917 (I'm read the censorship document).

Any information on a BD of Pastrone's Cabiria?

Last year Les Documents Cinématographiques released a completely English friendly release of four surviving Louis Delluc films, recently restored in 2K:
Le Chemin d'Ernoa, La Femme de nulle part, Fièvre and L'Inondation plus a disc of extras (also English subbed) that includes fragments from La Fête espagnole.
I recently became aware of this and purchased through amazon.fr and having now seen the middle two feel confident enough to recommend it. Not eye-popping discs, but it looks like decent prints transferred ably and the films themselves are very strong.

More info about the set and extras: here.

rockysds wrote:Last year Les Documents Cinématographiques released a completely English friendly release of four surviving Louis Delluc films, recently restored in 2K:
Le Chemin d'Ernoa, La Femme de nulle part, Fièvre and L'Inondation plus a disc of extras (also English subbed) that includes fragments from La Fête espagnole.
I recently became aware of this and purchased through amazon.fr and having now seen the middle two feel confident enough to recommend it. Not eye-popping discs, but it looks like decent prints transferred ably and the films themselves are very strong.

More info about the set and extras: here.

La femme de nulle part was something of a holy grail of mine for a long, long time, and I managed to see it at the Cinematheque in 2014. It's a really great melodrama (if not quite as transcendent as I'd hoped for after all that anticipation). It's wonderful that these films are out on disc now.

Just curious; did anyone get the I promessi sposi DVD from Cineteca Milano?

3 films muets avec Mistinguett

The set looks stunning but is it English-friendly? Anyone own this?

According to this Nitrateville thread nobody has even found a supplier who'll send it outside France or Belgium... so it'll be highly ironic if the discs themselves turn out to be English-friendly!

L.A. wrote:3 films muets avec Mistinguett

The set looks stunning but is it English-friendly? Anyone own this?

I just got my DVD box. It's all in French. Alas, it's also extremely poor quality. The prints looks like some old Grapevine VHS, dark as hell... On top, MISTINGUETT DETECTIVE is missing some footage. The music is a non-descript compilation. To avoid.

Thank you both Ann Harding and Jonathan S for your replies. Was expecting it not to be English-friendly but wanted to ask just in case.