The Railroad Man
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Synopsis
Pietro Germi (The Facts of Murder) directs and stars in this deeply affecting drama about a train driver. Living modestly with his wife Sara (Luisa Della Noce), Andrea Marcocci’s life is thrown into turmoil when he witnesses a suicide on the tracks ahead of him. Tenderly narrated from the perspective of his young son Sandro (Edoardo Nevola), the incident has repercussions on Andrea and his extended family - including his unemployed son Marcello (Renato Speziali) and pregnant daughter Giulia (Sylva Koscina) - who he is expected to support. A huge success on release, with a tough, muscular performance by Germi at its centre, The Railroad Man should sit alongside the likes of Bicycle Thieves and La terra trema in the pantheon of great neorealistic classics.
Picture 10/10
Radiance presents The Railroad Man in its original 1.37:1 aspect ratio on a dual-layer Blu-ray disc, sourced from a new 4K restoration by Cineteca di Bologna. Though technically a UK release, the disc is coded for Regions A and B, making it fully playable in North America.
Looking to be sourced from the 35mm original camera negative (the notes don't confirm this), the 1080p/24hz high-definition presentation is nothing short of spectacular. The image is razor sharp, with fine detail beautifully rendered throughout. Aside from a few expected dupey transitions (obviously baked into the source) there’s little to complain about. The encode is excellent: grain is clean and natural, and there are no signs of compression or other artifacts. Even tighter patterns, like cross-hatching in clothing, are resolved effortlessly, with no shimmer or aliasing effects present.
Print damage is virtually nonexistent, but what really sets this presentation apart is its grayscale and dynamic range. The grayscale is impressively broad, with subtle tonal shifts, especially evident in shots of the sky. Blacks are rich and inky without ever crushing shadow detail, giving scenes a real sense of depth. Gradations are finely handled, allowing remarkable detail to emerge even in the darkest areas of the frame. The wide range in contrast in single shots is also impressive, really helping those darker scenes with single light sources.
Simply put, this transfer looks incredibly good, far better than I ever would have expected for the film. It’s the kind of presentation that would absolutely shine in 4K, and it’s a bit of a shame that’s not likely to happen.
The Railroad Man - Screen Captures
Audio 6/10
The Italian monaural soundtrack, presented in lossless 2.0 PCM, sounds quite good overall. While the range isn’t especially wide, dialogue comes through clearly and the melodramatic score has a nice bit of punch. There are no noticeable signs of damage or distortion, making for a clean, unobtrusive presentation.
Extras 5/10
Radiance includes only a couple of on-disc features, but they’re both worthwhile: an appreciation by critic Mario Sesti and a newly recorded interview with actor Edoardo Nevola, who appeared in the film as Germi's son. Nevola’s 23-minute segment is rather charming, as he reflects on his experience working with Pietro Germi—whom he affectionately calls a “lovely man”—and shares anecdotes from the production, his interactions with the cast, and touches on some of his other work.
Sesti’s 29-minute piece takes a broader critical approach, placing the film within the context of post-war Italy and explaining its appeal to contemporary audiences, which helped make it a domestic hit. He also situates it within Germi’s larger body of work and, at times, seems almost surprised by how well-crafted the film is, his praise occasionally sounding like backhanded compliments. Still, it’s a solid and fairly in-depth overview that adds valuable perspective.
The limited edition also comes with a booklet. It opens with an essay by John Bleasdale that focuses on the film’s familial themes, expanding on points raised by Sesti, who notably likened the film to Rocco and His Brothers in his interview. A second piece by Simone Starace offers insight into one of the film’s screenwriters, Alfredo Giannetti.
It’s not a packed edition by any means, but it’s hard to imagine what more could be added, especially as Radiance has already done a commendable job covering Germi in earlier releases. As it stands, the included material proves rewarding.
Closing
Not a loaded special edition, but the presentation is shockingly good; well worth picking up for that aspect alone.
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