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Licensor Information
Video Mercury
Directed by: Carlos Saura
Carlos Saura’s exquisite Cría cuervos . . . heralded a turning point in Spain: shot while General Franco was on his deathbed, the film melds the personal and the political in a portrait of the legacy of fascism and its effects on a middle-class family (the title derives from the Spanish proverb: “Raise ravens and they’ll peck out your eyes”). Ana Torrent (the dark-eyed beauty from The Spirit of the Beehive) portrays the disturbed eight-year-old Ana, living in Madrid with her two sisters and mourning the death of her mother, whom she conjures as a ghost (an ethereal Geraldine Chaplin). Seamlessly shifting between fantasy and reality, the film subtly evokes both the complex feelings of childhood and the struggles of a nation emerging from the shadows.
Streaming Options
31773.
+27132
Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Format:
DVD
Discs:
DVD-9 (1 Disc)
DVD-5 (1 Disc)
Total: 2 Discs
Regions:
1 (DVD)
Aspect Ratio:
1.66:1
Audio Options:
Spanish Dolby Digital Mono 1.0
Resolution:
480p/29.97
Subtitles:
English
Supplements
Types of Supplements Included: Documentary, Interview, Theatrical Trailer, Booklet
- Portrait of Carlos Saura, a documentary on the life and career of the Spanish auteur
- New interviews with actresses Geraldine Chaplin and Ana Torrent
- Original theatrical trailer
- A booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Paul Julian Smith
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Film
Picture
Audio
Supplements
Artwork
Release Credits
Producer: Kate Elmore
Artwork: Leanne Shapton
Release Notes on Restoration
Cria cuervos...
Cría cuervos . . . is presented in the aspect ratio of 1.66:1. On standard 4:3 televisions, the image will appear letterboxed. On standard and widescreen televisions, black bars may also be visible on the left and right to maintain the proper screen format. This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Cintel C-Reality telecine with Oliver Electronic Wetgate Processing from the 35mm original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. To maintain optimal image quality through the compression process, the picture on this dual-layer DVD-9 has been encoded at the highest-possible bit rate for the quantity of materials included.
The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from the 35mm original soundtrack negative, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal will be directed to the center channel on 5.1-channel sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound.
The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from the 35mm original soundtrack negative, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle. The Dolby Digital 1.0 signal will be directed to the center channel on 5.1-channel sound systems, but some viewers may prefer to switch to two-channel playback for a wider dispersal of the mono sound.