I Knew Her Well aka "Io la conoscevo bene" [Blu-ray]

Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Theatrical: Les Films du Siècle

Video: Criterion Collection Spine #801

Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player ) Runtime: 1:55:36.930 Disc Size: 43,356,742,029 bytes Feature Size: 33,876,338,688 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.97 Mbps Chapters: 27 Case: Transparent Blu-ray case Release date: February 23rd, 2016 Video: Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Audio:

LPCM Audio Italian 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit

Subtitles: English, none Extras: • New interview with actor Stefania Sandrelli (9:24)

• New interview with film scholar Luca Barattoni about the career of director Antonio Pietrangeli (21:51)

• Archival footage of Sandrelli’s audition (5:17)

• Trailer (3:21)

• PLUS: An essay by journalist and author Alexander Stille Bitrate:

Description: Following the gorgeous, seemingly liberated Adriana (Divorce Italian Style’s Stefania Sandrelli) as she chases her dreams in the Rome of La dolce vita, I Knew Her Well is at once a delightful immersion in the popular music and style of Italy in the sixties and a biting critique of its sexual politics and the culture of celebrity. Over a series of intimate episodes, just about every one featuring a different man, a new hairstyle, and an outfit to match, the unsung Italian master Antonio Pietrangeli, working from a script he co-wrote with Ettore Scola, composes a deft, seriocomic character study that never strays from its complicated central figure. I Knew Her Well is a thrilling rediscovery, by turns funny, tragic, and altogether jaw-dropping.

The Film: Adriana (Stefania Sandrelli) is a young woman from the country who gets caught up in the tempestuous temptations of the big city in this somber moral drama. She has a series of affairs that are just for fun, but she becomes depressed when she desperately looks for a more meaningful relationship. The only men she finds sympathy with are a battered boxer (Mario Adorf) and a publicity agent (Nino Manfredi). Ugo Tognazzi has a brief part as a washed-up actor. Adriana's dreams are crushed to the point that she considers suicide her only alternative. Excerpt from B+N located HERE Stefania Sandrelli as a naive actress who becomes the victim of her own aspirations to fast and easy stardom. A bittersweet comedy (1965) from Italian director Antonio Pietrangeli (The Visit); it reinforced Sandrelli's popular screen image as the innocent broken by cruel social reality (cf Germi's Seduced and Abandoned) and also Pietrangeli's reputation as an antichauvinist director (his female characters are more than humorous foils) working in a strongly chauvinist genre. With Nino Manfredi and Ugo Tognazzi. Excerpt from The Chicago Reader located HERE Image : NOTE : The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. I Knew Her Well looks excellent on Blu-ray from Criterion. This is dual-layered with a maxed out bitrate and c ited as a 'New 4K digital restoration' . I can't imagine it looking much better - it is flawless exporting some consistent grain textures and impeccable contrast. It is in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio and detail is crisp and depth appreciate throughout. This Blu-ray has no discernable flaws and supplies an immaculate 1080P presentation. CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

Audio :

and adds another pristine layer to the narrative expression. There are optional English subtitles and m

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has identified it as being a region 'A' disc

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Extras :

Criterion add some excellent self-produced extras starting with a new, 10-minute, interview with actor Stefania Sandrelli who talks about playing Adriana in I Knew Her Well and working with director Antonio Pietrangeli. We also get a new 22-minute interview with film scholar Luca Barattoni, author of Italian Post-Neorealist Cinema, who examines the career of director Antonio Pietrangeli, from his beginnings as a critic to his emergence as a leading voice in Italian film, and especially his innovative portrayal or women in the rapidly changing Italy of the 1960s. There is some moderately interesting archival footage of Sandrelli’s audition plus a trailer. The package contains a liner notes booklet with an essay by journalist and author Alexander Stille.

BOTTOM LINE:



Wow