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Multimedia
DVD
Il
Gattopardo
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Il
Gattopardo
 The
masterpiece by Luchino Visconti could not have hoped for a
more fitting edition than this attractive boxed edition
created by Medusa. The Milanese Home Video company bought
the rights for the film (winner of the golden palm award at
Cannes in 1963) from producer Goffredo Lombardo of Titanus.
The film is now available in the "I grandi classici
restaurati" (Great Classics Restored) series in dual
version: with two discs, or, in the limited edition, which
also includes a CD with the soundtrack by Nino Rota.
The first disco (DVD 9, double layer) presents the film in
the edition restored in 1991 by director of photography
Giuseppe Rotunno for the national film library. Originally
the film was shot using Technirama, a complex procedure
which involves the film being run sideways with a widescreen
lens, allowing for a wider picture. When this technique
stopped being used in 1991 it was necessary to convert the
entire film to the standard vertical running. In addition
the film, which had suffered from the inevitable wear of
time, with consequent lessening of quality of colour and
contrast, has been completely regenerated thanks to a
painstaking procedure carried out in London and Rome by
Technicolor. The audio track has undergone a similar
treatment. The original soundtrack having been lost, another
was created through the collation of various audio segments
from a number of copies still in circulation. That being
said, the first disc presents the feature film in its
original format: 2.35:1, anamorphic. The copy is perfect,
the colours are vibrant, even if occasionally the
backgrounds are somewhat wavy because of the digitalization.
Clearly the considerable length of the film leads to
technical problems that are not easily solved, indeed these
are made even more complex by the director's predilection
for filming middle distance shots.
The audio in mono is sufficiently clear, even if a slight
buzzing noise can be heard from the front channels of the
system. Nonetheless we think the producers made the right
choice in deciding not to remix the audio in Digital 5.1.
The film was originally made in mono and, quite rightly, is
presented now as it was at the cinema.
The second disc presents a considerable number of
extras. First and foremost is an interesting interview with
producer Goffredo Lombardo by Luciana Migliavacca. This is a
fundamentally important document for understanding the
origins of this masterpiece. This is followed by a short
film (10' approximately) in which Giuseppe Rotunno explains
how the film was restored. A third documentary entitled
"The leopard: a journey back in time" (length 20'
approx.) retraces the most important moments in the making
of the film, underpinned by the reading of several passages
from the famous novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. In
addition there are two period newsreels and three photo
galleries. The overall quality of these filmstrips is
excellent. Lastly a neat 66- page book reveals all there is
to know about this timeless masterpiece.
Maurizio
Imbriale
Technical
characteristics
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Two Discs (1
DVD 9 + 1 DVD 5) + CD of soundtrack (only in limited
edition version)
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Interactive
menus
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Instant scene
access
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Cinematographic
format: 2.35:1, anamorphic
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Audio: Dolby
Digital Mono Italian
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Subtitles in
English- Italian for the deaf
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Distributed by
Medusa Home Video
Special
contents
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