BANDITS OF ORGOSOLO (1961)
Label: Radiance Films
Region Code: A,B
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 96 Minutes 10 Seconds
Audio: Italian PCM 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreen (1.37:1)
Director: Vittorio De Seta
Cast: Michele Cossu, Peppeddu Cuccu, Vittorina Pisano
Directed by Vittorio De Seta, who prior to making this, his first feature-film, made stark documentaries about Italy's poorest people, and that theme carries over here as well.
It tells the tale of a Sardinian peasant Michele (Michele Cossu) who works as a shepherd named alongside his younger brother Peppeddu (Peppeddu Cossu). After an encounter in the mountains with bandits on the run from the law he is accused of not only livestock-rustling but of murder when the bandits open fire on the Carabinieri officers in pursuit. The tale of an honest man caught up in circumstances which to survive he must turn to banditry, all the while trying to protect his younger brother, and at the same time forced to move their flock of sheep to higher, rockier mountainous terrain, and get their flock to market, all the while the threat of starvation, dehydration and disease looms large.
The film has an almost documentarian feel to it, the main cast are non-actors I believe, and the sense of realism is palpably throughout. With the desperate tension of the situation unfolding, leading to Michele forced into becoming the very thing he has falsely been accused off. Aside from the deeply dramatic story being told there's lot here to love, the cinematography is stunning, the craggy Sardinian mountaintops and vistas look gorgeous, dwarfing the human characters, and there's a timeless quality to the lifestyle and surroundings of the shepherds, taking refuge in privative stone huts, the nomadic lifestyle, and the simple dress,
Audio/Video: This is yet another gorgeous Blu-ray from Radiance Films who offer up a 4K restoration from the original camera negative by The Film Foundation and Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, in association with Titanus with funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. Gorgeously shot in black and white in rural mountainous areas the sumptuous visuals are beautifully rendered with well-resolved grain, excellent grayscale, brilliant whites and deep blacks. The lensing is breathtaking, shots of the mountainous terrains and expansive vistas look fantastic. There's some flicker and patches of softness, but overall, and considering the film is making it's worldwide home video debut with this release, it looks stunning. Audio comes by way of Italian language PCM 2.0 dual mono with optional English subtitles. The neorealist production's sound design is sparse, capturing dialogue and the ambient sounds of sheep and the mountainous terrain quite naturally, benefitting from a solid score from Valentino Bucchi.
We get a trio of extras, starting off with a new 28-min Interview with cinematographer Luciano Tovoli (2024); and another new 11-min Interview with curator and filmmaker Ehsan Khoshbakht (2024); plus the 3-min Trailer.
The single-disc release arrives in a clear full-height Scanavo packaging with a Reversible Sleeve of Artwork original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista, plus Radiance's signature Removable OBI Strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings if you so wish. Inside is a 25-Page Limited Edition Booklet featuring new writing by Roberto Curti, as well as notes about the cast, crew, transfer, and release credits. As usual it's a very classy presentation, both the A/V and the packaging are Criterion worthy.
Special Features:
- New 4K restoration from the original camera negative by The Film Foundation and Cineteca di Bologna at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, in association with Titanus with funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation
- New interview with cinematographer Luciano Tovoli (2024) (27.48)
- New interview with curator and filmmaker Ehsan Khoshbakht (2024) (11:16)
- Trailer (2:52)
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Roberto Curti
