Quentin Tarantino crowned Sergio Corbucci as the second-best director of Italian westerns, but our vote goes to Sergio Sollima — this is the most satisfying Spaghetti oater outside of the Leone corral. In his first starring role, Lee Van Cleef is lawman Jonathan Corbett, who pursues Tomas Milian’s killer into Mexico for an American millionaire. Political screenwriter Franco Solinas helped cook up the story, which pitches frontier ethics against ‘establishment’ corruption. The two-disc special edition presents the show in 4 versions, if we count a clever English-Italian language hybrid.
The Big Gundown
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 110, 90, 95 min. / La resa dei conti / Street Date February 13, 2023 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £22.99
Starring: Lee Van Cleef, Tomas Milian, Walter Barnes, Nieves Navarro, Gérard Herter, Manolita Barroso, Robert Camardiel, Ángel del Pozo, Luisa Rivelli, Luis Barboo, Benito Stefanelli.
Cinematography: Carlo Carlini
Set decorators: Carlo Leva, Carlo Simi, Nicola Tamburo
Costumes: Carlo...
The Big Gundown
Region B Blu-ray
Powerhouse Indicator
1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 110, 90, 95 min. / La resa dei conti / Street Date February 13, 2023 / available from Powerhouse Films UK / £22.99
Starring: Lee Van Cleef, Tomas Milian, Walter Barnes, Nieves Navarro, Gérard Herter, Manolita Barroso, Robert Camardiel, Ángel del Pozo, Luisa Rivelli, Luis Barboo, Benito Stefanelli.
Cinematography: Carlo Carlini
Set decorators: Carlo Leva, Carlo Simi, Nicola Tamburo
Costumes: Carlo...
- 2/7/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The good news is that Kino’s new 4K encodings of Sergio Leone’s first two Italo ‘Dollars’ oaters look terrific, with Fistful showing a lot of improvement: the basic restorations are from prime Italian film elements. And the packages are collector / home theater enthusiast friendly — standard Blu-ray encodings are part of the deal. As the films are still licensed from MGM, they include the extras from 2007 of which we’re very proud. The end results may be the first Leone disc release that makes this viewer ‘The Man with No Complaints.’ Don’t forget, they’re separate purchases.
A Fistful of Dollars + For a Few Dollars More
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1964-1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / Street Date May 31, 2022 / Separate Purchases / Available through Kino Lorber Fistful and A Few More /
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Gian-Maria Volontè, Lee Van Cleef
Original Music: Ennio Morricone
Directed by Sergio Leone
Yes,...
A Fistful of Dollars + For a Few Dollars More
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1964-1965 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / Street Date May 31, 2022 / Separate Purchases / Available through Kino Lorber Fistful and A Few More /
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Gian-Maria Volontè, Lee Van Cleef
Original Music: Ennio Morricone
Directed by Sergio Leone
Yes,...
- 5/17/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
It’s still one of the most popular movies ever, and fans are proving that by shelling out for an umpteenth home video release, this time on the 4K Ultra HD format. Everybody knows exactly what to expect from Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach, but what about the transfer quality and encoding — Sergio Leone’s film was originally shot in the half-frame Techniscope format, which is on the low-res side to scan in 4K. Kino adds a Blu-ray disc and a mountain of accumulated extras from earlier editions.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
4K Ultra-hd + Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 162 min. / Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo / Street Date April 27, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach, Aldo Giuffrè, Luigi Pistilli, Rada Rassimov, Enzo Petito, Benito Stefanelli, Aldo Sambrell, Al Mulock, Antonio Molino Rojo, Mario Brega, Chelo Alonso,...
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
4K Ultra-hd + Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 162 min. / Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo / Street Date April 27, 2021 / available through Kino Lorber / 39.95
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach, Aldo Giuffrè, Luigi Pistilli, Rada Rassimov, Enzo Petito, Benito Stefanelli, Aldo Sambrell, Al Mulock, Antonio Molino Rojo, Mario Brega, Chelo Alonso,...
- 6/12/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Sergio Leone’s breakthrough international sensation has returned, in a 4k restoration from Italy that’s bound to continue the controversy over odd choices of color. In every other aspect this umpteenth edition of the first murderous adventure of The Man With No Name is the best yet, with a clean image and good new extras.
A Fistful of Dollars
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1964 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 99 min. / Per un pugno di dollari; Fistful of Dollars / Street Date May 22, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Marianne Koch, Gian Maria Volontè, Wolfgang Lukschy, Seighardt Rupp, Joe Egger, Aldo Sambrell, Mario Brega.
Cinematography: Massimo Dallamano
Art Direction: Carlo Simi
Original Music: Ennio Morricone
Written by A. Bonzzoni, Jaime Comas Gil, Victor Andrés Catena, Sergio Leone
Produced by Arrigo Colombo, Giorgio Papi
Directed by Sergio Leone (Bob Robertson)
This is a long-awaited title, not because there aren’t umpteen previous versions out there,...
A Fistful of Dollars
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1964 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 99 min. / Per un pugno di dollari; Fistful of Dollars / Street Date May 22, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Marianne Koch, Gian Maria Volontè, Wolfgang Lukschy, Seighardt Rupp, Joe Egger, Aldo Sambrell, Mario Brega.
Cinematography: Massimo Dallamano
Art Direction: Carlo Simi
Original Music: Ennio Morricone
Written by A. Bonzzoni, Jaime Comas Gil, Victor Andrés Catena, Sergio Leone
Produced by Arrigo Colombo, Giorgio Papi
Directed by Sergio Leone (Bob Robertson)
This is a long-awaited title, not because there aren’t umpteen previous versions out there,...
- 5/15/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Sergio Leone’s Civil War gunslinger epic is everybody’s favorite western, and most everybody has a bone to pick regarding problems with the previous DVDs and Blu-rays. The good news is that Kino’s 50th Anniversary Special Edition takes giant leaps in correcting older audio issues . . . but the bad news . . .
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Blu-ray
2-Disc 50th Anniversary Special Edition
Kl Studio Classics
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen (Techniscope) / 187 161, 148 min. / Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il cattivo/ Street Date August 14, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach, Aldo Giuffrè, Luigi Pistilli, Mario Brega, Al Mulock, Aldo Sambrell.
Cinematography: Tonino Delli Colli
Production Designer: Carlo Simi
Film Editor: Eugenio Alabiso, Nino Baragli
Original Music: Ennio Morricone
Written by Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni, Sergio Leone, story by Luciano Vincenzoni, Sergio Leone.
Produced by Alberto Grimaldi
Directed by Sergio Leone
I’d like to report...
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
Blu-ray
2-Disc 50th Anniversary Special Edition
Kl Studio Classics
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen (Techniscope) / 187 161, 148 min. / Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il cattivo/ Street Date August 14, 2017 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach, Aldo Giuffrè, Luigi Pistilli, Mario Brega, Al Mulock, Aldo Sambrell.
Cinematography: Tonino Delli Colli
Production Designer: Carlo Simi
Film Editor: Eugenio Alabiso, Nino Baragli
Original Music: Ennio Morricone
Written by Agenore Incrocci, Furio Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni, Sergio Leone, story by Luciano Vincenzoni, Sergio Leone.
Produced by Alberto Grimaldi
Directed by Sergio Leone
I’d like to report...
- 8/12/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Writer-director Sergio Sollima gives us one of the best 'political' Italo westerns from the pre- May '68 era... with two top stars in great form, Gian Maria Volontè and Tomas Milian. This two-disc German import has both the long and short versions of the movie in HD, with full language options for each. Face to Face (Faccia a faccia; Von Angesicht zu Angesicht) Region A+B Blu-ray Explosive Media (Alive) 1967 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 93, 112 min. / Street Date April 29, 2016 / available at Amazon.de / E 21,93 Starring Gian Maria Volontè, Tomas Milian, William Berger, Jolanda Modio, Gianni Rizzo, Carole André Ángel del Pozo, Aldo Sambrell, Antonio Casas, Lidia Alfonsi, John Karlsen, Gastone Moschin, G&eacutge;rard Tichy. Cinematography Raphael Pacheco Film Editor Eugenio Alabiso Original Music Ennio Morricone Art Direction and sets Carlo Simi Written by Sergio Donati, Sergio Sollima Produced by Arturo González, Alberto Grimaldi <Directed by Sergio Sollima
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Wow,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Wow,...
- 10/4/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Germany's Explosive Media company has a serious itch for American westerns, and they have a trio of new releases. One is a minor Hollywood classic with major graces, from the late 1950s. A second sees an American producer based in England filming in Italy with a rising international star, and for the third an established American star goes European to stay in the game. The best thing for Yankee buyers? The discs are Region-free.
Gunman's Walk, Land Raiders, A Man Called Sledge Three Westerns from Explosive Media Blu-ray Separate Releases 1958-1970 / Color Starring Van Heflin, Tab Hunter; George Maharis, Telly Savalas; James Garner
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The majority of American studios now choose not to market their libraries for digital disc, and license them out instead. Collectors unwilling to settle for whatever's on Netflix or concerned about the permanence of Cloud Cinema, find themselves increasingly tempted by discs from Europe,...
Gunman's Walk, Land Raiders, A Man Called Sledge Three Westerns from Explosive Media Blu-ray Separate Releases 1958-1970 / Color Starring Van Heflin, Tab Hunter; George Maharis, Telly Savalas; James Garner
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
The majority of American studios now choose not to market their libraries for digital disc, and license them out instead. Collectors unwilling to settle for whatever's on Netflix or concerned about the permanence of Cloud Cinema, find themselves increasingly tempted by discs from Europe,...
- 12/30/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Kino Lorber brings the 1967 spaghetti Western Face to Face to Blu-ray this month, one of director Sergio Sollima’s most notable titles, previously released on DVD as a box-set with the two other titles in Sollima’s trilogy The Big Gundown (1966) and Run, Man, Run (1968). Noted for imbuing his work with a bit of actual social and historical context, there’s a bit more substance than usual for a film relegated to the periphery of a movement dominated by a mere handful of notable names. Though it’s ultimately not at the same level as iconic works by Sergio Leone and hasn’t reached the same level of reappraisal as several other retroactively recuperated directors, it features more nuanced characterizations in its complex narrative structure than is usually evident in other titles of the era.
Boston professor Brad Fletcher (Gian Maria Volonte) is suffering from poor health, and is forced...
Boston professor Brad Fletcher (Gian Maria Volonte) is suffering from poor health, and is forced...
- 8/18/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Once Upon a Time in America
Directed by Sergio Leone
Written by Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcalli, Franco Ferrini, Sergio Leone
Italy/USA, 1984
Widely and justly heralded for his trendsetting Spaghetti Westerns, Sergio Leone’s final and arguably most ambitious work was in another staple American genre. Like these Westerns though, this film was as much of its respective variety as it was about it. Once Upon a Time in America, with its name obviously derived from Leone’s previous Once Upon a Time in the West, is a gangster film of the highest order, and, at the same time, it recalls so many of its predecessors, from the Warner Brothers classics of the 1930s to The Godfather. This was by design. As Leone himself notes, “My film was to be an homage to the American films I love, and to America itself.”
Out now on...
Directed by Sergio Leone
Written by Leonardo Benvenuti, Piero De Bernardi, Enrico Medioli, Franco Arcalli, Franco Ferrini, Sergio Leone
Italy/USA, 1984
Widely and justly heralded for his trendsetting Spaghetti Westerns, Sergio Leone’s final and arguably most ambitious work was in another staple American genre. Like these Westerns though, this film was as much of its respective variety as it was about it. Once Upon a Time in America, with its name obviously derived from Leone’s previous Once Upon a Time in the West, is a gangster film of the highest order, and, at the same time, it recalls so many of its predecessors, from the Warner Brothers classics of the 1930s to The Godfather. This was by design. As Leone himself notes, “My film was to be an homage to the American films I love, and to America itself.”
Out now on...
- 10/15/2014
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
“You see, my mule don’t like people laughing. He gets the crazy idea you’re laughin’ at him. Now if you apologize, like I know you’re going to, I might convince him that you really didn’t mean it.”
Get three coffins ready. Fans of the Western films of Sergio Leone will think they’ve died and gone to heaven this weekend and next. Webster University is showing Leone’s ‘Dollars’ trilogy; A Fistful Of Dollars (1964), For A Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good The Bad And The Ugly (1966), all starring Clint Eastwood at Winifred Moore Auditorium. This is indeed a rare opportunity. Leone’s masterpiece Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) has played theatrically here in town, most recently at the St. Louis International Film Festival three years ago. I first saw it when it was restored in 1985 and played for a week at the Tivoli,...
Get three coffins ready. Fans of the Western films of Sergio Leone will think they’ve died and gone to heaven this weekend and next. Webster University is showing Leone’s ‘Dollars’ trilogy; A Fistful Of Dollars (1964), For A Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good The Bad And The Ugly (1966), all starring Clint Eastwood at Winifred Moore Auditorium. This is indeed a rare opportunity. Leone’s masterpiece Once Upon A Time In The West (1968) has played theatrically here in town, most recently at the St. Louis International Film Festival three years ago. I first saw it when it was restored in 1985 and played for a week at the Tivoli,...
- 12/12/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Following in the tradition of great What Culture arguments for films such as Jurassic Park, Star Wars and Jaws, it’s now time for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly to step forward and shoot all contenders down for the prestigious title of greatest film of all time. No other film is as iconic, as epic or as purely cinematic as Sergio Leone’s 1966 spaghetti western, which combines everything that’s remarkable about about the work of the late Italian director into one astonishing piece of filmmaking.
Here’s 50 reasons why The Good, the Bad and the Ugly might just be the greatest film of all time.
1. Clint Eastwood as Blondie (Aka: The Man With No Name/The Good)
Where better to start than Clint Eastwood’s effortlessly cool return as The Man With No Name, or as he is actually named here, Blondie. A man of few words,...
Here’s 50 reasons why The Good, the Bad and the Ugly might just be the greatest film of all time.
1. Clint Eastwood as Blondie (Aka: The Man With No Name/The Good)
Where better to start than Clint Eastwood’s effortlessly cool return as The Man With No Name, or as he is actually named here, Blondie. A man of few words,...
- 11/28/2011
- by Stephen Leigh
- Obsessed with Film
CANNES -- The soundtrack is the main glory and selling point of ''Bix,'' an English-language but Italian-made biopic by the Avati family based on the life of famed musician Leon ''Bix'' Beiderbecke. This Iowa boy made an indelible mark on jazz in the roaring '20s but, because of booze and an appetite for self-destruction, he died in 1931 at the age of 28.
If the ''Bix'' saga falls far short of any intended bull's-eye, and it does, there'll be no squawking about the music that zings, struts and vibrates in the foreground and background as the story unfolds. Recycling a wealth of old jazz tunes from the 1920s, many of them actually Beiderbecke's own, ''Bix'' is worth a visit if only to listen to what transpires when the talking stops.
If properly promoted, album sales of the soundtrack, with arrangements by Bob Wilber, could ring up some impressive totals. The movie itself may not be so lucky.
For such a downbeat tale, the film (labeled ''an interpretation of a legend'') is painted with surprisingly rosy strokes, in a glossy manner reminiscent of Hollywood musical biopics of the 1940s.
(Curiously, although made 41 years ago, Warner Bros.' ''Young Man With a Horn, '' loosely based on Beiderbecke's life and starring Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall and Doris Day, looks like a more contemporary rendition than this postcard-pretty version.)
The sunshine aspect may seem too old-fashioned for today's hipper moviegoers, and Beiderbecke devotees may find it all too lightweight a telling.
It's not to say that the film isn't entertaining; it is, although it is nowhere near a definitive inspection of the great cornetist Bix nor is it a realistic recreation of the Jazz Age in which he soared to fame before the fall.
The script by Pupi Avati, Antonio Avati and Lino Patruno fairly breezes along, hop-skipping backwards and forwards in time, but never digs lower than a chipper surface level to investigate what made the title character tick, then stop ticking.
The film opens after the premature death of Bix in 1931, then backspaces to 1924 to set up his pre-success days as an unreliable student, constantly perplexing to his small-town parents. In school he forms an alliance with Hoagy Carmichael (Romano Luccio Orzari) and Don Murray (Matthew Buzzell) that leads to the formation of a jazz band. From then on, it's a zoom to the big time, hampered only by Bix's own demons which eventually lead to his early demise.
He drinks but we're never told why. He's also unreliable, although constantly professing his desire to please both kin and friends. He's super-talented but can't hold a job. Next to blowing a horn, the most important thing in his life, he says, is to settle down, yet that seems beyond his realm. And whatever the reasons, the script keeps them secret.
He drinks but we're never told why. He's also unreliable, although constantly professing his desire to please both kin and friends. He's super-talented but can't hold a job. Next to blowing a horn, the most important thing in his life, he says, is to settle down, yet that seems beyond his realm. And whatever the reasons, the script keeps them secret., a factor that hampers ''Bix'' from flying anywhere as high as its music does.
Too bad, too, because there's much to like here in spite of the unfilled holes. The cast is fresh-faced and new, led by Bryant Weeks in the title role. He may not be quite up to the John Garfield-ish demands of this particular character, but he possesses a scrubbed likability and demeanor that should put him in good stead for other future roles.
Emile Levisetti is especially impressive as jazz violinist Joe Venuti, Bix's longtime buddy and himself a celebrated musician. He frames the story in a brief prologue and epilogue with Sally Groth, and makes his moments some of the best in the film. Orzari is also winning as Carmichael (with Carmichael's ''Stardust'' also getting a brief reprise on the soundtrack), and rest of the players are attractive and able.
Each has been given Rolls-Royce support by the art direction of Carlo Simi, the costumes of Graziella Virgili and Carla Seinera Bertoni, the editing by Amedeo Salfa and, especially, the cinematography by Pasquale Rachini, who makes the film a consistent visual treat.
Much of the film was shot in and around Davenport, Iowa, and captures much of the attractiveness of the state. Iowa, in fact, is involved in the production of the film, listed here as being produced by Antonio Avati for Duea Film and Union P.N. with the collaboration of Raiuno, Artisti Associati International, the state of Iowa, the city of Davenport and the Iowa Film Office, with Sacis handling international distribution.
Wide acceptance in the United States, a logical target since the film's in English with an American background, is iffy, but certainly worth a try.
If distributors and theater owners are wise, they'll also have CDs and tapes available for sale in the lobby. That's where the hefty sales will be.
BIX
(Italian)
Director Pupi Avati
Producer Antonio Avati
Writers Pupi Avati, Antonio Avati, Lino Patruno
Cinematographer Pasquale Rachini
Production designer Carlo Simi
Costume designers Graziella Virgili, Carla Seinera Bertonik
Music arranger Bob Wilber
Editor Amedeo Salfa
In English
Color
Cast:
''Bix'' Beiderbecke Bryant Weeks
Venuti Emile Levisetti
Beiderbecke Julia Ewing
Burnie Beiderbecke Mark Collver
Hoagy Carmichael Romano Luccio Orzari
Don Murray Matthew Buzzel
Bismark Ray Edelstein
Frankie Trumbauer Mark James Sovel
Marie-Louise Barbara Wilder
Lisa Sally Groth
Pee Wee Michael T. Henderson
Running time -- 111 minutes
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
If the ''Bix'' saga falls far short of any intended bull's-eye, and it does, there'll be no squawking about the music that zings, struts and vibrates in the foreground and background as the story unfolds. Recycling a wealth of old jazz tunes from the 1920s, many of them actually Beiderbecke's own, ''Bix'' is worth a visit if only to listen to what transpires when the talking stops.
If properly promoted, album sales of the soundtrack, with arrangements by Bob Wilber, could ring up some impressive totals. The movie itself may not be so lucky.
For such a downbeat tale, the film (labeled ''an interpretation of a legend'') is painted with surprisingly rosy strokes, in a glossy manner reminiscent of Hollywood musical biopics of the 1940s.
(Curiously, although made 41 years ago, Warner Bros.' ''Young Man With a Horn, '' loosely based on Beiderbecke's life and starring Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall and Doris Day, looks like a more contemporary rendition than this postcard-pretty version.)
The sunshine aspect may seem too old-fashioned for today's hipper moviegoers, and Beiderbecke devotees may find it all too lightweight a telling.
It's not to say that the film isn't entertaining; it is, although it is nowhere near a definitive inspection of the great cornetist Bix nor is it a realistic recreation of the Jazz Age in which he soared to fame before the fall.
The script by Pupi Avati, Antonio Avati and Lino Patruno fairly breezes along, hop-skipping backwards and forwards in time, but never digs lower than a chipper surface level to investigate what made the title character tick, then stop ticking.
The film opens after the premature death of Bix in 1931, then backspaces to 1924 to set up his pre-success days as an unreliable student, constantly perplexing to his small-town parents. In school he forms an alliance with Hoagy Carmichael (Romano Luccio Orzari) and Don Murray (Matthew Buzzell) that leads to the formation of a jazz band. From then on, it's a zoom to the big time, hampered only by Bix's own demons which eventually lead to his early demise.
He drinks but we're never told why. He's also unreliable, although constantly professing his desire to please both kin and friends. He's super-talented but can't hold a job. Next to blowing a horn, the most important thing in his life, he says, is to settle down, yet that seems beyond his realm. And whatever the reasons, the script keeps them secret.
He drinks but we're never told why. He's also unreliable, although constantly professing his desire to please both kin and friends. He's super-talented but can't hold a job. Next to blowing a horn, the most important thing in his life, he says, is to settle down, yet that seems beyond his realm. And whatever the reasons, the script keeps them secret., a factor that hampers ''Bix'' from flying anywhere as high as its music does.
Too bad, too, because there's much to like here in spite of the unfilled holes. The cast is fresh-faced and new, led by Bryant Weeks in the title role. He may not be quite up to the John Garfield-ish demands of this particular character, but he possesses a scrubbed likability and demeanor that should put him in good stead for other future roles.
Emile Levisetti is especially impressive as jazz violinist Joe Venuti, Bix's longtime buddy and himself a celebrated musician. He frames the story in a brief prologue and epilogue with Sally Groth, and makes his moments some of the best in the film. Orzari is also winning as Carmichael (with Carmichael's ''Stardust'' also getting a brief reprise on the soundtrack), and rest of the players are attractive and able.
Each has been given Rolls-Royce support by the art direction of Carlo Simi, the costumes of Graziella Virgili and Carla Seinera Bertoni, the editing by Amedeo Salfa and, especially, the cinematography by Pasquale Rachini, who makes the film a consistent visual treat.
Much of the film was shot in and around Davenport, Iowa, and captures much of the attractiveness of the state. Iowa, in fact, is involved in the production of the film, listed here as being produced by Antonio Avati for Duea Film and Union P.N. with the collaboration of Raiuno, Artisti Associati International, the state of Iowa, the city of Davenport and the Iowa Film Office, with Sacis handling international distribution.
Wide acceptance in the United States, a logical target since the film's in English with an American background, is iffy, but certainly worth a try.
If distributors and theater owners are wise, they'll also have CDs and tapes available for sale in the lobby. That's where the hefty sales will be.
BIX
(Italian)
Director Pupi Avati
Producer Antonio Avati
Writers Pupi Avati, Antonio Avati, Lino Patruno
Cinematographer Pasquale Rachini
Production designer Carlo Simi
Costume designers Graziella Virgili, Carla Seinera Bertonik
Music arranger Bob Wilber
Editor Amedeo Salfa
In English
Color
Cast:
''Bix'' Beiderbecke Bryant Weeks
Venuti Emile Levisetti
Beiderbecke Julia Ewing
Burnie Beiderbecke Mark Collver
Hoagy Carmichael Romano Luccio Orzari
Don Murray Matthew Buzzel
Bismark Ray Edelstein
Frankie Trumbauer Mark James Sovel
Marie-Louise Barbara Wilder
Lisa Sally Groth
Pee Wee Michael T. Henderson
Running time -- 111 minutes
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 5/16/1991
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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