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Released by: Raro Video
Released on: April 10, 2012.
Director: Luchino Visconti
Cast: Helmut Berger, Burt Lancaster, Silvana Mangano
Year: 1974
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The Movie:
In Luchino Visconti's penultimate film, screen legend Burt Lancaster plays a nameless professor who is getting on in years and planning to spend the rest of his life in the serene Italian manor he calls home. Surrounded by his favorite works of literature and art, he barely gets to start enjoying his life when he's interrupted by the Marchesa Bianca Brumonti (Silvana Mangano) who demands that he rent her an apartment in the stately home. He tells her that the apartment is not for rent but she persists and barges her way through the house, determined that she'll live there.
Accompanying the Marchesa are her daughter Lietta Brumonti (Claudia Marsani). her daughter's fiancé, Stefano (Stefano Patrizi); and an Austrian man named Konrad Huebel (Helmut Berger). Though the professor is obviously not in the least bit impressed with their rather abrupt intrusion into his otherwise peaceful life, he eventually submits and before they even sign the paperwork on the lease, the four have more or less moved in and are treating the place and its contents as if they belonged to them and not to their landlord. As the four go about setting up their lives in the home, their lives become entangled with the professor's and things start to get strange and the tenants start to run amuck in the home.
Once again working with Burt Lancaster, a fine actor with whom Visconti had collaborated earlier on The Leopard, this later era work from one of Italian cinema's most acclaimed director's may not rank with some of his better known films but remains an impressive picture regardless. In terms of visuals, the film is never short of beautiful, showcasing some amazing camerawork courtesy of Pasqualino De Santis and set to a rousing score by Franco Mannino. The framing is picture perfect and the images that Visconti and his team conjure up here are just as impressive as the classic works of art so beloved by the professor in the film.
The movie makes some interesting statements towards the decadence of the rich. As the four invade upon the professor we witness their penchant for kink and for excess which ultimately becomes their undoing. We also witness the decline of Berger's character, learning that he was once enamored with politics but has since resigned to being the Marchesa's plaything. All involved do fine with the material here (even if Berger is occasionally vapid), with Lancaster maintaining a nobility throughout all of this and the other four really doing a great job of just becoming completely unruly and obnoxious. It's also interesting to note that this film, about a man facing the last years of his life, was made by Visconti after a serious heart attack and was directed by the man while he was partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair. This gives the story a bit of a personal tone, and you have to wonder how much of the director himself is infused in Lancaster's character. The film winds up a strange mix of black comedy, overwrought melodrama and sophisticated art-house style and if it doesn't end as strongly as it begins, it's such an amazing looking film that you might not necessarily notice.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Despite the presence of some obvious noise reduction, Raro's 2.35.1 widescreen 1080p high definition upgrade for Conversation Piece is an improvement. Colors look great, no noticeable compression artifacts creep into the frame but detail is a bit all over the place and a few bits and pieces are a little softer than you might hope for. Texture isn't reference quality but it is certainly a noted improvement over the standard definition release from a few months ago. Some edge enhancement can be an issue sometimes as well.
The Italian and English language DTS-HD Mono options also benefit from the Blu-ray upgrade, providing a good bit clearer audio than the Dolby Digital Mono tracks that were on the DVD release. Optional subtitles in English only are provided.
On the disc, as far as extras go (which are carried over from the DVD and in standard definition), there's an interview with film critic Alessandro Benccivenni in which he discusses the importance of the film and talks about some of its the history while offering up some welcome facts on the director and the cast. Aside from that, there's a theatrical trailer for the film, menus and chapter selection. Inside the keepcase is a full color booklet containing an essay on the movie by Mark Rappaport that offers some critical analysis and insight into the movie.
The Final Word:
Conversation Piece isn't the film Visconti will be remembered for and it's not quite as successful as his better known films but it is beautifully made, fairly well acted and quite interesting on a few different thematic levels. Raro's Blu-ray isn't stacked with extras but it offers an upgrade from the DVD release.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
