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Released by: Raro Video
Released on: January 20th, 2015.
Director: Antonio Pietrangeli
Cast: Simone Signoret, Sandra Milo, Emmanuelle Riva, Gina Rovere, Claudio Gora
Year: 1960
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The Movie:
Also known as Love A La Carte, Antonio Pietrangeli's 1960 film Adua And Her Friends follows a quartet of prostitutes - Adua (Simone Signoret), Lolita (Sandra Milo), Marlina (Emmanuelle Riva) and Milly (Gina Roveret) in the role of Milly - who find themselves out of work when new legislation makes their career choice illegal. Since the brothel they used to work and live in has been shut down the four decide to put together what money they have left to open up a restaurant out in the picturesque Italian countryside.
Things are going fine until it turns out that not everyone in the area wants a bunch of ladies of the evening opening a business in their neighborhood and soon they find they are going to have some trouble getting the proper license they need. Eventually some help from Adua's 'fixer' Ercoli (Claudio Gora) gets that taken care of but from there it's one problem after another as they have to fix the place up, attract clientele and make a go of it - and certain parties expect the ladies to pay them back in ways that they may not be so keen on returning to, while Adua starts to fall for Piero (Marcello Mastroianni), a bit of a shady character in his own right.
An interesting mix of well played drama and light romance, Adua And Her Friends takes a slightly pessimistic worldview and turns it into a really well made movie. Yes, the fact that the four female leads are all quite attractive doesn't hurt but what's really at the core of the story here is how society projects its own issues onto these women who are social outcasts but trying to 'go legit' so to speak. It's interesting to see how they try and reform themselves and wind up being pushed back into old habits - a complete catch 22, meaning that they're forced to use their feminine capabilities to get what they want, legitimate courses of action seem to have no effect. The fact that the film gives each of the four ladies their own distinct personality traits and their own distinct issues helps to keep things interesting and the fact that the film is as character-driven as it is helps keep our attention.
The film also deals with the advancing ages of the four women and how it affects their personal and professional lives in different ways and makes a point at society's equation of youth equaling beauty. It's all very nicely put together, really, with great performances from the four female leads. Simone Signoret, probably best known for her role in Les Diaboliques, is convincing and interesting in the lead while her chemistry with the shifty character played by Mastroianni adds some further depth to the film.
Shot in black and white, the whole film looks fantastic and there was obviously a lot of thought and effort put into each one of the shot set ups. Smooth and fluid camerawork gives the film a very polished look while the score, which comes courtesy of Piero Piccioni, does a great job of accentuating the more dramatic and emotional aspects of the picture.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Raro's AVC encoded 1080p high definition widescreen transfer, framed at 1.66.1, features really nice contrast levels and strong black levels. Unfortunately it also features some noise reduction that smooths things over a bit too much for the movie's own good, meaning a lot of fine detail disappears in some scenes. It isn't the total wax fest that some Raro transfers have been, but the evidence is definitely there. A little bit of grain shows up here and there but much of it has been blasted away, an all too common problem with Raro's transfers. Outside of that issue though, the film is generally in excellent shape, however there are some spots where some artificial sharpening results in some weird edges. This is a mixed bag, but perfectly watchable.
The Italian language LPCM Mono mix, which comes with optional English subtitles, is also quite good. While there obviously isn't anything in the way of channel separation to discuss the levels here are well balanced and there are no problems with hiss or distortion. The white subtitles are clean looking, easy to read and free of any typographical errors.
Italian film critic Maurizio Porro kicks the extras off with a seven minute introduction you can play on its own or before the film starts which provides some welcome historical context to the picture and explains where it fits alongside Pietrangeli's other work. Also included here is one of Pietrangeli's short films, the ten minute Girandola 1910 which was originally shot to be included in the anthology film Mid-Century Loves.
Rounding out the extras on the disc are a text biography and filmography for Antonio Pietrangeli, a still gallery, menus and chapter selection. Inside the keepcase is a booklet of liner notes and essays and some information on director Antonio Pietrangeli.
The Final Word:
Those with an affinity for Italian cinema of the 1960s will certainly appreciate this film. The transfer is a mixed bag but the extras compliment the feature quite nicely. As to the movie itself, Adua And Her Friends is a beautifully shot and thought provoking look at the hypocrisy of society and the consequences of fleeting beauty.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
