giladc

I saw the movie Paisan by Roberto Rossellini a while back on TCM, and thought it was one of the best I've ever seen. I've been hoping for it to come out on DVD since then; does anyone know if it will?

Deadman31

Probably?

FilmFanSea

The only distributor to release any of Rossellini's films in Region 1 is Image Entertainment (they've released Open City and Germany Year Zero--both barebones and unrestored).

Since Roberto Rossellini is considered to be one of the greatest directors of all time, I am hoping that the Criterion Collection will eventually release some of his films. At this point, there have been no rumors to support or refute that hope.

I would suggest you write Criterion's Jon Mulvaney and suggest Paisan.

Welcome to the board.

pro-bassoonist

....What FilmFanSea said!!!

Actually Paisan is available in France but no English subs are provided:
http://www.dvdfr.com/dvd/dvd.php?id=1099

I am in fact puzzled why directors such as Rossellini and DeSica are not considered as important by the studios here in the US as they are in Europe (aside from the fact that they are European). Just as FilmFanSea said I am also hoping that one day Rossellini's work will get some more respectful treatment.

Here are the remaining Rossellini films that are available in France:
http://www.dvdfr.com/dvd/dvd.php?id=1099

ps
Roma, città aperta ....does have English subs!!

giladc

Thanks, FilmFanSea!

I just wrote to Jon Mulvaney, and will see whether I get a reply.

Hendrik

"...Since Roberto Rossellini is considered to be one of the greatest directors of all time..."

...considered by whom...?... (since) when...?...

I'm an old croak myself, and can remember that during the 1957(?) World Expo in Brussels (Belgium) a list of the ten best film directors was made up by a bunch of "leading international film critics", and one of the names on the list was Rene Clair... now, how many of his movies are on DVD...?... even French DVD...?...

Q.E.D.

. . . . . .

wendersfan

Rene Clair - three of his films are available from Criterion.
Obviously "greatest directors of all time" is extremely subjective, but Rosselini was one of the two or three most important directors of the neo-realist period, and while not in my top dozen directors ever, would certainly be in the top 50.

FilmFanSea

Rossellini was still among the top 25 directors (by total number of votes) in the 1992 Sight + Sound poll (in which Paisan was tied for the #25 spot).

Like the Italian Neorealist movement he began (with Roma, città aperta / Open City in 1945), I will concede that Rosselini has lost some of his lustre in the last few decades. I think to most viewers circa 2003, neorealism seems old fashioned, never mind its influence on documentary filmmaking, cinema verité, and the French New Wave.

Further, I can't think of a single neorealist masterwork which has received special edition treatment on DVD in Region 1. This movement is ripe for a critical re-evaluation, with good documentation that places it within its context. (It doesn't help matters that the elements for many of these films weren't well-maintained, and have deteriorated badly.)

The middle period of Rossellini's career is devoted to films starring his lover Ingrid Bergman (their love affair was one of the greatest scandals in movie history). Those films have suffered from poor English dubs. The best of these--probably Viaggio in Italia--is ripe for a DVD release. The last part of his career saw Rossellini experimenting with documentaries, biopics, and television films--some consider this work the best of his career, but it's little-seen today.

His poor showing on DVD notwithstanding, Rossellini's work has been widely admired by such diverse directors as Renoir, Godard, Fellini, Bergman, and Scorsese. I stand by my contention that he was one of cinema's greatest (and most influential) directors.


PS: As wendersfan pointed out, René Clair's films have seen three Criterion releases: Le Million, À nous la liberté/Liberty for Us, and Sous les toits de Paris/Under the Roofs of Paris. They are dated but still enjoyable. Note that these were the kinds of films that Cahiers du Cinéma and the French New Wave were reacting against. Sounds like you have some catching-up to do ....

markdclark43016

Clair's AND THEN THERE WER NONE is also widely available on DVD, although it's not a very Clair-like film.

I agree with you entirely about Rossellini. I would LOVE to see SEs of PAISAN and OPEN CITY, for starters. I have been dragging my feet about buying the Image OPEN CITY DVD because I've heard the quality is only so-so...

Butch Coolidge

Lucky Frenchs the War trilogy of Rossellini is available at 1 Euro per DVD. (www.cdiscount.fr)

Sometimes it is good to live in a country were money is not everything....

RevKarl

Maybe someone on the board could clarify this, but isn't (wasn't) Paisan a public domain title?

FilmFanSea

In other Rossellini-related news, the British Film Institute (bfi) will be releasing an R2 PAL DVD of Journey to Italy/Viaggio in Italia on November 17th.