The Movie

Internet putzes who would like to think of themselves as online film critics tend to throw around words like gravitas to establish their filmographical "street cred", but generally end up sounding like... well, Internet putzes (they also use the word "filmographical" a lot because they continually come across it in a lot of DVD Special Features menus, but that's a cosmic haiku for another eon.) So because we here at DVD Talk believe in presenting nothing less than truth unto its innermost parts, allow me to wear my Putzitude on my sleeve, and pronounce that what makes I Fidanzati such a phenomenally fantastic motion pictures is its prevailing sense of gravitas, the juxtaposition of tangible, tactile human grief, loneliness, nostalgia, and experience alongside the film's light, breezy yet almost detached directorial style.

Fresh off of making the brilliant Il Posto, director Ermanno Olmi created a film that at first might seem like the previous film's thematic bookend. The concept behind I Fidanzati is relatively straightforward: a young blue-collar worker named Giovanni accepts a job in Sicily , leaving his lovely fiancée Liliana behind, straining their relationship and examining the limits and boundaries to which the human heart will stretch. The film is delivered in an occasional non-linear fashion; time is used as a tool to examine and explore the ramifications of Giovanni's actions and the emotional states he endures. Scenes of joy are mingled with long stretches that represent loneliness, despair, and perhaps overwhelming realization. The film is a heart-rendering exploration of the mind and soul that, much like real human feeling, is never simply one emotion or another. The joy never exists with the pain, and loneliness is never far from affirmation.

I Fidanzati is a relatively short film, a scant 77 minutes, but it says everything it needs to in each and every frame. It's a beautiful, magnificent film which must be seen... and thankfully, the Criterion DVD is a darn good way to see it!

The DVD

Video:
Originating from a brand-new high definition transfer, I Fidanzati looks splendid. The film is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and has been anamorphically enhanced for your widescreen viewing ecstasy. I found very little fault with the transfer. The black-and-white presentation is lovely, with excellent contrast levels that accentuate the breadth of the film's grayscales. Blacks are deep and rich while brights are sharp and booming. Image detail is excellent. The softness visible in some scenes is an intentional aesthetic choice. The print is free of debris and noise, while still displaying a level of grain structure that renders the presentation a smooth, film-like appearance. Edge-enhancement, haloing, and ghosting are non-existent, and the transfer does not reveal any compression noise or artifacting.

Audio:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 1.0, and has also undergone noise-reduction restoration. The monaural soundtrack is what is to be expected in a film of this age. Dialog is clean and evenly delivered, with very little hiss, noise or distortion. General fidelity and range is acceptable if not extraordinary.

Extras:

The extras here aren't as plentiful as they were on the Il Posto Criterion DVD, but there are so nice bonuses to be found. Mysteries of Life is a lively nineteen-minute interview with writer/director Ermanno Olmi and film critic/historian/Olmi collaborator Tullio Kezich as they share their thoughts about the creation of I Fidanzati. I especially enjoyed hearing about Olmi's relationship with and influence by Pasolini, as well his explanation of the various themes of the movie and how he masterfully presented them within the film (the word for trust, in Italian, forms the root of the word fiancé.) The interview makes a great companion piece to the film. Finally, the film's two-and-a-half-minute Theatrical Trailer is also included.

Final Thoughts

What a magnificent film! What an amazing and pervasive cinematic representation of human emotion. It is simply of a cliché to describe how a film "speaks to you", but if you have ever spent significant time apart from a loved one (due to physical location, emotional distance, or perhaps both), I Fidanzati encapsulates the conflict and overlapping emotions that can sometimes overwhelm you, or perhaps even inspire you as well. The Criterion DVD would be worth your time simply on the quality of the film alone, but given the glorious transfer the film has received as well as an engaging interview with the director as a bonus feature, I cannot recommend I Fidanzati enough.