| Reviews & Columns |
|
Reviews DVD TV on DVD Blu-ray 4K UHD International DVDs In Theaters Reviews by Studio Video Games Features Collector Series DVDs Easter Egg Database Interviews DVD Talk Radio Feature Articles Columns Anime Talk DVD Savant Horror DVDs The M.O.D. Squad Art House HD Talk Silent DVD
|
 DVD Talk Forum |
|
|
| Resources |
|
DVD Price Search Customer Service #'s RCE Info Links |
|
Columns
  
 
|
|
|
Stealing Beauty
Fox // R // January 8, 2001
List Price: $19.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
There's a difference between slow, dreamy and atmospheric and just simply slow and uninvolving. "Stealing Beauty", the 1996 effort from director Bernardo Bertolucci ("Last Tango In Paris") is certainly not without flaws, but the pace is stated from the begining - we are asked to settle in, relax, and drink in what the film has to offer. While the journey isn't without a few rough spots and slight characters, Bertolucci keeps the vivid and often stunning imagery coming and things simple (and occasionally weird) enough to sustain interest more often than not.
The film stars Liv Tyler as Lucy Harmon, a 19-year-old who has come to Tuscany for the Summer, both to visit her friends and to find her father (and to lose her virginity). There's really little more to the film than that; the film slowly, but confidently opens out to reveal more characters, more past, more conversations.
The characters are Diana Grayson (Sinead Cusack), Dina's husband Ian (Donal McCann), playwright Alex (Jeremy Irons), Miranda (Rachel Weisz of "The Mummy") and others. The film doesn't seem entirely interested in really setting up the relationships between the characters, instead really asking the audience to accept that many of them simply should be there.
The performances are quite good, given that the material is somewhat creaky and thin to begin with. Tyler is especially good in an early performance, her delicate features and expressive face often showing emotions without speaking. Her work here is an obvious improvement from her earliest efforts, such as director Bruce Beresford's "Silent Fall". Of course, it helps that she also has one of those smiles that lights up the screen. Supporting efforts from Irons, Weisz and others are good, if not too noteworthy. Irons and Tyler have some good scenes together, simply discussing life and the past.
The real star of the show though is the cinematography of the often brilliant Darius Khondji ("The Beach", "Evita"), whose work here is stunning. The cinematographer's work captures the lush, green hills of the surrounding area, as well as the beauty of the film's lead, with utter perfection. The film is also smoothly edited by Pietro Scalia (recently of Ridley Scott's "Gladiator"). Admittedly, the film does eventually start to become a little lengthy for its own good - at two hours, there's really not quite enough substance or material to support the running time.
Yet, I found a certain relaxed charm to the piece, and Tyler's performance carried my interest and allowed me to follow at least one character I cared about through the film.
The DVD
VIDEO: Fox presents "Stealing Beauty" in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. As previously mentioned, Khondji's cinematography is breathtakingly attractive, capturing the film's marvelous scenery quite wonderfully. This element alone almost makes the film worth viewing. The presentation from Fox on this DVD edition is quite satisfactory, if showing a few imperfections here and there. Sharpness and detail are very pleasing, as the picture recreates the smooth, dreamy, but still crisp and detailed imagery quite well.
Unfortunately, I did mention the existence of flaws and there are a few scattered throughout the movie. Light specks on the print used are briefly visible now and then, but not in any great amount. No pixelation was seen, but some brief instances of edge enhancement were visible, if not terribly distracting.
As for the colors, they're certainly one of the most impressive pieces of the picture, appearing almost remarkably rich and warm, with no smearing or other problems to speak of. Black level is strong, while flesh tones are accurate and natural. Not quite perfect, but those who found the cinematography intoxicatingly gorgeous will find that the studio has done justice to the images shown within.
NOTE: Subtitles that were supposed to be included during scenes with Italian dialogue have not been included. Whether or not this will eventually be fixed is uncertain.
SOUND: "Stealing Beauty" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. As expected, the film's audio is decidedly front-heavy, with the surrounds only occasionally kicking in to provide some gentle ambience or light touches of music. Audio quality is pleasant, as the score came through richly, while dialogue and the film's minimal sound effects were also clear and crisp.
MENUS:: Basic, non-animated menus that essentially use film-themed images and cover art.
EXTRAS: 7 minute promotional featurette, international trailer, 3 TV spots and trailers for "Drive Me Crazy", "Ever After", "French Kiss", "Love Potion #9", "Never Been Kissed", "Object of My Affection", "Romeo and Juliet", "Say It Isn't So", "Someone Like You" and "Where The Heart Is".
Final Thoughts: Admittedly not a great picture, I still find "Stealing Beauty" an enjoyable bit of light fluff, containing respectable performances and really impressive cinematography. Fox's DVD is a fine offering, with good audio/video and a few minimal supplements, all together with a low retail price.
There's a difference between slow, dreamy and atmospheric and just simply slow and uninvolving. "Stealing Beauty", the 1996 effort from director Bernardo Bertolucci ("Last Tango In Paris") is certainly not without flaws, but the pace is stated from the begining - we are asked to settle in, relax, and drink in what the film has to offer. While the journey isn't without a few rough spots and slight characters, Bertolucci keeps the vivid and often stunning imagery coming and things simple (and occasionally weird) enough to sustain interest more often than not.
The film stars Liv Tyler as Lucy Harmon, a 19-year-old who has come to Tuscany for the Summer, both to visit her friends and to find her father (and to lose her virginity). There's really little more to the film than that; the film slowly, but confidently opens out to reveal more characters, more past, more conversations.
The characters are Diana Grayson (Sinead Cusack), Dina's husband Ian (Donal McCann), playwright Alex (Jeremy Irons), Miranda (Rachel Weisz of "The Mummy") and others. The film doesn't seem entirely interested in really setting up the relationships between the characters, instead really asking the audience to accept that many of them simply should be there.
The performances are quite good, given that the material is somewhat creaky and thin to begin with. Tyler is especially good in an early performance, her delicate features and expressive face often showing emotions without speaking. Her work here is an obvious improvement from her earliest efforts, such as director Bruce Beresford's "Silent Fall". Of course, it helps that she also has one of those smiles that lights up the screen. Supporting efforts from Irons, Weisz and others are good, if not too noteworthy. Irons and Tyler have some good scenes together, simply discussing life and the past.
The real star of the show though is the cinematography of the often brilliant Darius Khondji ("The Beach", "Evita"), whose work here is stunning. The cinematographer's work captures the lush, green hills of the surrounding area, as well as the beauty of the film's lead, with utter perfection. The film is also smoothly edited by Pietro Scalia (recently of Ridley Scott's "Gladiator"). Admittedly, the film does eventually start to become a little lengthy for its own good - at two hours, there's really not quite enough substance or material to support the running time.
Yet, I found a certain relaxed charm to the piece, and Tyler's performance carried my interest and allowed me to follow at least one character I cared about through the film.
The DVD
VIDEO: Fox presents "Stealing Beauty" in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. As previously mentioned, Khondji's cinematography is breathtakingly attractive, capturing the film's marvelous scenery quite wonderfully. This element alone almost makes the film worth viewing. The presentation from Fox on this DVD edition is quite satisfactory, if showing a few imperfections here and there. Sharpness and detail are very pleasing, as the picture recreates the smooth, dreamy, but still crisp and detailed imagery quite well.
Unfortunately, I did mention the existence of flaws and there are a few scattered throughout the movie. Light specks on the print used are briefly visible now and then, but not in any great amount. No pixelation was seen, but some brief instances of edge enhancement were visible, if not terribly distracting.
As for the colors, they're certainly one of the most impressive pieces of the picture, appearing almost remarkably rich and warm, with no smearing or other problems to speak of. Black level is strong, while flesh tones are accurate and natural. Not quite perfect, but those who found the cinematography intoxicatingly gorgeous will find that the studio has done justice to the images shown within.
NOTE: Subtitles that were supposed to be included during scenes with Italian dialogue have not been included. Whether or not this will eventually be fixed is uncertain.
SOUND: "Stealing Beauty" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. As expected, the film's audio is decidedly front-heavy, with the surrounds only occasionally kicking in to provide some gentle ambience or light touches of music. Audio quality is pleasant, as the score came through richly, while dialogue and the film's minimal sound effects were also clear and crisp.
MENUS:: Basic, non-animated menus that essentially use film-themed images and cover art.
EXTRAS: 7 minute promotional featurette, international trailer, 3 TV spots and trailers for "Drive Me Crazy", "Ever After", "French Kiss", "Love Potion #9", "Never Been Kissed", "Object of My Affection", "Romeo and Juliet", "Say It Isn't So", "Someone Like You" and "Where The Heart Is".
Final Thoughts: Admittedly not a great picture, I still find "Stealing Beauty" an enjoyable bit of light fluff, containing respectable performances and really impressive cinematography. Fox's DVD is a fine offering, with good audio/video and a few minimal supplements, all together with a low retail price.
|
| Popular Reviews |
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Sponsored Links |
|
|
| Release List | Reviews | Shop | Newsletter | Forum | DVD Giveaways | Blu-Ray | Advertise |
|
Copyright 2024 DVDTalk.com All Rights Reserved. Legal Info, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use,
Manage Preferences,
Your Privacy Choices 
| |||||||