Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Movie cropped to 4:3, 15 Jun 2004
This is a really great, but also underrated movie. It talks about the conflicts of a father and son relationship, in a Bronx-alike (but milder) neighbourhood background, and how luck changes it all. The dialogs of the movie are fun and insighful and Anthony LaPaglia delivers a masterful performance.
I bought this DVD blindly when it came out, as the cover was quite classy and I thought it could not be a very bad release. How wrong I was.
I can't tell cent per cent sure, but I think the movie's original aspect ratio is 1.85:1; the DVD has been cropped to 4:3 (this is called Pan & Scan). On top of that, the quality of the video transfer isn't very good.
The movie does not have a single subtitle track. English is not my mother language, but I would not have minded this if at least the image format had been respected.
It is a shame that the only DVD release available worldwide of such a great movie has been so poorly done.
Update: This movie was recently released in the States by Anchor Bay, the image original format has been respected and the video transfer is considerably better (it has no subtitles nor closed captioning, though). Definitively, get the American version! You can buy it on the US site of Amazon.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
LaPaglia proves his worth again, 31 Dec 2004
One of my favourite movies, "29th Street", got its long-awaited DVD release this year to replace my ageing, second-hand video. It's a semi-autobiographical account of the life of Frank Pesce (who stars in the role of his own brother in the movie), a directionless, young Italian-American who hits it lucky when he is entered in the first ever New York State lottery.Everyone is convinced that Frank is going to win such has been the amazing luck he has experienced during his life. Compare this to his hard-working, blue collar father who has endured, rather than enjoyed, his. While the screenplay is solid and deals well with the opposing issues of love and resentment, it's the two central performances that primarily shine. Anthony LaPaglia (playing Frank) became my favourite actor once I saw this movie in 1992. His ability to play different shades, delivers goosepimples as he delivers his lines. It's a masterful performance by a man as relatively inexperienced as he was then. Screen veteran Danny Aiello (playing his father), is perfectly cast as an honest but occasionally maladroit man whose influence over his family visibly decreases by the day. As another review states, the DVD transfer is not great at all, but this is somewhat reflected in the budget pricepoint. If it's a choice between seeing a good movie poorly-transferred, or not at all, I'd have no hesitation in buying "29th Street". * If you're new to Anthony LaPaglia, check out his performances in movies like "Lantana", "The Bank" (not yet available in Europe), "Killer" and "So I Married an Axe Murderer".
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My No.2 alltime favourite movie, 19 Aug 2006
The blurb on the front of the DVD describes 29th Street as a cross between It's A Wonderful Life and Goodfellas.It's an almost perfect description of this little known gem which boasts excellent performances from both LaPaglia and Aiello(the italian-American Gene Hackman).It's a comedy/biopic of Frank Pesce,a man 'cursed' by good luck and his attempts to find meaning in his life while his father,cursed by debt,a gambling problem and bad luck,finds himself on a downward slide.When Frank discovers he's a finalist in the first New York State Lottery,his life and his familys,change forever.
This movie is an absolute treat from start to finish,its immense charm far outshining its tiny budget.If you've ever had a father,or any kind of family feud,this movie will touch you deep,whilst splitting your sides.ENJOY!!!!
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