Criterion Collection: Trilogy of Life [Blu-ray] [1974] [US Import]

If you are planning to order these BDs, chances are you need no introduction to Pasolini's Trilogy of Life.(*1)

I first watched these films during my college years, and was immediately drawn to Pasolini's very unconventional film-making techniques.(*2) Thus, when these were up for sale last November from the redoubtable Criterion Collection, I preordered the blu-ray set. The "Criterion magic" does not disappoint, but.... If memory serves, there are more than 3 or 4 instances when vertical red straight lines appear prominently in the Canterbury Tales.(*3) So here is the puzzle: Why are they (still) there after the careful restoration?

I love Criterion Collection. Even though their products are more expensive, they are almost always worth the additional cost. In particular, these are great improvements from BFI's Region B (UK) blu-ray releases in terms of clarity, contrast, color scheme and especially naturality of the skin tone. So they are really currently the best transfer for these films. However, these vertical red lines are distracting, for me at least. (They are not present in BFI's edition.) I imagine one reason they are there (after the restoration) is that the current digital restoration technology is not advanced enough to remove these lines without compromising the entire frames. However, that theory doesn't seem convincing as Criterion Collection has in the past fixed tears and scratches more serious than these lines. An email inquiry to Criterion Collection did not produce a satisfactory answer. "The lines are in the source material" was all I was told. Maybe I am spoiled, but I have come to expect only the highest quality from Criterion.

If anyone has an answer, I'd be curious to know. In particular, if you happen to be or know one of the Criterion Collection's technicians in charge of the restoration, help us solve the puzzle!

Still highly recommended, for the films and for the (otherwise excellent) transfer.(*4)

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(*1) In case of doubt, please consult either Wikipedia or Criterion Collection's website. Also, don't miss out The Gospel According to Matthew (Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD) [Region B/2], which requires a multi-regional player and can be ordered from amazon.co.uk.

(*2) For example, the editing is not at all smooth or tidy (but quite effective). Nudities and sex are treated in a "casual" and "naturalistic" way, devoid of the usual sentimental eroticism.

(*3) They are played on an Oppo BD player connected via a HDMI cable to an 65-inch HDTV. So I think the playback equipment is adequate.

(*4) Pasolini edited Canterbury Tales and Arabian Nights more than once and the "final" cuts are shorter than the "original" cuts presented in Berlin and Cannes Film Festivals. The Criterion Collection films are the final cuts, which Pasolini preferred. (These are also explained in the documentaries in the box.)

An excellent new print of Pasolini's 'Decameron', crystalline compared to the version available previously, but purchasers should know that the 40-minute documentary about the episode of Alibech and Rustico, eliminated by Pasolini from the final version of the film, does not contain any actual footage of the episode.

In a sentence: A cinematographic experience.
Pasolini takes you to beyond your imagination. Love the architecture and the spaces he creates. He approaches cinema as painting.

I have been looking for these films for a long time. I've only seen a poor quality VHS of THE DECAMERON that I found in my local public library. Criterion Collection has done a great job compiling this collection together! The quality is top-notich and the booklet that comes with it is very informative. Thanks!

I'd seen these Passolini films way back when they'd first come out while a liberal California university student and awaiting the draft . . . Well, I was never drafted, earned a useless degree while waiting, and even became a member of the GOP, yet I had fond memories of those early 70's and snapped up this Trilogy of Life set as a reminder of those confusing/exciting/violent days.

Now that my head is clearer, I can almost understand what Passolini was trying to do - sort of - and these blu-ray discs are of much better quality than the art-house films I'd originally seen. I'm happy with this purchase and would recommend this collection to any current or formally liberalized college kid who doesn't mind captions or speaks Italian. They're still fun, outrageous, controversial and come with deleted scenes we'd only speculated about back then (no, there's no hardcore sex after all). You should be a fan of foreign films with their typical rough editing (leading we besotted college guys with visions of erotic things never filmed), and specifically enjoy Passolini's early 70's work.