UCM.ONE is releasing the film “Boccaccio 70” on the B-Spree Classics label as a Mediabook and digitally in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, brilliant auteur cinema from Italy’s greatest directors with the European dream women of the 1960s: Anita Ekberg, Romy Schneider and Sophia Loren.
The mediabook also includes the formally first act “Renzo and Luciana”, which was cut out by the producer for the worldwide cinema premiere, with German subtitles as bonus material on the Blu-Ray for the first time.
Act 1: The Temptation (OT: Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio) by Federico Fellini
Dr Antonio (Peppino De Filippo) is an upright moralist who takes action against the increasing immorality in his Roman surroundings. Whether he is disturbing a pair of lovers, tearing down magazines with salacious covers or slapping a woman with too low a neckline – he always sees himself as a champion of the righteous cause. Until one day an oversized advertising poster is erected in front of his own front door, of all places, and his gaze falls on the seductive Anita Ekberg, advertising milk with a glass in her hand.
Dr. Antonio pulls out all the stops to get rid of this threat to decency and morality…
Act 2: The Job (OT: Lavoro) by Luchino Visconti
When Count Ottavio (Thomas Milián) returns to his palatial flat, he is met by an army of lawyers. A scandal has occurred because Ottavio has been pictured in the newspaper together with call girls. The real problem is that his father-in-law has frozen the accounts as a result, and since he has the money for the impoverished nobleman, his lawyers see an urgent need for action. A key role in this situation is played by Pupe (Romy Schneider), who has the most influence over her father.
Outwardly she seems composed, but Ottavio does not yet know quite how his wife will react…
Act 3: The Grand Prize (OT: La riffa) by Vittorio De Sica
The small Italian town is a hive of activity. Cattle markets, carnivals and church processions dominate the townscape. But the men have quite different things on their minds. Zoe (Sophia Loren), who runs a carriage business together with her pregnant friend and her husband, raffles herself off for one night. The 70 tickets are more than coveted and sometimes reach astronomical heights. Zoe herself is not happy about it, but she is forced into it by her financial hardship.
Things become even more complicated when she falls in love with Gaetano (Luigi Giuliani), who is very jealous…
Act 4: Renzo and Luciana (OT: Renzo e Luciana) by Mario Monicelli (originally the 1st act, only as a bonus on the Blu-Ray).
Renzo (Germano Gilioli) and Luciana (Marisa Solinas) both work in a modern factory. Since the management forbids their employees to have relationships, they marry secretly in the closest family circle. But this does not solve their love problem, as they do not have their own flat. Thus, neither in the room provided by their parents, nor at the workplace, can they really find time for themselves.
Luciana is further distressed by a rude superior who tries to win over the supposedly single subordinate …
Datas to the movie
| Original title: | Boccaccio ‘70 |
| Directors: | Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Vittorio De Sica, Mario Monicelli |
| Producer: | Tonino Cervi, Carlo Ponti |
| Starring: | Act 1: The Temptation (OT: Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio):Â Anita Ekberg, Peppino De Filippo, Antonio Acqua, Silvio Bagolini ,Ciccio Barbi, Lars Bloch
Act 2: The Job (OT: Lavoro) (OT: Lavoro): Romy Schneider, Thomas Milian, Paolo Stoppa, Romolo Valli Act 3: The Grand Prize (OT: La riffa): Sophia Loren, Giuliano Gemma, Alfio Vita, Luigi Giuliani, Valentino Macchi, Nando Angelini Act 4: (formally Act 1; bonus material): Renzo und Luciana (OT: Renzo e Luciana): Marisa Solinas, German Gilioli |
| Produktionsländer | Frankreich, Italien |
| Produktionsjahr: | 1962 |
“Boccaccio 70” is an episodic film about morality and love in the present: “The Temptation” is about an uptight guardian of morals (Peppino De Filippo) who is increasingly driven out of his mind by an offensive advertising wall with a lascivious Anita Ekberg in front of his house. In “The Job“, a young countess (Romy Schneider) tries her hand as a call girl after she discovers that her husband regularly brings whores into the house. Her first client is, of all people, her own husband. “The Grand Prize” tells the story of the attractive shooting gallery owner Zoe (Sophia Loren), who offers herself as the grand prize because she is short of money. The winner gets to spend a night with her…
Feedback to the movie
“The film has glamour, sophistication, colour, wit and sensuality.” (The New York Times, 1962)
“A showcase of Italian cinema of the period, it was directed by Mario Monicelli, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti and Vittorio De Sica.” (DenOfGeek.com)
“Looking at “Boccaccio 70” in conclusion, it becomes understandable why one tends to consider the episodes on their own merits. All the films could be effortlessly placed in the overall oeuvre of the respective director, especially given the many references to upcoming or past works. But this would do injustice to the concept of “Boccaccio 70″, which succeeds in uniting four very different works on one theme. The fact that not everyone’s taste can be met and that there are also qualitative differences should not be viewed critically, but as enrichment.” (ofdb.de/review)
“Boccaccio ’70 has something to offer, and together the shorts make a winning, linguistically ironic critique of Italy’s sexual morality in the 1960s. Of course, it certainly helps that the shorts feature some of the most beautiful women ever to choose celluloid. If you’re a fan of Italian cinema, this is a must-see. Highly recommended!” (blu-ray.com)
“Boccaccio ’70 consists of our stories of morality and love in the style of the Renaissance poet Boccaccio, but set in modern times. The film was initially released internationally without the lesser-known Mario Monicelli segment, which has now been restored, although it was placed as the last story, even though it was originally released as the first story.” (themoviewaffler.com)
“A film that only pretends to entertain by trying to introduce the younger generation of the time to literature with ease. One of the best literary adaptations, it sometimes suffers from the stylistic flaws of the director’s earlier works and the inevitable weight of time.” (cinemaitalianodatabase.blogspot.com)
“The idea behind the film was to bring the spirit of Boccaccio to the screen in modern times, with modern characters and settings. One of Italy’s greatest writers was to be interpreted by three of Italy’s greatest directors, starring three of Europe’s most exciting female stars.” (scoopy.com)
“Boccaccio ’70 is an essential destination on the journey through the wild world of cinema, if only because of Fellini.” (mondo70.blogspot.com)
“In 1962, in the glorious heyday of Italian cinema, the three great Italian directors Vittorio De Sica, Luchino Visconti and Federico Fellini gather to direct these interesting and entertaining, typically quirky stories in the style of the modern Decameron of the sixties, all about love. They are all stories of women taking their destinies into their own hands, written and directed by men.” (derekwinnert.com)
Technical datas
Mediabook | Picture format Blu-Ray: WS 1.85:1 / 1080p 24 / b/w; Picture format DVD: WS 1.85:1 (anamorphic) | Running time Blu-Ray: 159 min; Running time DVD: 152 min | Sound format Blu-Ray: German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0; Sound format DVD: German DD 2.0, Italian DD 2. 0 | Extras Blu-Ray: Original Trailer, Original Act 1 of OV 1 “Renzo and Luciana” (with German subtitles), Artwork Gallery; Extras DVD: Original Trailer, Artwork Gallery, Mediabook with 24-page book part with many pictures and interesting background information, removable FSK sticker | Rating:FSK 6
More information about the label: B-Spree Classics
