WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

Fellini’s Roma
Genre:Drama

Reviewed In Issue 07 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
Stefano Majore, Fiona Florence, Peter Gonzales, Brita Barnes.

WSR Review Scores
Picture Rating: 3.5
Sound Rating: 1
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score:
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Supplementals

DVD General Information
(Studio/Distributor): MGM
(Catalog Number): ML102328
(MPAA Rating): R
(Retail Price): $39.98
(Running Time In Minutes): 117
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): No
(Theatrical Release): 1972
(LD Release Date): 11/1/93
(THX® Digitally Mastered): No

Credits Information
(Director): Federico Fellini
(Screenplay/Written By): Federico Fellini & Bernardino Zapponi
(Story): Federico Fellini & Bernardino Zapponi
(Music): Nino Rota
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer): NA
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor): Ruggero Mastroianni
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers): Danilo Marciani
(Co-Producers): NA
(Producers): Lamberto Pippia

DVD Picture Information
(Principal Photography): Flat
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 1.66:1
(Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 1.85:1

DVD Sound Information
(DVD Soundtrack): Mono Sound
(Theatrical Sound): Optical Mono
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(Remastered Dolby Digital): No
(Remastered DTS Digital Surround): No
(Additional Languages):

WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
Fellini’s Roma is a view of Rome from the memories of the critically acclaimed director before World War II. Federico Fellini (director of four Oscar®-winning Best Foreign Language Films—1956’s La Strada, 1957’s The Nights Of Cabiria, 1963 8 1/2 and 1974’s Amarcord) presents a fantasy-laden experimental journey based on images and sequences inspired by the filmmaker’s remembrances. The painting-like photography and dazzling imagery is beautiful to look at with the settings shifting from outdoor banquets to music halls, subterranean tunnels to bordellos, all en-livened by Fellini’s unique style and imagination. If there is a message to his audacious pomp it is along the lines of the film’s ad lines which billed it as “the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, 1931-1972!”

LaserDisc Picture:
Rich saturated color and a warm natural film-like quality make this a captivating picture. Giuseppe Rotunno’s cinematography is magnificent, however the original 1.66:1 composition is matted to 1.85:1.

LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The mono sound is unfortunately extremely compressed and undefined.
(Surround Bass Below 50Hz): No
(Aggressive System Surround): No
(Intense 25Hz Bass): No
(Deep Bass Challenging): No
(Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
(Holosonic Soundfield): No
(Aggressive Split Surround): No
(Center Back Surround Imaging): No
(Directionalized Dialogue): No
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
Superb Color Fidelity:
Superb Cinematography:
Reference LaserDisc:
Collector Edition: