Second Mizoguchi double from Masters of Cinema in February
The second of four double-bill releases from Masters of Cinema of films by Japanese master Kenji Mizoguchi has been confirmed for February.
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Rocco and His Brothers 3-disc edition in February

9 December 2007

A tight-knit family consisting of widow Rosaria (Katina Paxinou) and her five sons move from the rural south to metropolitan to Milan, where hopes of a better life are not immediately realised, with the family members taking on a variety odd jobs to make ends meet. Two of the brothers, Rocco (Alain Delon) and Simone (Renato Salvatore), take up boxing, but when they both fall for the same girl, prostitute Nadia (Annie Girardot), things are not destined to end well.

Covering a three year period and divided into five chapters, each dedicated to a different family member, Rocco and His Brothers (Rocco e i suoi fratelli, 1960) is one of the great works of Italian neorealist cinema and one of the most important works by master filmmaker Luchino Visconti, directly influencing films like Francis Coppola's Godfather series and Scorsese's Raging Bull. The exquisite score by Nino Rota led directly to his being recruited to compose the music for The Godfather.

Eureka have announced a UK 3-disc (2 DVDs and 1 CD) release of Rocco and His Brothers for February 2008 under the Masters of Cinema label, featuring a new anamorphic restoration of the film in its fully uncut original 3-hour Italian release version, new and improved English subtitles, and three hours of extra features, including:

  • Newsreels from 1960;
  • Lengthy interviews with cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno, and stars of the film Annie Girardot and Claudia Cardinale;
  • Original Italian trailer;
  • Two documentaries - TF1's Les Coulisses du tounage and RAI's hour-long Lucino Visconti;
  • Soundtrack CD of Nino Rota's score for the film;
  • 40-page booklet featuring archival imagery, articles by Luchino Visconti (The Miracle That Gave Man Crumbs) and respected Italian film critic Guido Aristarco (The Earth Still Trembles), and a rare interview with Visconti (Questions for the Author) translated into English for the first time.

Rocco and His Brothers will be released on UK DVD by Eureka Masters of Cinema on 25th February 2008 at the RRP of £22.99.