The inaugural entry in Arrow’s new Arrow Academy series of deluxe editions of high-profile arthouse classics has just been released (Amazon/MovieMail/Play), with the following specs:

• Brand new restored, high definition transfer on Blu-ray (1080p) and DVD;
• Newly translated and more complete optional English subtitles;
• Feature length audio commentary by Italian Cinema expert Robert Gordon, author of BFI Modern Classics ‘Bicycle Thieves’;
• ‘Cesare Zavattini’ a feature length documentary by director Carlo Lizzani on the great screenwriter, novelist, critic, long time De Sica collaborator and founder of Italian neorealism [Blu-ray only];
• ‘Timeless Cinema’, a documentary portrait of director, actor and screenwriter Vittorio De Sica;
• Trailer;
• Comprehensive booklet featuring a brand new essay on the film by writer and film historian Michael Brooke as well as screenwriter Cesare Zavattini’s essay ‘Some Ideas on the Cinema’, illustrated with original stills and Lobby Cards;
• Artwork presentation packaging including three original posters and a newly commissioned artwork cover.

Aside from contributing the main booklet essay, I also dug up some contemporary reviews of the film, excerpts from which are featured towards the end.

Reviews

• Cathode Ray Tube (Frank Collins);
• The Digital Fix (John White);
• Mondo Digital (Nathaniel Thompson);
• 10,000 Bullets (Michael Den Boer);

My next Arrow commission is the booklet for Andrzej Wajda’s Ashes and Diamonds, which should be out in the autumn.