Review: Rocco and His Brothers 4K UHD
After the death of her husband, mother Rosaria takes her four sons Rocco Parondi (Alain Delon), Simone, Ciro, and Luca to join her eldest son Vincenzo in Milan. Presented in five distinct sections, the film weaves the story of the five brothers Vincenzo, Simone, Rocco, Ciro and Luca Parondi as each of them adapt to their new lives in the city.
Directed by (Duke) Luchino Visconti, Rocco and His Brothers is a sprawling family saga. In his early works he followed the path of Neorealism, and although this film is could be called a sort of soap-opera because of family story, at times I was reminded of The Godfather and also West Side Story, and even Rocky.
However, this isn’t ‘light’ viewing. Poverty, prostitution, hopelessness and a graphic rape make this a real classic. The acting is impeccable, stand outs being Annie Girardot as Nadia the prostitute and lover of 2 brothers, Katina Paxinou as Rosaria the mother who is obsessed with her sons, but more obesessed with feeling important in her new neighbourhood and of course Alain Delon as Rocco, who despite being one of the most gorgeous men to ever appear on film also had massive acting chops.
This is the sort of film I could write a 6000 word essay on. It is nothing short of bloody magnificent. Gritty and horrible, filled with hope and despair, BFI have released another great film and this title truly deserves to be in everyone’s collection, especially in this restored 4K UHD Blu-ray presentation.
A must buy.
Special Features
Restored 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
New audio commentary by film historian Adrian Martin
The Flavour of Scandal: An Interview with Caterina d’Amico (2017, 41 mins): the daughter of screenwriter Suso Cecchi d’Amico discusses the genesis and production of Rocco and His Brothers
Interviews with cast and crew (2017, 34 mins): a compendium of archive interviews, including Claudia Cardinale, Mario Garbuglia, Annie Girardot, Giuseppe Rotunno, Piero Tosi and Suso Cecchi d’Amico
Alain Delon – Luchino Visconti: la rencontre (2016, 42 mins): a look at the careers of the director and the actor and their work together
Les coulisses du tournage (2003, 21 mins): a documentary on the production of Rocco and His Brothers
Treasures from the BFI National Archive (1925-1964, 79 mins): a selection of newsreels and public information films exploring strands touched upon in Visconti’s drama
Original theatrical trailer
**FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Illustrated booklet with new writing on the film by Guy Adams, an essay on Nino Rota’s score by Charlie Brigden and writing on the films from the BFI National Archive by Sarah Wood; notes on the special features and film credits
All BFI UHD and Blu-ray releases are available from usual home entertainment retailers and online or in person from the BFI Shop at BFI Southbank https://shop.bfi.org.uk/
