The Best Of Youth
by Marco Tullio Giordana
List Price:
Our Price: $15.00
You Save: $4.98 (25%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $10.50 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Adriana Sti, Alessio Boni, Fabrizio Gifuni, Luigi Lo Cascio, Sonia BergamascoDirector: Marco Tullio Giordana
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Producer: Angelo Barbagallo
Producer: Gianfranco Barbagallo
Writer: Sandro Petraglia
Writer: Stefano Rulli
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Italian (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: NTSC
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 368 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2012-01-06
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: LIONSGATE
Movie Reviews of The Best Of Youth
Movie Review: Sit a Spell...This Is Six Unforgettable Hours of Superb Character-Driven Cinema
Summary: 5 Stars
The concept of an intimate, six-hour epic is an improbable one, but director Marco Tullio Giordana has pulled off quite a feat with this marathon, 366-minute film, which is divided into two three-hour parts over two discs. Originally a miniseries on Italian TV (which explains the structural similarities with old American miniseries like "Rich Man, Poor Man"), it's a masterful work with emotional pull, rich characterizations and plot nuances spanning close to forty years from 1966 to the present day. Ostensibly, the story revolves around the Carati brothers - self-righteous Matteo and optimistic Nicola, inseparable at the outset of the story as they attempt to leave Rome on a backpacking holiday in Norway. More importantly, what the movie does is humanize Italy's recent history on a more personal level. Giordana's most glorious accomplishment is how he keeps the story so emotionally involving over its lengthy duration.
The expansive, shrewdly observed script by Sandro Petraglia and Stefano Rulli covers major historical incidents such as the 1966 flooding of Florence, the ongoing terrorism instigated by the Red Brigades, revolutionary mental asylum reforms, and various World Cup championships. There is no bulky exposition to these events, but frankly, an in-depth knowledge of 20th century Italian history is not a prerequisite to enjoy the human drama coursing through the story. Each brother experiences his share of trials, and the beauty is that they remain life-sized, not epic in scale, which brings further resonance to the broader events affecting their lives. What triggers the drama of the plot is Giorgia, a near-catatonic victim of botched electroshock treatments, whom Matteo tries to reunite with her father. Unfortunately, this act of goodwill backfires, and the brothers decide to take different routes. In vivid brushstrokes, Matteo joins the army and later works for the police, first in Sicily and then back in Rome. Nicola, on the other hand, ends up going to Norway alone; comes back to Florence to help with the flood victims; marries Giulia, a conflicted protestor; raises a precocious daughter; and builds a career as a well-respected psychotherapist helping the mentally ill disenfranchised. The brothers' lives intertwine throughout to the point where one seems to be fulfilling the failed destiny of the other.
The cast is superb starting with the two stellar leads. Alessio Boni brings a charismatic blend of passionate intensity and veiled vulnerability as Matteo, illuminating an increasingly tortured soul as he further isolates himself from those closest to him. Bearing a striking resemblance to actor Rob Morrow, Luigi Lo Cascio plays the more open-hearted Nicola with dexterity, unafraid to reveal his character's inability to empathize with the deep anguish of those around him. Many of the supporting players are equally wonderful, with particular standouts being Andrea Tidona as the brothers' crafty father; Maya Sansa as the sympathetic photographer/librarian Mirella; Fabrizio Gifuni as dedicated lifelong friend Carlo; Lidia Vitale as the brothers' tough-minded sister Giovanna, who becomes an influential judge; and best of all, Adriana Asti as the brothers' put-upon mother. She has a particularly amazing scene of visceral power outside of Matteo's apartment. In pivotal roles, Jasmine Trinca does what she can as Giorgia, though I tend to think her character is designed more as a plot device to bring the brothers together; and with her excessive facial expressions, Sonia Bergamasco somewhat overplays the mercurial role of Giulia given her character's lightning-flash changes from lover to mother to revolutionary and back again.
One area that is a bit lacking is Roberto Forza's cinematography, which I find a bit washed out perhaps because the film was made for television. Perhaps futilely, I was hoping for more of a David Lean-like quality to the imagery. Interestingly, the soundtrack is filled with period-correct American pop at the beginning when the boys are young but moves to strictly Italian music as they become older. Thankfully there is little attempt to use make-up to age the actors over the decades other than some gray streaks in Nicola's hair. The almost final scene with Nicola and Mirella walking in the woods is among the most touching I have seen in a movie. This represents vital, full-blooded cinema worthy of comparison to Bertolucci and Ozu in terms of the human scale it showcases. The two-disc set has no extras given the epic length of the film.
Summary of The Best Of Youth
In the award-winning epic tradition of The Godfather and Cold Mountain, The Best Of Youth has wowed critics and earned honors at numerous fi lm festivals worldwide. As Italy explodes in an era of social unrest, a single ill-fated incident sends the lives of equally idealistic brothers Nicola and Matteo Carati careening in opposite directions. Divided by politics but bonded by blood, the next 40 years will find the brothers' divergent paths intersecting through some of the most tumultuous events in recent history! A stunning cinematic achievement - you don't want to miss this incredible motion picture!This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.
368 minutes of Italian TV miniseries--yes, that is indeed six hours' worth--comes unspooling in The Best of Youth, a stirring and beautiful experience. The film needs its running time to immerse us in the world of the Carati family from 1966 to near the present day. Two brothers are the primary focus: Nicola (Luigi Lo Cascio), a responsible medical student, and Matteo (Alessio Boni), a troubled soldier. After a youthful road trip, their paths diverge, but each is carried along by the changing, sometimes violent, political weather of Italy in the 1970s and '80s. Life issues surge and ebb, with the increasing sense that Matteo is a lost soul, beyond even the help of the luminous woman (unforgettable Maya Sansa) who comes into his life.
Truth be told, The Best of Youth has some of the limitations of made-for-TV fare, from the simplicity of its themes to its cheap-looking makeup. (Those beards are not convincing.) But by the time you've spent a couple of hours with these characters, you're deeply invested in their joys and sorrows. At that point the measured pace begins to feel like the rhythm of life, and the people onscreen a mirror of ourselves. It's probably true that the cultural references and specific historic events will have more resonance for Italians than other viewers, but everything translates. Director Marco Tullo Giordana maintains the tone by allowing details to accumulate, and the location shooting, including a stint at the cinematically rich island of Stromboli, is consistently rich (his sampling of the music from Jules and Jim feels like a shortcut somehow, but who could argue that the music isn't perfectly in key with the melancholy mood?). The final act delivers an emotional coup de grace that has been thoroughly earned. And you'll feel like you earned it, too, having spent six hours with this moving film. --Robert Horton
Similar DVD Movies
Il DivoMPI; Release date: 2009-10-27; DVD
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops:
The Orange ThiefWHV; Release date: 2008-08-12; DVD
Best price: $9.98
Price in other shops:
Crescendo!: An Intermediate Italian Program with Text Audio CDby Francesca Italiano, Irene Marchegiani
Wiley; Published: 2006-08-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $69.67
Ciao, Professore!Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2004-01-13; DVD
Best price: $13.29
Price in other shops:
The Bicycle ThiefImage Entertainment; Release date: 1998-11-24; DVD
Best price: $11.95
Price in other shops:
Cinema ParadisoLGF; Release date: 2011-04-15; DVD
Best price: $8.43
Price in other shops:
Remember Me, My LoveFirst Look Pictures; Release date: 2005-03-22; DVD
Best price: $7.21
Price in other shops:
The Tiger and the SnowTiger; Release date: 2007-05-08; DVD
Best price: $7.60
Price in other shops:
Mid-August Lunch (Pranzo di Ferragosto)Zeitgeist Films; Release date: 2010-10-05; DVD
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops:
MediterraneoPublished: 1991; DVD
Best price: $19.87