- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit), English Audio Descriptive Service Dolby Digital 5.1, French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/16-bit)
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Hindi, Spanish
- Subtitles Color: White
- Region: AB (No Region C)
- Rating: R
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Digital Copies: N/A
- Run Time: 112 Mins.
- Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: January 15, 2013
- List Price: $35.99
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Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Woody Allen continues his European period with To Rome with Love. This ensemble romantic comedy set in the great old city that lends the film its title has a star-studded cast featuring Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Ellen Page (Juno), Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), and the filmmaker himself.
Allen’s screenplay is an obvious homage to the whimsical and surreal comedies of the Italian masters like Fellini, where the absurd becomes the modus operandi, the norm. It’s a tale of intertwining stories that never quite mesh and the subject is love. A middle-aged architect (Baldwin) goes on a journey to relive his youth while guiding a younger architect (Eisenberg) through the pitfalls of romance as he is about to embark on an ill-advised affair with his girlfriend’s (Greta Gerwig; Lola Versus; Damsels in Distress) best friend (Page). Meanwhile, young tourist Hayley (Alison Pill) meets the handsome lawyer Michelangelo (Flavio Parenti) and the two fall in love, become engaged, and set up a meeting with their parents. Meanwhile Hayley’s dad (Woody Allen), a retired avant-garde opera director, tries to turn Michelangelo’s opera-singing mortician father into a reluctant superstar of the opera stage, but his voice only seems to soar whilst singing in the shower. The “average, middle class Roman” (Roberto Benigni) finds himself suddenly famous and the object of unlikely national fame. Lastly, provincial newlyweds Antonio (Alessandro Tiberi) and Milly (Alessandra Mastronardi; Titanic: Blood and Steel) are drawn into separate romantic affairs when she loses her way to a hair salon and he is mistakenly visited in their hotel room by a beautiful prostitute (Cruz).
Surely Allen’s comedic talents haven’t entirely left him for To Rome with Love — his screenplay offers more than a few moments along the way where one can’t help but let out a chuckle. One rather amusing scene is when Antonio, deeply into a rouse with with the prostitute Anna pretending to be his wife Milly, takes her to a high class function to impress his upper crust relatives, and all of the men at the venue– doctors, lawyers, politicians and the like — recognize her. Allen’s talents are generally wasted in To Rome with Love, however, and it is evident from the very opening strands of Volare that we’re going to be in for something that isn’t too much of a stretch creatively.
A full-on aping of Allen’s Italian influences with all of its story lines left half cooked, nothing in To Rome with Love really makes much sense or seems well thought through. Roberto Benigni’s role, for instance, feels like it started out as an attempt at a wry attack on our current fascination with “reality” television. In theory it sounds good, and using Benigni who is well known outside of Italy due to his international success Life is Beautiful, was probably a good choice. The gag doesn’t work in the context of this film, however, and brings the rest of the stories down several pegs. Allen also never manages to tie it together in anyway with any of the other stories. Alec Baldwin’s strain is also an odd one that confuses rather than enlightens. Meant to be a witty and insightful trip down memory lane, it becomes increasingly clear that Baldwin’s character is only visible to us and Eisenberg’s “Jack,” and sometimes Ellen Page’s “Monica” as well? It’s muddled and weird.
If To Rome with Love has one thing going for it, it’s the beautiful imagery of Rome. If you can’t at least get that right as a filmmaker, then you need to pack it in. It’s not that Allen brings anything particularly brilliant to his and cinematographer Darius Khondji’s imagery here, but the film is beautifully sun soaked and saturated with the warmth of Southern Italy.
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
One cannot argue with the gorgeous look of the transfer to Blu-ray of To Rome with Love‘s Super 35 format Kodak Vision3 500T 5219 source. The glowing, sun soaked palette is rich with detail, a finely layered natural grain structure, and great contrast. Detail is strong and crisp and the overall image is clean, as one would expect.
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
There’s nothing much to the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit) soundtrack at all. It’s only competent, but hardly engaging. The surround channels are barely audible with some very low level ambient effects and low frequencies aren’t much of a factor. At least the dialogue is full, natural and intelligible.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]
This release is sparse on the bonuses. Only a very brief featurette and the original theatrical trailer are included.
- Con Amore: A Passion for Rome (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:09:05)
- Theatrical Trailer (1.85:1; 1080p/24)
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3.5/5]
To Rome with Love is minor Woody Allen. It won’t be necessary viewing given the brilliant catalogue of work from the filmmaker, and it doesn’t stand out from his “postcards from Europe” period, especially after the surprise success of Midnight in Paris. It’s not completely without merit, but it’s nothing to write home about.
Additional Screen Captures
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BestBuy.com:
Purchase To Rome with Love on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
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BestBuy.com:
Purchase To Rome with Love on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3.5/5]
The Film
[Rating:3/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:1/5]
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I think that To Rome with Love has a lot of potential to be a very good movie. Even though my wife and I like these kinds of movies, they’re not the type we’re willing to pay lots of money to go see in theatres. I’m almost tempted to buy it, but I spend way too much money doing that, especially since most of the movies I’ve bought over the years only get watched once or twice, so I’m going to put it in my Blockbuster @Home queue and rent it instead. While working at DISH I’ve tried to stay informed on all DISH products and services, that’s how I discovered and tried out Blockbuster @Home, and I can afford to rent what I want with the thousands of movie titles available, for a flat, low monthly fee.