Press Release Criterion Press Release: Miracle in Milan (1951) (Blu-ray) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

Renowned filmmaker Vittorio De Sica followed up his international triumph Bicycle Thieves with this enchantingly playful neorealist fairy tale, in which he combines his celebrated slice-of-life poetry with flights of graceful comedy and storybook fantasy. On the outskirts of Milan, a band of vagabonds work together to form a shantytown. When it is discovered that the land they occupy contains oil, however, it’s up to the cherubic orphan Totò (Francesco Golisano)—with some divine help—to save their community from greedy developers. Tipping their hats to the imaginative whimsy of Charles Chaplin and René Clair, De Sica and screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, adapting his own novel, craft a bighearted ode to the nobility of everyday people.

FILM INFO​

• Italy
• 1951
• 96 minutes
• Black & White
• 1.37:1
• Italian, English
• Spine #1119
  
  
  

• SPECIAL FEATURES​

  • New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
  • New interview with neorealism expert and film scholar David Forgacs
  • Audio interview from the late 1960s in which director Vittorio De Sica looks back on his career, conducted by film critic Gideon Bachmann
  • Interviews with actor Brunella Bovo and Manuel De Sica, the director’s son
  • Feature-length documentary from 2019 on screenwriter Cesare Zavattini
  • Trailers
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by film critic Christina Newland and, on the Blu-ray, “Totò il buono,” a 1940 short story by Zavattini and stage actor Totò that is the earliest version of the narrative on which Miracle in Milan is based
    
    New cover by Manule Fior
    
    April 19, 2022

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Thank you for supporting HTF when you preorder using the link below. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link. As an Amazon Associate HTF earns from qualifying purchases

 

[Angelo Colombus]

One of the first Criterion laserdiscs i bought was Miracle In Milan years ago and still have it. Happy that Criterion will release it again and on Blu-ray. One of my favorites from Vittorio DeSica and will see how much a improvement over the 2012 UK Arrow Films Blu-ray.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Have the Criterion disc and have to say very disappointed with the results. Have the UK Arrow 2012 Blu-ray release and did a a/b comparison and to me the Arrow release is bright and sharp while the Criterion release looks dark and murky. Some scenes in the background are nice and visible with the Arrow disc and with the Criterion it looks like a dark blotch. It's rare that a Criterion release disappoints me but this one did. Have below a screen shot with the Criterion on the top and the Arrow release at the bottom.