Plot: What’s it about?
Checco Dalmonte (Peppino De Filippo) operates a small time music hall and though he has never done that good in terms of business, he’s never been in that hard of times either. His longtime companion, Melina (Giuletta Masina) plans to marry him sometime and has been putting back money to open a new business in the future. Checco’s music hall needs more talent though, as his current show has very little skill or appeal to be honest. So when Liliana (Carla Del Poggio) appears on the scene, it couldn’t have come a better time, for him or the music hall. Liliana is a gifted performer and before long, she has taken the lead in the show and the hall’s business begins to pick up, a lot. As she performs, more and more people come and soon enough, the hall has a packed house for each and every showtime. But the audiences aren’t the only ones falling for this new star, as Checco himself finds himself in love with her also. Liliana flirts with Checco while she courts a more successful man, all while Melina is ignored by her once adoring lover. If you want to know this all ends up, you’ll need to see for yourself as you watch Alberto Lattuada & Federico Fellini’s Variety Lights.
If ever a film has deserved to be included in the prestigious Criterion Collection, this is that film and while I am pleased to have it at least, I wish more time were taken with the disc. The video is good, but could use some work and the audio is very good, but the main flaw in this presentation is the total dearth of bonus materials. I can’t imagine why an audio commentary with a film expert, theatrical trailer, or even a brief piece on Fellini wasn’t included on this release. But this disc is still worth the asking price, thanks to the excellence of the film of course. I would have loved some value elements, but I’ll take the good with the bad. Variety Lights seems so simple at first glance, with such basic characters and events, but the manner in which Fellini captures it all makes this a rich cinematic tapestry, which no true film buff can afford to miss. I know many people consider foreign films of this ilk to be pretentious, but this film isn’t in the least and if anything, is the total opposite of that. This movie provides good acting, stable writing, great direction, and above all else, a high entertainment value. I give this film a very high recommendation and the disc is more than worth a look, whether for longtime fans or first timers.
Though actually a joint effort with fellow director Alberto Lattuada, this film marks the feature film directorial debut of a true master filmmaker, Federico Fellini. While this doesn’t grasp all the potential Fellini had inside him at the time, Variety Lights does show some of the spark we would see later from him. So this is more of a sign of things to come, rather than a massive debut with a few smaller followups. I do love this movie though and while I don’t consider it to be his finest work, it is still of my favorite films by Fellini. And come on, with so many terrific movies under his belt, who could pick a true number one from his resume, in any case? If you like this film, I recommend you look into other Fellini efforts such as La Dolce Vita, And The Ship Sails On, Amarcord, 8 1/2, and Nights Of Cabiria. And yes, you can find several of those inside The Criterion Collection, with nice DVD treatments. The real star of this film is Giuletta Masina, who also happened to be Fellini’s wife and would appear in more of his film in the future. Masina (Behind Closed Shutters), gives a charming turn here and plays well off the other characters. The rest of the cast also includes Carla Del Poggio (Immortal Melodies), John Kitzmiller (Blood and Defiance), Peppino De Filippo (The Sign Of Venus), and Dante Maggio (For A Few Dollars More).
Video: How does it look?
Variety Lights is presented in a full frame transfer, which preserves the original aspect ratio of the film. This transfer has some problems, but for a movie made in 1950, it still looks pretty darn good on this disc. The main area of complaint is the source print, which shows heavy debris at times and while it never becomes too extreme, it is worth mentioning. Some scenes look pristine and show no problems at all, while others seem loaded with flecks. There is more good than bad though, so I will not knock this one too badly. The black & white image looks good overall, with a very nice contrast balance and a high level of detail at all times. I did see some edge enhancement, but nothing too serious.
Audio: How does it sound?
You’ll find the original Italian mono soundtrack and of course, optional English subtitles have been included for those of us who don’t speak that language. Aside from small flaws here and there, usually age related, this is a very good audio presentation. This film is fifty years old and as such, I didn’t expect a crisp and clean mix, but Criterion has delivered the goods on this one. The vocals sounded very sharp and the music though not as expansive as I would have liked, sounds great and shows no signs of serious distortion. This is about as good as a fifty year old audio track can sound, which is all we can ask for.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Aside from the usual color bars, no special features have been included on this disc.
