Plot: What’s it about?
Arrow Video is one of my very favorite film distributors. I always extol the virtues of Arrow Video’s releases, and recently the label has drawn enough attention in the United States (they are British-based originally,) that they are beginning to bring over their Arrow Films line. For film lovers, this is excellent news. For their first big title that they brought to the States they chose a fan favorite, Cinema Paradiso. Now they have released a few more films from this line including the Elio Petri crime drama L’Assassino. This was Petra’s first film in what would be a Lon Gand varied career that including one of the finest Italian crime films Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion.
The plot of the film revolves around Alfredo Martelli (played by everybody’s favorite Italian actor Marcelo Mastroianni,) an antique dealer whose dealings are not quite on the level whether they are with customers or love interests. He is awoken one morning to find policemen have come to arrest him. For some time he is interrogated without knowing why he has been arrested. Then he comes to find out that one of his love interests, a wealthy older woman named Adalgisa De Matteis (a fantastic Michelin Presle) has been murdered the night before. Alfredo has a lot of skeletons in his closet that are slowly revealed throughout the film, as Alfredo is continuously interrogated. These flashbacks form the basis of making the film an enjoyable character study.
L’Assassino is a nicely made little drama and police procedural. Marcello Mastroianni was great in the film which should come as no surprise to any fan of Italian cinema (he had filmed La Dolce Vita that same year.) Michelin Presle was absolutely dynamite in the film expressing so much with the things that she doesn’t say and letting her facial expressions give away everything. The writing is solid by Tonino Guerro and Petri. Petri’s direction is very controlled and pleasing. The jazzy score by Piero Piccioni sounds great to my ears – reminiscent of a slower paced version of the Pink Panther theme. The only bad thing about the film is that it occasionally feels like it drags just a little bit, but by halfway through the film the pacing issues have resolved themselves for a solid finish. I am glad that Arrow Films have made their way to the US, and this film would have fit right in with some of Criterion’s releases.
Video: How’s it look?
Arrow Films benefitted from a new restoration from the Cineteca de Bologna. They obviously put a lot of care into this MPEG 4 AVC codec of a new 2K restoration from the original film elements. Clarity is very good although some scenes at the beginning of the film look a little more duped than other scenes. This was unavoidable due to the first and last roll of the film no longer existing. Detail for the most part is very-pleasing and natural. There is grain evident, but it all seemed to be in place to not lose detail. This is a very solid job by Arrow Films and I look forward to seeing what they restore next!
Audio: How’s it sound?
The LPCM Mono track does not have any immersion whatsoever, but holds true to the source elements with a very clear track. The score by Piero Piccioni is solid and sets a great mood for the tense film. Clarity of dialogue is top-notch and I did not detect any noticeable hiss. While this track may not win any awards for immersion, it does a good job of replicating what the filmmakers had accomplished.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Introduction by Pasquale Iannone – An enjoyable but short piece on the director Elio Petri.
- Tonino Guerra: A Poet In Movies – This is a good piece on the writer who wrote such classic films as La Notte, L’Avventura, Identification of a Woman, Amarcord, Blow-Up and many more discusses his illustrious career. If you want to see an impressive IMDB page, check his out!
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
L’Assassino is a great release from Arrow Films. It has Marcello Mastroianni at the height of his powers as directed by Elio Petri with a script co-written with Tonino Guerra. If those credentials do nothing for you, check the film out and see if you like it. It’s an interesting crime drama and character study. The transfer is pretty good with only minor issues. The supplemental features are enjoyable as well. Another great release from Arrow!
