Caterina In The Big City (2005/Empire Picture/First Run Features)
Picture:
C Sound: C Extras: C- Film: B-
Instead
of another film about a young girl that is melodramatic and unrealistic, Paolo
Virzi’s Caterina In The Big City
(2005) is a surprisingly smart film (written by Francesco Bruni & Virzi)
about the title character (Alice Teghil) having to move from the spacious
seaside nature of her home to an apartment in Rome where she meets all kinds of
keyed up people, including students at her new school who are obsessed with
class division and politics.
More
consistent than not, she has to deal with being either rejected or ignored, but
also her dysfunctional family and a father (Sergio Castellitto) who himself is
a controversial writer, intellectual and is radical in ways that are not
helping her life at all. Ironically, she
tries to meet people with interests of her own age, and they tend to be lite
clones of him.
The film
has problems and issues with its conclusion, but even with a stupid Robert
Benigni appearance (to make this more commercially viable?) is better than most
such films being turned out by Hollywood now, especially with young female
leads. Hannah Montana this is not. It is therefore worth a look.
The
anamorphically enhanced 2.35 X 1 image was shot in Super 35mm film and is too
soft in this presentation, maybe with a PAL-to-NTSC conversion issue. The Dolby Digital 2.0 is barely stereo and
further points to this master being down a few generations. Extras are almost nonexistent, but include
stills of the film, its trailer, text on the director, awards text, director
filmography and six previews for other Empire DVD releases.
- Nicholas Sheffo
