Offscreen Notes
Raro Video in North America
The Italian DVD label Raro Video has been ‘secretly’ providing fans of important (mainly) Italian cinema treasure after treasure for many years now, and is about to expand their horizon with the recent news of a partnership deal with Cult Epics to distribute their films in North America. To launch this initiative Raro Video is strategically releasing work from a more established filmmaker, Federico Fellini, which should no doubt sell itself, and a lesser known filmmaker, Fernando Di Leo. The Fellini film is the hard-to-find The Clowns (1970), while the Di Leo package involves a more ambitious 4-disc “The Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection.” Well informed fans of the Italian crime film, which were extremely popular during the 1970s, will be aware of the importance of this release. Three of the four films in this set are absolute gems, marked by riveting characters, visceral action, and melancholic atmosphere. These three, which comprise the “Milieu Trilogy,” are Caliber 9 (Milano Calibro 9), The Italian Connection (La Mala Ordina) and The Boss (Il Boss). The set’s final disc includes 1976’s Rulers of the City, which stars Jack Palance as a mob boss. There are good times ahead indeed, for fans of both popular Italian filone and art house classics. Future releases include: Antonioni’s The Vanguished (I Vinti), Pasolini’s The Anger (La Rabbia) and Carmelo Bene’s Our Lady of the Turks (Nostra signora dei Turchi).
