Gruppo di famiglia in un interno / Conversation Piece (1974) DVD9 and Blu-Ray Eureka! – Masters of Cinema, download for free

Sep10

Gruppo di famiglia in un interno / Conversation Piece (1974) DVD9 and Blu-Ray Eureka! – Masters of Cinema

by movieworld on September 10th, 2016 at 15:59

Posted In: .Other movies, Drama, Romance

A refined, self-absorbed, intellectual, retired and withdrawn American history professor (Burt Lancaster), who remains unnamed, lives surrounded by books and paintings and memories of living a more full life in a palatial apartment he inherited from his Italian mom and is obsessed with collecting 18th-century British paintings of family life in domestic settings that are called in the art world a 'conversation piece'. The professor's quiet life is challenged when he is roped into renting his top floor flat for a year to a vulgar, aggressive and wealthy noblewoman, Marchesa Bianca Brumonti (Silvana Mangano), who brings along her lively pot-smoking teenage daughter Lietta (Claudia Marsani), the daughter's wealthy boyfriend Stefano (Stefano Patrizi) and mom's angry young bi-sexual kept man, the former student revolutionist, Konrad (Helmut Berger).

The intruders involve the loner professor in their many spats, annoy him by frequently using his phone, break his tranquil mood by playing loud rock music and in hosting a loud sex orgy, and illegally tearing down the walls in the apartment. The professor, it's sad to say, puts up with their crudeness, rudeness and noise and even lets his hair down to their vulgarities because he realizes this is the only family he has. Also, the professor's latent erotic homosexual desires are aroused when he pines after Konrad and begins to face his own approaching death.

Director: Luchino Visconti
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Helmut Berger, Silvana Mangano
Country: Italy, France
Genre: Drama, Romance

Extras:

• Allessandro Bencivenni - this archival video interview with critic and screenwriter Allessandro Bencivenni was also included on Raro Video's U.S. release of Conversation Piece. Allessandro Bencivenni discusses the production history of the film and its placement in Luchino Visconti's body of work, as well as some key themes from the film. In Italian, with imposed English subtitles. (10 min).

• Luchino Visconti: The Quest for the Impossible - this really good documentary was also included on Gaumont's Blu-ray release of Conversation Piece. Included in it are interviews with scenarist Enrico Medioli, Cterina D'Amico, daughter of scenarist Suso Cecchi D'Amico, script supervisor Renata Franceschi, actors Helmut Berger (Konrad) and Stefano Patrizi (Stefano), and producer Jean-Claude Missiaen, amongst others. The documentary was produced by new documentary film produced by Dominique Maillet for Gaumont. In Italian and French, with optional English subtitles. (57 min).

• Trailer - original Italian trailer for Conversation Piece. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

DVD9 | NTSC 16:9 | 02:01:21 | 7.29 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English, Italiano
Subtitles: English