Customer Reviews

Sophia Loren 4-Film Collection (Neapolitan Carousel / Attila / Madame Sans-Gene / Sunflower)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The four films included in this attractively packaged set are rare indeed, so for this Sophia fan to finally own them, is a wonderful privilege. The film transfers to DVD are bright and clean, and I was impressed given the age of some of these foreign films. On that note,
The films are presented in their original language with English subtitles. For Sophia "aficionados", this set is a Godsend, given it gives us glimpses of Sophia's early beginnings as an actress in "Attila" and "Carosello Napoletano" (1954) (Italy), and then on to her middle period with the hilarious film- "Madam Sans-Gene" (1962) (France), with Sophia already displaying her huge comedic talents and SOPHIsticated acting technique. Then on to what may be the first film of her late period- "I Girasoli" ("Sunflower") (Italian) (1970), a classic pairing with Marcello Mastroianni and her best Director, Vittorio De Sica. This latter film shows Sophia at her best, it has intense dramatic moments and charming comedic moments, beautifully acted with depth and conviction by its principals. Let's face it, no one can laugh more joyously or cry more deeply than Sophia on screen. It also features a beautiful Oscar nominated score by Henry Mancini. Just a side note- Sophia won the Italian "David DiDonatello" award for "I Girasoli", considered to be equivalent to the Oscar in Italy. If this weren't enough, also included is a documentary on Sophia in which the four films and their star are elegantly presented, featuring interviews with her two sons and film scholars. It was great seeing her two sons, now adults, lovingly speaking about their talented and beautiful mother. All in all a very nice package for any film enthusiast and again for Sophia fans a treasured MUST. How about a Sophia II, III, and well, you get the picture...

All the other reviews seemed to have covered the bases with regard to the films, so I just wanted to add some technical details. First of all, beware: the package is not entirely accurate. It says you get Carosello Napoletano "16x9 Widescreen", Attila "4x3 Full", Madame Sans-Gêne "16x9 Widescreen" and Sunflower "16x9 Widescreen". This is correct except that Carosello Napoletano is presented in 4x3 Full.

Don't worry about that, because I've done some research, and apparently 4x3 Full is the original aspect ratio. I've seen at least one copy of Carosello Napoletano "Widescreen" floating around (as well as Attila, which is presented here in 4x3), but after comparing some screenshots pixel-by-pixel, it's apparent that the "Widescreen" copies are just stretched versions of the original 4x3 which we get in this collection.

In other words, I think these versions are the proper ones, and you get everything the way it was originally shown in theatres with no cropping, matting or distortion. I hope this info is useful because I spent an entire morning comparing screenshots!

I don't think these have been remastered, so don't expect to see crystal clear sharpness like you'd come to expect with some of the more famous films that have been re-released. These seem pretty raw, but they're still very pleasing to watch.

The first two, Carosello Napoletano and Attila, can hardly be called Sophia Loren films because her roles were somewhat minor. But it's nice to have them for historical reference, since these were among the earliest films of her career. Carosello Napoletano is a beautifully-shot film with plenty of colourful sets & costumes. Unfortunately the source material is so old that the digital transfer is not as pleasing to the eyes as it could be. There's a bit of graininess and flicker on my (old CRT) television. Perhaps if you have an HD tv you might have better results.

The third film, Madame Sans-Gêne, is thoroughly enjoyable and shows us Sophia at the peak of her game as a forceful, energetic presence who has an impeccable sense of comedic timing and expression. Again, there are lots of colourful costumes and sets, this time in glorious widescreen, and the picture quality is a big improvement. This is my fave of the lot.

The final film, Sunflower, is an artistic masterpiece which shows us a more subdued and somber Sophia. There are some stunning images of Russia, showing both the grandeur and desolation of the country, and it's possibly one of the rare films that gives us an honest glimpse of Russia behind the iron curtain in the late 60s. Most of it is very flattering, but there's a haunting image of a long line of people, and it makes you wonder if this was one of the infamous "toilet paper queues" we read about in the 70s. This is a powerful film in both vision and content. The music by Henry Mancini is a real treat.

The Bonus feature is nice, showing interviews with Sophia's 2 sons and a few other industry figures. Don't be fooled by the widescreen clips of Attila and Carosello Napoletano shown in the bonus feature; those are the stretched versions.

All films are in their original language, Italian (except Madame Sans-Gêne in French) in 2-ch stereo, and they all have optional English subtitles as well as Spanish in a few cases. There are no alternate audio tracks (such as Dolby 5.1 or commentaries). No special features except the bonus featurette mentioned above. The packaging is really nice, though. You get a sturdy, puffy vinyl sleeve that holds the 3 DVDs in a fold-out box.

Despite the raw presentation (by today's standards), I'm really happy I bought this set. I have to echo what another reviewer already said: these aren't Sophias most well-known films, but it's great to own these obscure treasures in addition to your Sophia library. Actually I don't have a Sophia library other than this set, but after seeing these, I'm going to start collecting right away.

I LIKE SUNFLOWER WHICH IS PART OF THE SOPHIA LOREN COLLECTION.
IT IS A WONDERFUL FILM AND THE MUSIC BY HENRY MANCINI OUT OF THIS WORLD.
WAS WONDERFUL SEEING THIS FILM HAVE WAITED A LONG TIME FOR THIS.

First of all i am a fan of two beautiful and sexy Italian film legends-the two beauties-GINA LOLLOBRIGIDA-and-SOPHIA LOREN-.
I have all the DVD released of Sophia Loren. This is a review about a 4-film dvd collection starring SOPHIA LOREN.All four films are good and all in colour.Film titles are as follows.
ATTILA,[ATTILA FLAGELLO DI DIO],1953,in cinemas 1954, and co-stars ANTHONY QUINN as Attila The Hun.Sophia Loren is Honoria.This was the first of three 1950s films that would co-star Loren and Quinn.
SUNFLOWER[I GIRASOLI],1969,in cinemas 1970,and co-stars-Italian actor-MARCELLO MASTROIANNI-they play newly-weds[Antonio and Giovanna]in war torn Italy and then go onto Russia.This film was Directed by famed Italian actor/director-VITTORIO DE SICA.
CAROSELLO NAPOLETANO[or NAPOLEAN CAROUSEL or NAPOLEAN FANTASY],1953,in cinemas 1954.Sophia Loren is Sisina,[and Sophia was aged 20 in September 1954]and in this film she makes a guest appearance with some of Italy's most popular tenor's.
MADAME SANS-GENE,1961,in cinemas 1962,also called-MADAME-made in France and set during Napoleon times.Sophia Loren is Catherine Huebscher,Julien Bertheau plays the Emperor Napoleon and Robert Hossein is Lefevre.
My favourite of these 4-films is MADAME SANS-GENE[MADAME]as Sophia is so sexy in her role in a laundress as Catherine Huebscher.This is the type of film i love to see Sophia in[just like her starring role in the 1972 film/dvd-MAN OF LA MANCHA- or as i call it-WOMAN OF LA MANCHA].
I also like-ATTILA[The Hun].Is the other great film in this collection.
Sophia Loren is just brilliant in MADAME SANS-GENE as she plays Catherine Huebscher,and she is such a carefree,outspoken,volatile,wench,and known in her lower-class Paris circle as Madame Sans-Gene[Free and Easy]and she certainly is that as she enjoys getting groped by men-here,there and everywhere.SOPHIA LOREN-is just so beautiful and so sexy in this film.Wonderful.
Regards,Mike

I had seen the film Sunflower when it first came out around 1970 and found it an honest portrayal of war time (Second World War) in Italy. Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni had the lead roles and fulfilled them brilliantly. When I learned that there was a collection of Sophia Loren film on video, I purchased it from Amazon.com.
I have viewed it twice, once with friends who were equally enchanted by the characters and the story.

I heartily recommend this collection and especially "Sunflower" to those who enjoy a very good story portrayed by two of Italy's finest actors.

Anna M. Seidler

This box set is really awsome, all of the 4 movies are really entertaining and even SUNFLOWER made me cry, those are MASTERPIECES... If you really like cinema, you need to watch this.

My personal favorite of these four movies is Sunflower, great shots of Russia and amazing music and story.

All four movies come with subtitles in english and spanish, and the video quality is the best i've seen out there for these movies.

Good moives. I have been looking for Sophia Loren's "Sunflower" in DVD verson for many years. The quality is good even though it is a old film.

Sorry, only one movie is in FRENCH, all the others in italian language, subtitels in english, but in the product description is wroten "French". A lot of money for 4 movies and only one to understanding.
Quality of DVD OK, why I give 3 stars anyway.

I like Sophie Loren, and with this movie package I want enjoy to much her performance.

I received the product quickly at the time promised. It was beautifully packaged and the quality of the movies are very nice. This was a gift for a friend and I was proud to present it to him.