Customer Reviews

Italians

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

 

 

This DVD goes beyond the everyday travel documentary which this is not. This film takes you into the spirit and the soul of the italian people. It's characters como alive and make you feel this wonderful country. It must seen but everyone who has been or going to Italy for the first time. This is a diferent look of Italy.

Personally speaking I have a deep love for this film and I have watched it many times. Perhaps the other person who offers a review here missed some of the essential elements of Italian culture and style that are permeated through this film. I think that this program offers more than a little insight to the country and the people there, their ways of life and phliosophy of living. I also believe that the the cinematography is stunning and that the DVD is a great value. Even if you remove the Ferrari sections (which do say a lot about the country for those who might get it), this is a great film and should be seen by all who love this great country.

I'm happy to pay $15 just to be able to view the Venice scenes over and over. I've never seen another film that comes close to the richness of the photography in "The Italians".

A beautiful production from Discovery Channel - it might seem like Ferrari picked up the tab, but is that a bad thing? Divided into segments on various aspects of the Italian "mystique", you first get a quick and colorful history of Ferrari, followed by excellent and thoughtful looks at fashion, a Sicilian fishing village with its traditions threatened by modern life, a reknowned photographer in Cortina, and a capsule look at Venice through the eyes of a local. Beautifully filmed overall, with some choice nuggets. I am anxious to show this to many friends who know and love Italy - I'm sure it will please both the sophisticated Italophile and the initiate.

I bought this dvd just to get a feel for Italy, since it had been a few years since my last visit there. I was very happy with this dvd. Its a very high quality done story with a GREAT section on Ferrari!!! I bought this dvd not even knowing it had a very cool backround on Ferrari and the making of the 550 Marranello(sp?). In fact, this is the single BEST video I have ever seen on Ferrari!!! If your a die hard car fan - you MUST see this dvd. The other stories on Italy and being Italian are done very well too!

In short I was really blown away by this well done video. You won't regret buy it. I am proud to say it sits in the top shelf of my dvd video collection.

Let me say, right off, that I loved it. I ESPECIALLY loved the Ferrari sections as in these sorts of programs the Italian contributions to automobiles are, at very best, underplayed...if not completely absent. (A commercial for Ferrari? Seriously? Like they don't have a waiting list of zillionaires waiting to drop $X00,000 on their latest model.)

The photography is excellent AND it goes beyond the same-old-same-old travelogue stuff or where to stay and what to eat and which places to see. (Which I also love, but there you have you choice of Rudy Maxa, Samantha Brown and even that goofball nerd Rick Steves if you absolutely had to.)

So why not 5 stars?

Because the DVD transfer, for reasons I cannot fathom, is in cheap letterboxing (something that went out with LASERDISCS!) instead of being a proper anamorphic release. So, when you're watching it on a widescreen TV you get black bars on the sides AND top AND bottom of the screen. I'm not holding my breath for a Blu-Ray release. But if it ever gets rebroadcast in (proper) HD, I'm DVRing it.

There is a really good reason why this dvd/video is out of print. it's really not very good. while it is well shot and does have beautiful scenes of Ferarri and the Italian Alps I was expecting more of the every day italian people. the best parts of this video was certainly the fishing village in Sicily but the rest shows very little of everyday italian life. most of this video is Ferarri and fashion models. A much better production and also by discovery is "Discovery Atlas: Italy revealed" which was produced in 2006. Actually the free dvd from Perillo tours shows more of italy and the italian people than this video does. finally I can't really figure out why some people are asking upwards of 60 dollars for this dvd. I finally bought mine for about six dollars and after watching it, even that was over priced.

And that's a problem because...?

I bought this expecting to see Italy and learn about Italian culture, but what I found was 20 minutes of ferrari commercial and the rest interesting, but too specific--about a few peoples' lives--fishermen, an underwater photographer, and a designer. I think I was expecting a more general view. It was like an IMAX movie at a museum that you watch once, like it, but never see it again. It was neat, but I definitely wouldn't buy it again.

This could have been so much better. Yes, the cover shot is gorgeous and yes, there is a bit of great scenery along the canals of Venice, but don't be mislead, this begins and ends as a Ferrari promotional. The best part for me was the story of the fishermen-the shots of them making the big catch is quite a site, but the rest of this dvd left much to be desired. Linda Hunt's narration is good.