Product Details

• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Cerebellum Corp
• DVD Release Date: September 19, 2000
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1581983344
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #331,777 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Trust the Standard Deviants team to guide you into basic Italian gently, thoroughly, and with a generous splash of irreverence. This 90-minute tutorial runs through the Italian alphabet, including the all-important vowels; stress and cadence; the pesky consonants "c" and "g," which change pronunciation depending on what letters follow them; the accent mark; and lots of sample dialogue and common vocabulary. The Deviants tutors are as upbeat as any Italian speakers must be, and they pepper their nuts-and-bolts instructions with truly helpful tips on actually being understood ("When speaking Italian, remember: you'll move your lips more and the sound will be much brighter than when speaking English"). There are plenty of chances to practice your Italian "r's"--though you may find the distinction between the "single flipped" and "double rolled" to be a bit subtle on first exposure. The video also helpfully points out the occasions when the informal "ciao" is acceptable, and when the more formal "buon giorno" is preferable. As always, the Deviants structure the video with ample opportunity for review and note-taking. Before long, you'll be chatting up a storm. Bellissimo! --Anne Hurley

Product Description

The Standard Deviants' modern approach to learning and understanding makes difficult subjects accessible and even enjoyable. Recommended by over 500 educators and professors, the Standard Deviants DVD is the ultimate way to relax and learn. Our unique approach to education helps you learn in a way that is different from anything you've ever experienced. The Standard Deviants DVD combines award-winning educational content with cutting-edge technology. With enhanced flexibility and interactive tests and quizzes, the Standard Deviants DVD gives you immediate feedback while providing you with the ability to design your own program and learn at your own pace.

"Italian: The Basics" begins by building a rock-solid foundation of Italian pronunciation and the alphabet. Next, the program introduces the viewer to concepts such as formality, constructing numbers from one to one hundred, subject pronouns, adjectives, and Italian dialogues to reinforce Italian grammar. But the Standard Deviants don't stop there-they close the program with an exploration of Italian's two anchor verbs, essere and avere.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Back to work on this, kids ..., August 25, 2002

By 

tom - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Standard Deviants - Italian, The Basics (DVD)

It's simple and painless, but not perfection. In fact, as another reviewer noted, it often sounds as if no experienced Italian speaker was around for the final edit. The Deviants cast read the prompter well, but there are inconsistencies in pronunciation that might confuse a novice - and this really is beginner's level. I studied Italian with a native-speaking Italian tutor, and am a Spanish speaker, so I warn newbies that consistency is really important, and it's lacking here. With no expert was on hand to fix the mistakes, or catch simple nuances that are missing, you might learn a few things you have to unlearn later. Many of the company have no command of the language at all - it's funny to hear a guy say he speaks "only Italian" with a heavy American accent. To sum up, not a waste of time, but hardly a gem.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Major flaw, February 1, 2005

By 

P. Levine (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Standard Deviants - Italian, The Basics (DVD)

The instruction of pronunciation is wrong, especially with single vs double consonants. The instances that comes to my mind are r/rr and z/zz. With the r/rr, they pronounce "caro" and "carro" the same way, with the trilled sound. In reality "carro" has the trill whereas "caro" does not. The "r" in "caro" is pronounced more like the "dd" in the English word "ladder".

The other single/double consonants also taught incorrectly are "z/zz". A single "z" in Italian has a "d" sound in front of it, like in "ad zone". The "zz" is taught to sound the same as the single "z" when in reality it has a "ts" sounds like in "hits" or "ritz".

Even though I'm from an Italian-American family, I know minimal Italian but enough to know how letters are pronounced. Personally, I wouldn't waste my money with this DVD.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Too Much English. Not enough Italian, June 18, 2005

By 

Robert C. Johnson (Grand Junction, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Standard Deviants - Parla Italiano (Learning Italian - The Basics) (DVD)

This DVD is heavy on the English and short on the Italian. It spends way too much time on the word "ciao" and cute skits
(mostly in English) on its pronunciation. Meanwhile, it gives
you a very complicated set of rules (again primarily in English) for the pronunciation of vowels and consonant combinations which it whips through in blinding speed and are probably only appropriate for persons wishing to major in Italian as a career. Its very short on vocabulary building and you will learn only a very few words of Italian and Italian phrases. Its filled with fluff and skits which try to be cute (and usually fail) and are mostly in English. I really cannot recommend this DVD to anyone. You won't learn much Italian words and phrases from it.