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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Certain Children (Certi Bambini) (2002)

Certain Children (Certi Bambini) (2002)

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Released 15-Nov-2005

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Drama None
Rating Rated MA
Year Of Production 2002
Running Time 91:17
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Ads Then Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Andrea Frazzi
Antonio Frazzi
Studio
Distributor

Twentieth Century Fox
Starring Gianluca Di Gennaro
Carmine Recano
Arturo Paglia
Sergio Solli
Rolando Ravello
Case ?
RPI ? Music Almamegretta


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles None Smoking Yes, including children
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    This film is the last of eleven films in the Italian Film Festival 2004 box set. The films are very different and the only real link between them is that they were all made in Italy in the last couple of years. This one shares the sixth disc of the collection with The Consequence of Love.

    Certain Children is a very difficult film to enjoy. It is a gritty drama about the life of neglected children on the streets of Italy. Interestingly, although Certain Children is the literal title translation, the subtitles actually translate it as Stolen Childhood, which is a better title to my mind. It tells the story of a young boy of 11, Rosario, and his friends. Rosario has been left as the only person to care for his elderly and very dotty grandmother. He survives on the streets by stealing for a pervert named Casaluche, who also takes sexual advantage of the children who steal for him. The film follows him as he embarks on a train journey to an unknown destination. As he travels on the train he remembers specific situations in his troubled young life such as robberies which went wrong, getting on the wrong side of the law and the local mafia and other such unpleasantness. His only pleasant memory seems to be his time spent with Caterina, a 20 year old girl who lives in a group home for wayward girls.

    As you might expect this film is somewhat depressing and has a rather confronting conclusion at the end of Rosario's train journey. Technically, the film includes some excellent cinematography and quality acting however, for me, the subject matter makes it a very difficult film to recommend.

    If you like gritty and depressing dramas about neglected children, this one is certainly powerful and confronting.

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Transfer Quality

Video

    The video quality is very good and the best on this set.

    The feature is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio 16x9 enhanced which is the original aspect ratio.

    The picture was very sharp and clear, with no evidence of low level noise. Shadow detail was also very good.

    The colour was excellent throughout.

    There were no obvious artefacts.

    There are burned-in subtitles in English which are clear and easy to read. Other than being burned in there are no issues with the subtitles.

    

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The audio quality is quite good.

    This DVD contains an Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 surround soundtrack encoded at 224 Kb/s.

    Dialogue seemed clear and there was no problem with audio sync that my very limited knowledge of Italian allowed me to detect.

    The surround speakers added quite a bit of atmosphere, but the subwoofer was not used.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

    None.

Menu

    The menu allows only for the selection of which movie to play.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    I cannot find any evidence of this film having been released in any other region.

Summary

    A depressing story about neglected children trying to survive in Italy.

    The video quality is very good and the best in this box set.

    The audio quality is quite good.

    No extras.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Daniel Bruce (Do you need a bio break?)
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Review Equipment
DVDPioneer DV667A DVD-V DVD-A SACD, using Component output
DisplaySony FD Trinitron Wega KV-AR34M36 80cm. Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 576i (PAL)/480i (NTSC).
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials.
AmplificationPioneer VSX-511
SpeakersBose 201 Direct Reflecting (Front), Phillips SB680V (Surround), Phillips MX731 (Center), Yamaha YST SW90 (Sub)

Other Reviews NONE