“Viva l’Italia is a documentary made after the event, trying to figure out what happened. I tried to place myself in front of the events of a century ago, the way a documentarist would have done who had the good fortune to follow Garibaldi’s campaign with his camera.” Roberto Rossellini
To celebrate the centenary of Italy, the Italian government commissioned Rossellini to make a biopic of Giuseppe Garibaldi, one that would follow his exploits with ‘the Thousand’ and their role in the country’s unification. Rossellini approached the film as he had Francesco, giullare di Dio, presenting the main character in neo-realist mode, as though making a documentary.
Restored by Arrow Films from the original negative, this disc marks the first UK home video release of Viva l’Italia in any format, allowing English-speaking audience to discover another Rossellini classic.
SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAY CONTENTS
• Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative
• High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
• Original Italian mono soundtracks with optional English subtitles
• Garibaldi, an alternate shorter cut of the film originally prepared for the US market
• Brand-new interview with Roberto Rossellini’s assistant on the film, Ruggero Deodato, recorded exclusively for this release
• “I Am Garibaldi”, a brand-new visual essay by Tag Gallagher, author of The Adventures of Roberto Rossellini: His Life and Films
• Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing on the film by filmmaker and critic Michael Pattison
SPECIAL EDITION DVD CONTENTS
• Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative
• Standard definition presentation
• Original Italian mono soundtracks with optional English subtitles
• Garibaldi, an alternate shorter cut of the film originally prepared for the US market
• Brand-new interview with Roberto Rossellini’s assistant on the film, Ruggero Deodato, recorded exclusively for this release
• “I Am Garibaldi”, a brand-new visual essay by Tag Gallagher, author of The Adventures of Roberto Rossellini: His Life and Films
• Reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Sean Phillips
