Sunday, March 20, 2011

Don Camillo Box Set

I was wrong to buy the region 1 Don Camillo box set from Koch Lorber, because later I found out that in France there were a box set contained 6 movies. I didn't know that the French box set actually had English subtitles. I put it in my wish list, but as I was saving money, it was sold out. Fortunately, another one was coming out, but this one only contained 5 movies. It was okay as I learned that the 6th movie didn't star Fernandel as Don Camillo.


So I end up with this box set from Studio Canal. Another difference from Koch Lorber box set, is that in the first 3 movies: Le petit monde de Don Camillo, Le retour de Don Camillo, and La grande bagarre de Don Camillo; English subtitles only come with the French audio version. The Italian audio version comes with French subtitles.

I love Don Camillo movies (and books). As I have written when I wrote about the first 2 movies, this Catholic priest and the Communist mayor both have good and bad side in them. They dislike each other, but cannot leave without each other; like in the end of La Grande Bagarre de Don Camillo when Peppone wins the deputy election and is ready to leave the little town. Don Camillo is more sad than happy to see his enemy going away.

I see many recent movies with many dialogues yet they are empty. The writers have worked hard to please producers, to get the scripts bought and made into movies; but for me the words are meaningless, like they are fabricated and false. It's different with Don Camillo's movies. I read how people say the sequels of Don Camillo movies are not as good as the first, but when I watched the 3rd (La grande bagarre de Don Camillo) I really enjoyed it. I am not sure if it's because in the credits it says that the writer of Don Camillo books Giovanni Guareschi himself wrote the script. [I jumped immediately for the 3rd as I had watched the 1st and 2nd from Koch Lorber.]

If I have a less preference among the 5 movies, it's Don Camillo en Russie, which I think doesn't have many plots as the other 4.

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