To Rome with Love Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray presentation of "To Rome with Love" offers an impressive high-definition visual experience from Sony. Woody Allen's film is renowned for its warm, reddish/golden tint, which accentuates the beauty and charm of Rome's cities. The transfer highlights a broad palette of colors, from the earthy tones of aged architecture to the occasional bursts of vibrant hues found in clothing and lush exterior scenes. The details in the scenery are meticulously rendered, capturing even the smallest aging textures of Roman buildings. Clothing lines and facial textures exhibit a striking clarity, further enhanced by a subtle layer of film grain that maintains the film's authentic appearance. Blacks are robust and flesh tones retain their natural look despite the film's color grading. There are no noticeable artifacts such as blocking or edge enhancement, ensuring a clean and enjoyable viewing experience.

The movie, shot on 35mm film, achieves a consistent sharpness and clarity throughout. While some indoor scenes and close-ups may appear slightly soft, the outdoor visuals truly shine, offering a radiant and crisp representation of Rome's splendor. The Blu-ray’s replication of Allen's theatrical vision is commendable, capturing the over-saturated warmth that characterizes his recent works. Although the inherent grain from the 35mm film is barely perceptible in most scenes, it never detracts from the overall image quality. This Blu-ray release effectively preserves the intended visual style of "To Rome with Love," providing an aesthetically pleasing and technically sound presentation that will satisfy both casual viewers and dedicated fans of Allen’s oeuvre.

"To Rome with Love" features a proficient DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that enhances the film with subtle yet effective sonic elements. The beginning of the film introduces light ambient sounds, such as the gentle hum of traffic weaving through the soundstage and the soft din of an airport scene. Throughout, the music remains airy and pleasant, perfectly complementing the film's vibe. In chapters ten and eleven, the track showcases its capacity for more substantial audio presence, with a notable thumping bass during a fashion show and vivid surround activity amidst booming thunder and steady rainfall. Clarity is impeccable across all scenes, ensuring that every musical nuance and ambient sound is well-defined and natural.

Dialogue remains the core focus of this DTS-HD Master Audio track, inherent to a Woody Allen film where conversational exchanges drive the narrative. Both English and Italian dialogues are delivered crisply through the center speaker without any complications. While the soundtrack lacks constant aggressive action, it excels in delivering clear, engaging audio suited to the film’s demeanor. The inclusion of an English Audio Descriptive Service ensures accessibility, further underlining the exemplary quality of this upper-end soundtrack.

The extras of the "To Rome with Love" Blu-ray offer a brief yet insightful look into the making and promotion of the film, though the content may leave some desiring more depth and breadth. The primary featurette, "Con Amore: A Passion for Rome," provides engaging commentary from the cast and crew on the beauty of Rome, Woody Allen's distinctive directing style, and the dynamic on set. Regrettably, Woody Allen's direct participation in this featurette is absent. The disc also includes the theatrical trailers, offering a nostalgic glimpse into the film's initial promotion.

Extras included in this disc:

• Con Amore: A Passion For Rome: Cast and crew discuss Rome’s significance and Woody Allen's direction.
• Theatrical Trailers: Original trailer for the film and a trailer for 'Midnight in Paris'.
• Previews: Additional titles from Sony.

In his follow-up to "Midnight in Paris," Woody Allen delivers another masterclass in multi-narrative storytelling with "To Rome With Love." Set against the picturesque backdrop of Rome, the film intricately weaves four distinct tales that encapsulate different facets of life and love. The plotlines are varied, featuring an American tourist (Alison Pill) who gets engaged to a Roman lawyer (Flavio Parenti), an average office worker (Roberto Benigni) who becomes an overnight celebrity, newlyweds navigating temptations and misunderstandings, and a young architect (Jesse Eisenberg) dealing with infatuation. Each storyline is meticulously crafted, ensuring the seamless transition from one narrative to another. Allen’s ability to juggle multiple storylines without them feeling cluttered or disjointed is commendable. The whimsical nature of the film, coupled with Allen’s characteristic humor and light absurdity, ensures a delightful viewing experience.

The ensemble cast further elevates the film, breathing authenticity and charm into their respective roles. Jesse Eisenberg and Alec Baldwin's pairing is particularly engaging; Eisenberg’s awkward naivety perfectly complements Baldwin’s role as a conscience and mentor. Penélope Cruz stands out with her portrayal of a seductive escort, adding a layer of complexity to Alessandro Tiberi’s character's predicament. Roberto Benigni delivers an outstanding performance as well, hilariously portraying the absurdity of sudden fame. Woody Allen’s own role, along with Judy Davis, provides some of the film’s most humorous moments. The dialogue, infused with Allen’s signature wit, along with the scenic depiction of Rome, makes "To Rome With Love" a charming cinematic treat.

Despite its fragmented narrative structure, the film avoids becoming disjointed. Instead, each story segment is complete and satisfying in its own right, thanks in large part to Allen’s superior scriptwriting and direction. While it may not match the enchantment of "Midnight in Paris," "To Rome With Love" succeeds as a whimsical ode to Rome, showcasing Allen's continued prowess in creating light-hearted, engaging films that leave audiences smiling.

"To Rome with Love" showcases Woody Allen's deft touch in intertwining multiple narratives against the rich, historical backdrop of Rome. The Blu-ray presentation is nothing short of magnificent, with pristine video quality capturing Rome's iconic visuals in stunning detail and sharpness. Audio is equally impressive, delivering both dialogue and musical score with clarity and depth. While the film itself may not rank among Allen's absolute best works, it successfully encapsulates his unique storytelling style, filled with quirky yet relatable characters, humor, and charm.

The film benefits immensely from its stellar ensemble cast, including Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, and Ellen Page, who bring vibrancy and depth to their roles. The collaborative effort between Allen and this talented group of actors creates an engaging mosaic of stories that amusingly intersect and diverge. Discerning viewers will appreciate the meticulous attention to detail in set design, costuming, and the genuine affection for Rome that permeates the film.

Technically, Sony’s Blu-ray release does justice to the cinematic quality of "To Rome with Love". The beautifully rendered visuals highlight Rome’s charm and the audio mix is excellent, making use of the film’s lively soundtrack without overwhelming the dialogue. While the included extras are limited – just a single worthwhile feature – they provide some additional context to Allen's creative process.

At its most basic, "To Rome with Love" represents the joyous power of simple storytelling shaped by interesting and everyday but slightly off-kilter characters. The film works because it shows the quirky side of life through the eyes of a divergent collection of individuals set against one of the most alluring backdrops in the world. Add the unmistakable Woody Allen charm and the workings of a terrific ensemble cast, and it's easy to see why Allen remains not only popular but an icon both on the camera and off of it even so many years removed from his biggest cinema successes. "To Rome with Love" shows that there's quite a bit of magic left in the tank; here's hoping for many more new Woody Allen films in the years to come. Sony's Blu-ray release of "To Rome with Love" features sparkling video and audio. Only one extra of real value is included, but don't hold out for a special edition; this is pretty much as good as it gets for an Allen home video release. Very highly recommended.

As Woody Allen films go, "To Rome With Love" falls somewhere in the middle of the pack. It's far from his most moving or side-splitting work, but there's a pleasantry about it that draws you into the film and makes for an enjoyable viewing. Unless you're a die-hard Woody fan, this is a picture you will probably just want to rent rather than add to your permanent collection. It's worth a viewing… but once should be enough for most.