I Vinti

Famed Italian auteur Michelangelo Antonioni's second feature film serves up a triptych of tales of alienated youth in the 1950s—the “burnt-out generation,” according to a prologue. While the opening narration makes 1953's I Vinti sound more like an American “youth gone wild” exploitation movie than an exploration of alienation and ennui, the actual stories—inspired by true events—are more thoughtful. In Paris, a callous group of teenagers, including the manipulative Simone (Etchika Choureau), lure an acquaintance to a picnic to rob and kill him. In Rome, college student Claudio (Franco Interlenghi) moonlights with a gang of petty smugglers and fatally shoots a customs officer in a panic. In London, Aubrey (Peter Reynolds), an arrogant narcissist, tries to sell information about a murder to the press, and then confesses to a reporter, convinced that he could never be convicted of “the perfect crime.” Antonioni was ultimately forced to make numerous changes for the finished I Vinti, including completely rewriting the Italian segment, but even in compromised form it shows the director's early promise (the film's troubled history and the changes Antonioni made under pressure from producers, censors, and government authorities are chronicled in an accompanying booklet). The American DVD debut includes the original, uncut version of the Italian sequence, as well as Tenato Suicidio (Antonioni's contribution to the 1953 anthology Love in the City), and interviews with writer Turi Vasile and Interlenghi. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)[Blu-ray Review—July 15, 2014—Raro, 112 min., in Italian, French & English w/English subtitles, not rated, $34.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1953's I Vinti features a decent transfer and a linear PCM mono soundtrack. Extras include a 1953 episode of Love in the City (30 min.), director Michelangelo Antonioni's short film “Tentato Suicidio” (23 min.), interviews with producer Turi Vasile (13 min.) and star Franco Interlenghi (10 min.), and a booklet featuring critical analysis. Bottom line: this early Antonioni film makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]