Bruno Bozzetto's: Allegro Non Troppo (1977)

Absolute genius!

This disc doesn't merely have the titular movie- which is in itself a work of genius, especially the Bolero animation and the heartbreaking Valse Trieste- but also ten of Bozzetto's most famous and creative animated shorts, including (top of the list, yet) his incredibly funny depiction of the conception and carrying to term of a child.

There's not a clunker in the lot, and indeed a true lover of animation will only be left hungry for more of Bozzetto's work. Those who complain of rough animation or overly brilliant and clashing colors have either missed the point or, and this is more likely, have not watched Heavy Metal, a near contemporary film, recently.
August 21, 2008

Classic well scripted comedy

Loved this DVD. Classic Italian comedy. I don't speak a word but it is well subtitled and, although entirely predicable at times, is very funny. The animations and music choices are truly beautiful. The Bolero act is wonderful on its own. August 6, 2008

Anyone know where to get a fresh vinyl copy of the soundtrack?

I have a pretty worn copy of the Deutsche Grammophon 1977 from Polydor
Intl GmbH (vinyl, of course)....did they ever release it on CD?
Is a fresh copy on vinyl out of the question? June 8, 2008

Made an indelible luminous imprint on my mind

I saw this film for the first time today and suspect I will be purchasing it very soon.

It's a play within a play--both the making of the film featuring a sadistic conductor, meglomaniacal director, and put upon artist and the film itself. The interspersion of making which was Italian slapstick in black and white with "Fantasia"-like animation set to the classics was brilliant. All five of us watching were laughing, crying, shouting out comments, throughout the whole film.

Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun--Debussy shows us an aging satyr whose appearance reminded us of Sigmund Freud. He dreams of capturing a faun are almost over. He tries all the usual tricks: combover, facelift, etc. WIth a little help from avian friends, he's transformed into a redhaired Reynard the Fox looking character.

Bolero--Ravel begins with astronauts dropping an old fashioned Coke bottle onto an alien planet and seeing life evolve from the last bit of ooze from the soft drink.

Valse Triste--Jean Sibelius opens with a tabby cat crawling from beneath the wreckage of a home and recalling brighter days. Out of all the animated characters in this film, this vignette brought startled tears to my eyes.

This is one film I absolutely cannot do justice to reviewing. I'm definitely going to own a copy and I will be watching many of the segments over and over. December 29, 2007

Even better in DVD

This has been one of my favorites since the 1970's, and I've had a VHS copy for a while. The VHS was dubbed in English, while the DVD release is in the original Italian with (optional) English subtitles. I believe I prefer the DVD from that standpoint, and the video is noticeably sharper and has better contrast.

Others have covered the content, but I still have trouble viewing the poor little cat in the Sibelius "Valse Triste" segment. Translates as "Sad Waltz", and it is.

I would have preferred a widescreen version, but the original was only 1.66:1 (5:3), so it's not a large difference. December 23, 2007

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