The Lina Wertmuller Collection (1975)

A spectacular collection

One of my favorite "academic" college memories is watching and discussing Swept Away in Italian Cinema class. It exposed me to the brilliant work of Lina Wertmuller - in my opinion the most talented female director of all time. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to see a number of her other works: Ciao Professore, The Seduction of Mimi and Seven Beauties, but it was the opportunity to add Swept Away to my DVD collection (having previously owned it on laserdisc) and experience three lesser-known works from Wertmuller that convinced me to make this purchase...I am so happy I did. First of all, the package artwork and photography is magnificent. I've had it on my shelf for only two weeks and already had several people comment on it. I only wish I could get posters made of some of the on-set images used inside the booklet, which are fantastic (Giancarlo Giannini must have one of the most expressive faces of all time). As for the films, they all look magnificent. The picture and sound quality of the Swept Away DVD far surpasses my memories of the laserdisc edition, and the rich blues in Summer Night (which thematically turns the tables on Swept Away) lit up my television screen like nothing I have ever seen before. The two more recent films included in this collection - Nymph and Ferdinando and Carolina (a decadent, historical costume drama) - never came to theaters in the U.S., which is a shame because they are on par with some of Wertmuller's best. I must admit that I have yet to watch the sixth disc, an interview with Wertmuller, but am looking forward to the opportunity to hear this talented director speak for the first time. November 23, 2007

what a great collection

I long wanted a clean copy of Swept Away, a film I saw years ago, so when I received this boxed set as a gift, I was thrilled. It was more than what I asked for. I won't go into the films themselves, as plenty of people review them, but I will tell you that Swept Away is as stunning today as it was when I first saw it.

As for the set, receiving Seven Beauties was a super bonus. I was familiar with the film but had not seen it before. What a superb classic to have. The remainder of the titles were entirely new to me, and I have enjoyed watching them all.

I am unsure why one of the other reviews takes a shot at this collection not being 'ultimate'. It's not called 'ultimate'. What it is is a great gift at what I now see is a great price. November 6, 2007

My favorite Wertmuller films plus more...

If you haven't seen these very funny films that are all tales of class conflict and the humor of it, these are all a real treat. I've watched them translated, but they lose a lot of the animation that hearing the Italian version gives the words. March 10, 2007

Calling this set an 'Ultimate Collection' is pure hyperbole...

First off, of the 5 films, only TWO are 16:9 enhanced-c'mon FOX-er-KOCH-LORBER-it is nearly 2006-not 1998.
Second, they leave a gaping hole in this set-two of her more well-know films here in America are missing: LOVE AND ANARCHY and THE SEDUCTION OF MIMI.
If you are going to do a collection of LW films-then DO IT RIGHT!

What a half-assed attempt.

That being said-the remastered SWEPT AWAY is a much better looking transfer than the VHS rot transfered to disc before now.
SUMMER NIGHTS is also a very good transfer.
Even SEVEN BEAUTIES-which is 4:3 Letterbox has been remastered and looks pretty good.
Its just that it would have looked excellent had it been 16:9 enhanced.

The rest seem to be OK, though I recall one film had much dirt and other artifacts
throughout.
I probably should rate this set just 3 stars-but being such a fan of LW-I have upped it to 4.
Looks like FOX-LORBER can change their name, but not their lackluster way of doing things. September 11, 2005

Kiss the Master's Hand!!!

I must admit, i have only seen Swept Away... and Seven Beauties from this collection, but Wertmuller is the best Italian filmmaker i have experienced. I picked up this collection today and cannot wait to see the other films, tho why some of the films are in widescreen 4:3 and some are formatted for 16:9 is lazy. September 7, 2005

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