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The Movie:
"Big Deal On Madonna Street" is an enjoyable little comedy caper, a genre that has certainly stood the test of time as there are still many new films that go over the same ground. The film revolves around small-time crook Peppe (Vittorio Gassman), who seems to have the plans to commit crime, but never the luck. While in the slammer, he finds out that Cosimo (Memmo Carotenuto) has a new crime planned - but like previous efforts - nothing is fool-proof, and the fact that the two and their followers are fools is proof that they're not likely going to be successful anytime soon.
The film is a delightful comedy as although it's not quite as light as the cover art might indicate, there's plenty of funny moments as the lead actors have terrific comedic timing, especially in one scene where the police come to check on what they're doing as they're trying to discuss their plans for the crime. Also not to be overlooked is the wonderful jazz score by Piero Umiliani. It's a very simple film and the reason it succeeds so much is simply because of the actors, who have a fine touch with comedy and create enjoyable characters.
The DVD
VIDEO: Although "Big Deal On Madonna Street" certainly looks acceptable considering its age, I must confess that I'm a bit spoiled after watching the company's magnificent restoration of the two years younger "L'Avventura", which also recieved a DVD release recently. I'm sure that there's a different situation with the materials available with the wide variety of films that Criterion produces for DVD release, though. "Big Deal" is presented black & white in its original 1.33:1 full_frame aspect ratio and is given a new digital transfer for this DVD edition.
Sharpness and detail are usually fair to good. Most of the bright exterior sequences looked sharp and well-defined, if some issues like grain and some light marks/scratches didn't occasionally get in the way. Even the occasionally murky interior scene didn't look too bad - certainly the picture had a couple of instances of softness, but never did it take this fault to the next level and become hazy or blurry.
Again, the main (and, actually, only) fault that I really noticed throughout "Big Deal" was due to age. The picture does display some wear on occasion - mainly just the previously mentioned slight mark and scratch every so often. Certain scenes, though, displayed further amounts of wear with multiple marks/small scratches appearing. On the bright side, I noticed no edge enhancement or other problems.
"Big Deal On Madonna" street receives good treatment from Criterion, but it's not going to rank among their best efforts.
SOUND: "Big Deal" is presented in Italian mono audio. The only element really beyond the dialogue is the jazzy score, which sounds (like the dialogue) rather thin and edgy. Although it certainly never came to the point where it became harsh or uncomfortable to listen to, the sound quality remained rather strained and sharp throughout.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with very basic images serving as backgrounds.
EXTRAS: The trailer.
Final Thoughts: "Big Deal On Madonna Street" is a charming, entertaining comedy with some great performances and hilarious scenes. It's unfortunate that the DVD falls under the catagory of one of Criterion's more basic releases, with only fairly good audio/video quality and next to nothing in the way of features. May be worth checking out as a rental for fans of comedy capers.
Film Grade
The Film ***
DVD Grades
Video 80/B- = (320/400 possible points)
Audio: 79/C+ = (316/400 possible points)
Extras: 70/C- = (210/300 possible points)
Menus: 70/C- = (140/200 possible points)
Value: 81/B = (243/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1229/1600
DVD GRADE:C/76%
FILM GRADE: ***
DVD GRADE: C
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