SUNFLOWER (1970, Blu-ray released May 17, 2011 – MSRP $39.95)

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Kino recently released on Blu-ray a trio of classic collaborations between actors Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren and director Vittorio De Sica (Bicycle Thieves, Umberto D.) Sunflower is a far different film from the other two in the collection but remarkable nonetheless, and a worthy addition to any home video library.

“An Oscar nominee for Best Score (Henry Mancini), Sunflower is a grandly emotional melodrama featuring a stunning performance from Sophia Loren. In another of the actress’s great collaborations with director Vittorio De Sica (The Bicycle Thief), Loren plays Giovanna, a steel-willed Italian woman on a desperate search to find her husband Antonio (Marcello Mastroianni), who has gone missing on the WWII battlefields of Russia. Making the grueling overland journey years after the end of the war, she tracks Antonio down and finds him a changed man. This heart-wrenching reunion will forever alter the course of their lives. Full of stunning images and powerful acting, Sunflower is a devastating romantic epic you won’t soon forget.“

Sunflower has the distinction of being the first Italian feature film shot in Moscow, and one of the first international movies to be made in the U.S.S.R. Out of the gate, that fact lends the film a weight its predecessors lack, standing it apart from De Sica’s later-period comedies. Sunflower is more of a melodrama, but tasks its leads to cover similar ground to their previous pairings. The film opens on a young, sexy Loren and Mastroianni at their comedic best but quickly alters tone, becoming darker and more emotionally intense as both characters age and are drawn apart. It’s not as fun to watch as the other two films in the trio of discs just released by Kino and not quite as classic as De Sica’s earlier neo-realist films but you’ll no doubt find yourself a little choked up if you stick with Sunflower until the end.

Much like the other two De Sica films just released on Blu-ray, the high-def presentation of Sunflower suffers from the state of its source materials and could really use a full-on restoration. With that in mind, Kino, once again, delivers an honest, quite beautiful and film-like transfer, with plenty of detail and a nice sheen of film grain throughout. Once you look past the flaws in the print, this beautiful film is a pleasure to watch. The mono Dolby TrueHD track fares a bit better, with Henry Mancini’s memorable score sounding tight and harsh early on but opening up, given more room to breathe as the film progresses. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout.

Sadly, there isn’t much to speak of in the way of special features here. It would’ve been great to have some historical perspective given to the production in the way of a commentary track or even a short “making-of” featurette or interview. But we’re only left with a stills gallery and some trailers.

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