Gomorrah [Criterion Collection] [2 Discs]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Adapted from Roberto Saviano's controversial non-fiction book, Matteo Garrone's crime drama Gomorrah examines how organized crime reaches deep into every facet of life in Naples, Italy by telling the tale of over a dozen different characters. Among the main protagonists is a pair of wannabe thugs who take their cue from movie gangsters, a grocery-delivery boy who must learn to kill, and a criminal mastermind who plots to make a fortune while dumping toxic waste near overpopulated communities. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1
• Encoding: NTSC
• Screen: Color, Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: English
• Features:
  • Disc 1:
  • Theatrical trailers
  • Disc 2:
  • Five stories, a 60-minute documentary on the making of Gomorrah
  • New video interviews with Garrone and actor Toni Servillo
  • Video interview with writer Roberto Saviano
  • Short video piece featuring Servilio and actors Gianfelice Imparato and Salvatore Cantalupo
  • Deleted scenes

AWARDS

• AFI Fest

•     Film Presented - 2008

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts

•     Nominated Best Foreign Language Film - 2008

• Broadcast Film Critics Association

•     Nominated Best Foreign Language Film - 2008

• Cannes Film Festival

•     In Competition - 2008

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Nominated Best Foreign Language Film - 2008

• Independent Spirit Awards

•     Nominated Best Foreign Film - 2008 (Matteo Garrone)

• Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2008

• London Film Critics Association

•     Nominated Best Foreign Language Film - 2008

• Melbourne International Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2008

• New York Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2008

• Palm Springs International Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2009

• Rotterdam International Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2009

• Toronto International Film Festival

•     Film Presented - 2008

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Salvatore Cantalupo - Pasquale
       Gianfelice Imparato - Don Ciro
       Maria Nazionale - Maria
       Toni Servillo - Franco
       Gigio Morra - Iavarone

• Director:

  Matteo Garrone

• Producer:

  Domenico Procacci

• Book Author:

  Roberto Saviano

• Screenwriter:

  Maurizio Braucci, Ugo Chiti, Gianni di Gregorio, Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso

• Cinematographer:

  Marco Onorato

• Composer (Music Score):

  Robert "3D" del Naja, Mathew Herbert

• Editor:

  Marco Spoletini

• Production Designer:

  Paolo Bonfini

REVIEW:

• Movies about powerful crime figures pose unique problems for socially responsible directors. After all, films about really bad men do run the risk of making murder, blackmail, and torture glamorous -- even when the director doesn't mean for them to be. But, Matteo Garrone avoids these pitfalls skillfully in his drama Gomorrah by tempering the excitement of thug life with a healthy, if scary, dose of social realism. Adapted from the Roberto Saviano book of the same name, the movie details how the Camorra, an organized crime network located primarily in Naples, controls the lives of so many citizens that, in some parts of Italy, they dictate social order more than the police. The movie uses five intertwining storylines to reveal the vast scope of the Camorra's power. For instance, there is a pair of twentysomething wannabe badasses who start out playacting scenes from Scarface, but end up in over their heads after stealing a stash of guns from a local mob boss. We also watch as a young delivery boy must help kill a woman who has been trying to escape the corrupt system put in place by the Camorra. In another segment, we learn how the men at the top of the criminal food chain make a fortune by disposing of toxic waste -- usually close to heavily populated areas where the people are too poor, or too scared, to fight back. Garrone presents all these various plot strands in a style that combines Scorsese-inspired kinetic action with John Sayles-esque humanity. From the opening scene -- a stylishly photographed mob hit in a tanning salon -- to a final crawl that reveals alarming real-life statistics about the Camorra, Gomorrah is a hard-hitting film that exhilarates and educates in equal measure. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

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