Bologna Diary (1) - Heading for Mecca - Cinema Ritrovato's 2016 program - Alberti Dischi, Conspirator

Heading once again for Bologna's  Cinema Ritrovato  but first a stopover in Florence and a visit to Alberti Dischi in Borgo San Lorenzo.

This may not be the best DVD store still left in the world but it surely is one of the best. Hours can be spent here running through the stock of international cinema in the front room and Italian cinema in the back. A lot of effort goes into the Italian section with a huge selection of films gathered together under the directors' names plus sections gathering up the holdings of such stars as Toto and of Alberto Sordi.

Looking over the offering I always wonder whether there are more than one or two Italian distributors who don't trouble the rights holder before they put the film out. In the past copies put out by some are not always of the highest standard but still a copy is a copy until something better comes along.

One element worth noting is how small the Blu-ray selection is. This is not a matter of taste or judgement, the nearby Feltrinelli in Piazza Republicca had no Blu-ray titles in its far more modest offering. Clearly that format never struck a chord in Italy. Alberti's method to get you in is offered via 'specials' where you buy three to get one free which brings the cover price down by about 25%.

So, more visits yet but this one title, advertised as 'the other film made by Elizabeth and Robert', unseen by me, has got me intrigued. A viewing will have to wait until I return. One intriguing thing I'll look forward to checking on the copy is the information on the disc sleeve that copyright in the film is claimed by producer Arthur Hornblow and not by MGM.