Restorations - David Hare previews a new edition of Luchino Visconti's SENSO (Italy, 1954)

Click on this link here  to look at the trailer for a new brand 4K restoration of Senso  from Studio Canal for a Film Forum season in NYC. 

The older HD which Criterion released as a Blu-ray several years ago is hideous, thin with no gamma, pushed, artificial looking color, but worst no depth or filmic quality. This has been a devil of a movie to get the deluxe treatment. I am hoping now, despite a few moments of Bologna Ritrovato style urine soaked whites in this, the rest of it looks very good.

This is one of he old Commie's best movies, his career effectively ending meaningfully for me with Vaghe Stelle dell'Orsa (Sandra) in 1965. 

It's also the movie with the loveliest real footage of the glorious La Fenice in Venezia, which burnt to the 
ground not long ago.

Screen cap from the Criterion Blu-ray, Senso