Based on Pier Paolo Pasolini’s second novel. A Violent Life (Una Vita Violenta) tells the story of a group of kids who live in one of the poorest and most disreputable neighborhoods in Rome. The story is set at the end of WWII. Thomas lives at the expense of others, like all his other companions, stealing and wasting time. But one day after a theft, Thomas gets arrested. When he comes out of prison he contracts tuberculosis, going through an inner struggle which changes his worldview. He begins to think about his future as a human being and vows to change his life. Hoping to become honest, Thomas gets engaged to the beautiful Irene and also decides to participate in political activity, joining the Communist Party. Then there is a sudden accident, and Thomas once again is faced with the most important challenge of his life.

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Video Quality

A Violent Life makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Raro Video with a 1080p transfer that is not listed as being from a new scan, but looks quite good all the same. There are occasional instances of faint nicks and scratches, but this source has been preserved quite well. The black-and-white photography shot by Armando Nannuzzi shines in high definition with natural grain intact and resolved well. You can easily spot a strong amount of detail present when it comes to textures on the clothing, the environments and within the production design. The new transfer shows off a solid amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. Black levels are fairly deep with no blatant occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is firmly defined, and the track only experiences fleeting instances of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. Raro Video has provided a fetching visual experience overall.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a perfectly natural DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in the original Italian that captures the intention of this movie well. A few fleeting instances present with a minor amount of age related wear and tear, but overall there is not a lot that will disappoint you. The score sounds robust, and it works in harmony with the dialogue and other important information. The environmental effects are delineated effectively from one another. Kino Classics has served up a formidable track. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Interview with Director Luciano Emmer: A six-minute archival interview with Emmer in which discusses his friendship with Pier Paolo Pasolini, his work with characters and more.

Interview with Film Historian Stefania Parigi: A nearly seven-minute discussion with Parigi in which she discusses where this fits in the career of Pasolini, the collaborative process of the script, the state of Italian cinema at the time and more.

Interview with Film Critic Umberto Rondi: An 11-minute conversation with the son of one of the writers who discusses how his fits into the output of the creative figures, his father’s relationship with Pasolini, the unique aspects of the narrative, his father’s work outside of this film and more.

Booklet

Final Thoughts

A Violent Life feels a bit emotionally hollow, but anyone familiar with the text of Pier Paolo Pasolini will recognize this as a familiar experience. There is nothing wrong with a character being despicable, but there usually needs to be something compelling enough to keep you thoroughly invested, something that this often fails to do. There are some fine directorial choices that make the film worthy of a watch, but dramatically the film does not come together in a satisfying manner. Raro Video and Kino Classics have delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a wonderful A/V presentation and a few brief interviews. This is recommended primarily for fans of the creative figures behind the camera.

A Violent Life is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Raro Video and Kino Classics have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.