From legendary director Mario Monicelli (Big Deal on Madonna Street) comes the award-winning Let’s Hope It’s a Girl (1986), a coruscating battle-of-the-sexes comedy that won seven David di Donatello Awards including Best Film. Elena (Liv Ullman), after divorcing her ineffectual husband Leonardo (Philippe Noiret), takes over the family farm in Tuscany. Along with her sister Claudia (Catherine Deneuve) and a supportive group of other female relatives and employees, she gets the farm up and running again. When Leonardo returns, hoping to mansplain the right way to run a business, he is soon outclassed by Elena’s matriarchy. Let’s Hope It’s a Girl demonstrated the possibility of a form of female bonding between women who live, by choice, in a world without men.

For thoughts on Let’s Hope It’s A Girl, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/nCFu9d_qi4Q?t=1241]

Video Quality

Let’s Hope It’s A Girl debuts on Blu-Ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 1.66:1 that does not seem to be noted as being from a new restoration, but looks really good throughout. While some very minor specks of print damage remain, they are nowhere near the intrusion that you see on other transfers of this age. It is clear that this print has either been preserved well or cleaned up immensely at some point.

This transfer reveals a lot of clarity and detail in the environments, clothing and production design. The close-ups hold up more favorably than any long shots, which can appear a bit soft in comparison. Black levels hold up well enough with some detail in shadows and only a minor amount of crush. Digital noise does not pop up as a substantial issue. Colors are saturated admirably in a way that makes locations stand out, and the color grade is pleasant and consistent. Skin tones are natural with subtle features easily noticeable in closeup. Raro Video has provided a top notch release for this one.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a firm DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track in the original Italian with optional English subtitles. The dialogue appears to be almost entirely post-looped with synchronization not seeming like an essential concern. The exchanges are straightforward in the center channel as they come through clearly without being overshadowed by competing sounds. The track maintains a formidable balance with all competing elements so that dialogue comes through clearly. The music emanates in an appealing manner throughout like another character in the film. Environmental sounds such as car noises or the murmuring of crowds of people are rendered well alongside everything else. There does not seem to be any major instances of age-related wear and tear, but you might clock some small deficiencies here and there. This audio presentation does not leave much to be desired.

Special Features

There are no special features provided on this disc.

Final Thoughts

Let’s Hope It’s A Girl is an inviting comedy that traffics a bit in absurdity without ever committing to full-blown farce. Even when moments might be a bit shocking or over the top, you are able to examine the narrative and understand why things are unfolding how they are and why you should care. The film does not go overboard on feminist themes, but in a lot of ways it succeeds in showing the complex dynamics between women and the need to band together even when men are trying to drive a wedge. The performances are really quite enjoyable all around, and the somewhat lengthy runtime does not feel as sluggish as some films of a similar length. Raro Video and Kino Classics have delivered a Blu-Ray with a pleasing A/V presentation but no supplemental features. This is a great discovery that should not be overlooked by modern audiences. Recommended

Let’s Hope It’s A Girl is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.

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

Disclaimer: Raro Video and Kino Lorber 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.