Fast Scans, July 2011

Carancho. color. 107 min. In Spanish w/English subtitles. Strand Releasing. 2010. UPC 712267301225. $27.99.
An ambulance-chasing personal-injury lawyer (Ricardo Darin, The Secret in Their Eyes), who is in over his head scamming victims out of their fair share of insurance settlements, finds a reason to change his life after falling for an appealing if strung-out doctor (Martina Gusman) in Pablo Trapero’s compelling drama about hope amid desperation. The Argentine entry for this year’s Academy Award concludes with a downbeat bit of irony likely to leave certain viewers emotionally unsatisfied even as others admire its cajones. [See Trailers, LJ 5/1/11.]

Pale Flower. b/w. 96+ min. In Japanese w/English subtitles. Criterion Collection. 1964. DVD ISBN 9781604654257. $29.95; Blu-ray ISBN 9781604654240. $39.95.
A yakuza member just released from prison for murdering a rival gangster meets a fetching female gambler with a yen for big stakes. Together, they play at illegal gaming parlors, forming a bond devoid of romance but not without a subtly erotic undercurrent fed by an attraction to risk. Director Masahiro Shinoda makes innovative use of dissonant sound and music to reflect the state of his troubled characters in this strikingly photographed work of the Japanese New Wave. A crime thriller for art-film aficionados.

Shoeshine. b/w. 91+ min. In Italian w/English subtitles. Entertainment One. 1946. DVD ISBN 9781417234516. $29.98.
In destitute postwar Italy, two boys (a preteen and a 15-year-old) who are close friends get lured into selling stolen goods when their earnings from shining shoes aren’t enough to buy a horse. So begins a downward spiral that ends tragically when the two are thrown into a brutal juvenile prison system that ultimately turns them against each other. The first foreign film to receive an Academy Award, Vittorio De Sica’s precursor to his landmark Bicycle Thieves boasts a digital polish befitting a crucial neorealist work. [See Trailers, LJ 4/1/11.]

Solaris. 2 discs. color. 167+ min. In Russian w/English subtitles. Criterion Collection. 1972. DVD ISBN 9781604654479. $29.95; Blu-ray 9781604653854. $39.95.
Based on the classic Stanislaw Lem sf novel about a sentient planet that creates copies of people from the memories of astronauts in an orbiting space station, Andrei Tarkovsky’s original adaptation is both more cerebral and less approachable than Steven Soderbergh’s underappreciated 2002 remake with George Clooney. With its challenging meditation on the nature of humanity, this version nonetheless remains definitive. Digitally restored for its hi-def reissue, the film is more suitable for cineastes than genre buffs.

Sophia Loren Award Collection. 4-disc boxed set. color. 326+ min. In Italian w/English subtitles. Lorber Films. 1963–70. DVD UPC 738329074524. $49.95.
Three diverse films from Vittorio De Sica (available separately on Blu-ray) featuring the screen icon with her male counterpart, Marcello Mastroianni, permit the versatile actress an opportunity to stretch from peasant woman ( Sunflower. Blu-ray UPC 738329074821. $29.95) to prostitute ( Marriage Italian Style. Blu-ray UPC 738329074722. $29.95) to a trio of juicy roles ( Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. 2-discs. Blu-ray UPC 738329074623. $39.95). The latter set includes the bio-doc Vittorio D. For legions of Loren fans.