Review of Conversation Piece

Introduction

Burt Lancaster is best known for action films, exciting westerns or swashbuckling adventures. He was one of Hollywood`s earliest action heroes, long before the likes of Bruce Willis or Arnie, but later in his career he took a wider variety of roles, often challenging the establishment as in The Swimmer or playing against type, either that or adding gravitas to small independent films. He practically stole the movie in Field Of Dreams and was memorable in Local Hero. Conversation Piece (a.k.a. Gruppo Di Famiglia In Un Interno), an 18-rated film, is an Italian French co-production, in which he was the only American actor.

Burt Lancaster is a retired Professor living alone in an ornate Italian house. He has escaped from the world and devotes his time to the appreciation of art. However his world is shook up by the rude entry of an Italian matriarch, who through sheer force of will and bluster rents the apartment above from him, for the use of her lover, her daughter and her daughter`s boyfriend. The professor is initially repelled by the sheer vulgarity and decadence of the family, but gradually finds himself drawn voyeuristically to them, and even becoming involved in their affairs, leading to disastrous consequences.

Video

The picture is in a 2.35:1 ratio. The print is in quite good condition with hardly any sign of print damage and with lush vibrant colours throughout. The image is generally clear, but a little soft. However the transfer is lacking, with several artefacts cropping up from time to time and a significant fault at 1hr 18 min and 44 sec, where for 10 frames the picture breaks up into horrendous pixellation, with big green squares that made me think that I was watching digital terrestrial television. This problem may be confined to the review disc, but I doubt that the artefacts are.

Audio

Conversation Piece is audible in English DD 2.0 Stereo only. The sound is nothing special with some hiss, crackle and pops at times. Not unlike a certain breakfast cereal. This isn`t a major problem, but what is, is that most of the dialogue is looped. This is especially true for most of the European actors, and indeed it`s obvious that some are dubbed completely. In an action movie like a Fistful Of Dollars this isn`t a problem, but in a film that is more cerebral like Conversation Piece, where conversation and emotion are more fundamental, then the detached feel of the dialogue proves a barrier to the audience. What really surprises is that even though the actors have looped their dialogue, some of the accents remain incomprehensible, not helped by the lack of subtitles.

Features

There are no extras at all. The menu screens are anamorphic with a slideshow over the films score. The main menu`s selection graphic is incorrectly coded, but since there are only two options this doesn`t come as much of a problem. Contrary to the packaging, the film`s running time is a shade over 115 minutes.

Conclusion

Conversation Piece is an interesting film. It`s more of a cerebral piece and comes across as more of a stage play rather than a dynamic screenplay. The 18 rating is more for language than anything else, and the story itself is quite tame in this day and age. But I get ahead of myself. The film is an elegant study of old age. The Professor is facing his twilight years and has settled down to peaceful retirement but the arrival of a dynamic if decadent young family is enough to pique his naturally voyeuristic interest, and it`s as much on his part as it is on the family`s that he gets drawn into their sordid little world. He also sees something of a kindred spirit in Konrad, the Marchesa Brumonti`s kept lover, and begins to see himself as a father figure.

However the film has dated considerably and there was very little in it that I could relate to. The family`s shock value comes in their vulgarity and forthrightness, which contrasts the reserved professor, but foul language is hardly shocking to modern audiences and the scandalous and dysfunctional interpersonal relationships are tame indeed compared to any current soap opera. What really dates the film though is the conflict driving the relationships, it`s the age-old class struggle wrapped up in a thin veneer of Capitalism versus Marxism. Despite the fact that Capitalism won, audiences would still have been able to relate to that, but the divisions of aristocracy and gentry that fuel the fire between the Marchesa and Konrad just seem futile in a day where we have two royal families, one at Buckingham and one at Beckingham palace. We live in a day and age where most people recognise that the only dividing line in society is the one between the haves and the have-nots. And that consigns this film to history making it more of an intellectual curiosity.

That said, this film does boast an intelligent script and some thoughtful performances, once you can get past the woeful dubbing. The flashbacks don`t really add to the story but do serve as punctuation for the character of the Professor. At the heart of the film there is a wonderful comment on mortality that ties in perfectly with the start and the end of the movie. The film is a thoughtful way to spend a couple of hours, but the quality of the transfer and the presentation on this disc leaves much to be desired.