'Il Sorpasso' Criterion Blu-ray Announced

The 1962 Italian comedy from filmmaker Dino Risi will speed to Blu-ray this spring.

In an early announcement to retailers, Criterion has revealed 'Il Sorpasso' will be available on Blu-ray on April 29.

The ultimate Italian road comedy, 'Il Sorpasso' stars the unlikely pair of Vittorio Gassman and Jean-Louis Trintignant as, respectively, a waggish, free-wheeling bachelor and the bookish law student he takes on a madcap trip from Rome to rural Southern Italy. An unpredictable journey that careers from slapstick to tragedy, this film, directed by Dino Risi, is a wildly entertaining commentary on the pleasures and consequences of the good life. A holy grail of commedia all’italiana, Il sorpasso is so fresh and exciting that one can easily see why it has long been adored in Italy.

The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack will feature a new 1080p 2k digital restoration, an uncompressed mono soundtrack, and supplements include: New interviews with screenwriter Ettore Scola and film scholar and professor Rémi Fournier Lanzoni; Interview from 2004 with director Dino Risi by film critic Jean A. Gili; Introduction by actor Jean-Louis Trintignant from a 1983 French television broadcast of the film; A Beautiful Vacation, a 2006 documentary on Risi featuring interviews with the director and his collaborators and friends; Excerpts from a 2012 documentary that returns to Castiglioncello, the location for the film's beach scenes, featuring rare on-set color footage; Trailer; and a booklet featuring essays by critics Phillip Lopate and Antonio Monda, as well as excerpts from Risi's writings, with an introduction by film critic Valerio Caprara.

Suggested list price for the Blu-ray is $39.95.

You can find the latest specs for 'Il Sorpasso' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under April 29.