From Arrow Academy comes Orchestra Rehearsal, Federico Fellini's final collaboration with Oscar-winning composer Nino Rota, out on Blu-ray from 12 February
Made in 1978 for Italian television, Orchestra Rehearsal, an allegorical pseudo-documentary, is possibly Fellini’s most satirical and overtly political film, which no less than Vincent Canby of The New York Times described as ‘gloriously funny’ and ‘of a piece with this brilliant director's very best work’.
The story is simple – a TV crew document an orchestra practising in an ancient church – and rest assured, everything starts to unravel. Hilarious and often hysterical, and abounding with its director’s trademark rich imagery and expressive style, Orchestra Rehearsal makes a notable addition to his impressive canon.
The film marks the last collaboration between Fellini and Oscar-winning composer Nino Rota, famed for his haunting score to 1973 The Godfather. Rota, who provided music for Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, Amarcord and Roma, among others, composed one of his most beautiful themes for the film’s extraordinary conclusion, which moves from surreal devastation to heart-rending beauty in sublime style.
This special edition features a stunning new 2K restoration of the film, rare poster and press materials, and an illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film. All in all, it’s music to the ears of Fellini aficionados.
SPECIAL FEATURES • Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements, produced by Arrow Films exclusively for this release • High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation • Original 1.0 mono sound • Optional English subtitles • Richard Dyer on Nino Rota and Orchestra Rehearsal: the film scholar talks about the great composer and his last collaboration with Fellini • Orchestrating Discord: a visual essay on the film by Fellini biographer John Baxter Gallery featuring rare poster and press material on the film from the Felliniana collection of Don Young • Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options • Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Adrian Martin
