Product Description

The ultimate DVD collection by renowned director Lina Wertmüller. Includes Swept Away, Seven Beauties, Ferdinando and Carolina, The Nymph and Summer Nights along with a bonus disc of extras and a 16 page collector’s booklet.

Swept Away

Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Mediterranean, Swept Away is Lina Wertmüller’s most famous and controversial film about sex, love and politics.

"…an absorbing movie…a pleasure…" – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Seven Beauties

Nominated for 4 Academy Awards, Seven Beauties follows the story of a petty thief who lived off the profits of his seven sisters while claiming to protect their honor at any cost.

"intriguing…absorbing and mysterious" – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Ferdinando and Carolina

A rollicking, orgiastic celebration of the senses ensues when young King Ferdinando marries Carolina, the daughter of the Empress of Austria.

The Nymph

A young woman is subjected to repeated abuse and is unable to escape the confines of her small village and the people there. Everything changes when she meets an injured soldier.

Summer Nights

A self-made tycoon interested in ecological preservation hires a former CIA agent to abduct the number one violator and demands $100 million for his return.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35356 in DVD
• Brand: Koch International
• Released on: 2005-09-06
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Content/Copy-Protected CD, Dolby, DVD, Enhanced, Letterboxed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: German, Italian
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 6
• Running time: 643 minutes

Amazon.com
The first woman ever nominated for the Oscar® for Best Direction gets her own DVD collection, a grab bag of five titles plus a long interview. The Oscar nod came at the end of a crowded run of provocative movies in the first half of the 1970s, during which time Lina Wertmuller became an obligatory name to drop at cocktail parties. The DVD set is anchored by two of those 1970s must-sees. Swept Away, which became one of the art-house hits of its era (lots of intellectual-political stuff, but lots of skin, too) strands prattling socialite Mariangela Melato and insolent deckhand Giancarlo Giannini on a desert island together after her yachting party goes awry. The power games between the two, and the endless socio-economic justifications for same, are fun to watch, and the beauty of the actors isn't bad, either. (Sweep away thoughts of the Madonna remake.) The DVD set uses the shortened U.S. release title for this film: it's really Swept Away by an Unusual Destiny on the Blue Sea of August.

Seven Beauties is the film that brought Wertmuller the Oscar nomination. Giannini takes the lead role again (he copped a heroically earned Oscar nomination too), as a Neapolitan ne'er-do-well who ends up in a Nazi concentration camp. Wertmuller's wild approach may be all over the place, but the movie certainly is alive. The remainder of the DVD package can't live up to these two films, although Summer Night (full title: Summer Night, with Greek Profile, Almond Eyes, and Scent of Basil) has echoes of Swept Away. Melato returns to the heroine role, but the edginess of the earlier film is replaced by a gaudy fantasia about a wealthy woman who kidnaps a sort of environmental terrorist and sexually dominates him. As hotsy-totsy as that sounds, the movie feels like something Wertmuller's done before, although it's beautifully shot and Melato is scrumptious.

The other two films are The Nymph, a sturdy-enough but minor 1996 film about a beleaguered girl whose harsh village life changes when she meets a soldier (the era is WWII); only problem is, his family expects him to marry a virgin. Stefania Sandrelli is in the cast. Distinctly less watchable is Ferdinando and Carolina, a rambunctious 1999 historical comedy set in 18th-century Naples. The subject matter gives Wertmuller a chance to dig into her favorite subjects, sex and politics, but with lesser returns. The "extras" disc is essentially a 78-minute interview with Wertmuller. It's perfectly enjoyable, if a little "inside" to the Italian cinema. The woman does know how to talk--you can see how she beguiled her way to the top of European cinema for a while. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

Calling this set an 'Ultimate Collection' is pure hyperbole...
First off, of the 5 films, only TWO are 16:9 enhanced-c'mon FOX-er-KOCH-LORBER-it is nearly 2006-not 1998.
Second, they leave a gaping hole in this set-two of her more well-know films here in America are missing: LOVE AND ANARCHY and THE SEDUCTION OF MIMI.
If you are going to do a collection of LW films-then DO IT RIGHT!

What a half-assed attempt.

That being said-the remastered SWEPT AWAY is a much better looking transfer than the VHS rot transfered to disc before now.
SUMMER NIGHTS is also a very good transfer.
Even SEVEN BEAUTIES-which is 4:3 Letterbox has been remastered and looks pretty good.
Its just that it would have looked excellent had it been 16:9 enhanced.

The rest seem to be OK, though I recall one film had much dirt and other artifacts
throughout.
I probably should rate this set just 3 stars-but being such a fan of LW-I have upped it to 4.
Looks like FOX-LORBER can change their name, but not their lackluster way of doing things.

A spectacular collection
One of my favorite "academic" college memories is watching and discussing Swept Away in Italian Cinema class. It exposed me to the brilliant work of Lina Wertmuller - in my opinion the most talented female director of all time. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to see a number of her other works: Ciao Professore, The Seduction of Mimi and Seven Beauties, but it was the opportunity to add Swept Away to my DVD collection (having previously owned it on laserdisc) and experience three lesser-known works from Wertmuller that convinced me to make this purchase...I am so happy I did. First of all, the package artwork and photography is magnificent. I've had it on my shelf for only two weeks and already had several people comment on it. I only wish I could get posters made of some of the on-set images used inside the booklet, which are fantastic (Giancarlo Giannini must have one of the most expressive faces of all time). As for the films, they all look magnificent. The picture and sound quality of the Swept Away DVD far surpasses my memories of the laserdisc edition, and the rich blues in Summer Night (which thematically turns the tables on Swept Away) lit up my television screen like nothing I have ever seen before. The two more recent films included in this collection - Nymph and Ferdinando and Carolina (a decadent, historical costume drama) - never came to theaters in the U.S., which is a shame because they are on par with some of Wertmuller's best. I must admit that I have yet to watch the sixth disc, an interview with Wertmuller, but am looking forward to the opportunity to hear this talented director speak for the first time.

what a great collection
I long wanted a clean copy of Swept Away, a film I saw years ago, so when I received this boxed set as a gift, I was thrilled. It was more than what I asked for. I won't go into the films themselves, as plenty of people review them, but I will tell you that Swept Away is as stunning today as it was when I first saw it.

As for the set, receiving Seven Beauties was a super bonus. I was familiar with the film but had not seen it before. What a superb classic to have. The remainder of the titles were entirely new to me, and I have enjoyed watching them all.

I am unsure why one of the other reviews takes a shot at this collection not being 'ultimate'. It's not called 'ultimate'. What it is is a great gift at what I now see is a great price.