RaroVideo Announces December 6 Release of Classic Film Combining One of Italy’s Great Directors, Alberto Lattuada and One of Russia’s Great Writers, Nikolai Gogal - The Overcoat

LOS ANGELES (October 18, 2011) – Hailed by cinephiles for expertly restoring rare films by influential filmmakers and publishing them with compelling extras, Italian DVD label RaroVideo announces another exciting fall 2011 release with Alberto Lattuada’s THE OVERCOAT, based on the short story by Nikolai Gogal. RaroVideo’s restored version of THE OVERCOAT will arrive on DVD for the first time ever in the U.S. on December 6, 2011. The DVD extras include interviews and a fully illustrated booklet. Hard-to-find, this prestigious 1952 classic Italian film will be featured at this year’s The Museum of Modern Art’s 9th International Festival of Film Preservation in New York on October 31 and again on November 3.

Antonioni’s The Vanquished, Fellini’s The Clowns (Blu-ray and DVD) Adua and Her Friends, The Perfume of the Lady in Black, The Secret of Dorian Gray, The Anger, Live Like A Cop Die Like A Man, To Be Twenty and The Fernando Di Leo Crime Collection are all available now on DVD from RaroVideo U.S.

RAROVIDEO’S COMPANY MISSION STATEMENT
RaroVideo’s eclectic and interdisciplinary approach aims to recognize and publish quality works found in the cinema and visual art world.

ABOUT RAROVIDEO U.S.
RaroVideo U.S. is devoted to producing high-quality DVD, BLU-RAY and VOD releases for American audiences. The partnership behind the company formed in 2010 when Stefano and Gianluca Curti, owners of RaroVideo Italy, teamed with Nico Bruinsma, owner of U.S. DVD label Cult Epics. Stefano and Gianluca Curti started RaroVideo Italy in 1999. Hailed by cinephiles for expertly restoring rare films by influential filmmakers from a wide range of genres, the company has earned an outstanding international reputation for the quality of its high-definition transfers. Its releases are also known for their original uncut versions and exclusive supplemental content as well as the critical analysis and superb booklets that accompany each film. Among the directors featured in the RaroVideo catalog are: Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni, Pier Paolo Pasolini, Luchino Visconti, Roberto Rosselllini, David Lynch, Derek Jarman, Shinya Tsukamoto, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Jean-Luc Godard, Werner Herzog, Lars von Trier, Lucio Fiulci, Mario Bava, Francesco Barilli, Tinto Brass, Jean Cocteau, Pedro Almodovar and Martin Scorsese to name just a few. RaroVideo was also the first company in the world to release on DVD Andy Warhol’s: The Chelsea Girls, My Hustler, The Nude Restaurant and Lonesome Cowboys. RaroVideo’s U.S. branch is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.


THE OVERCOAT – SYNOPSIS
Based on Nikolai Gogol’s story with the location changed from Russia to Italy and the time changed to the present (1952), the story is about a poor city-hall clerk (Renato Rascel) whose only desire
is for a new overcoat. The town Mayor (Giulio Stival) is planning a reception for some visiting VIP’s in honor of a new, wasteful piece of construction. The clerk bungles his assignment and is fired. But
he stumbles onto some bribery concerning the architects and, to keep him quiet, he’s given his job back plus a bonus. He buys his long-cherished overcoat, and it makes him so presentable he wins
a new found respect from everybody. But his coat is stolen and the bitter weather causes him to contact a fever and he dies. His funeral upsets the Mayor’s reception when he returns as a ghost.

THE OVERCOAT – SPECIAL FEATURES
-Audio commentary by Flavio de Bernardinis (Professor of film and film criticism at the University La Sapienza of Rome)
-Interview with Angelo Pasquini (screen writer and director)
-Cut scenes
-Fully illustrated booklet
-New and improved English subtitles
-New digitally restored in collaboration with The Turin National Film Museum
-New Transfer from original 35mm negative

THE OVERCOAT
Price: $29.98
Street Date: December 6, 2011
Pre-Order Date: November 15, 2011
Running time: 99 minutes
Year: 1952
Distributor: ENTERTAINMENT ONE
DVD UPC: 16018010272
Language: Italian with English subtitles
Rating: NR