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SONY

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
Cast:
Piero Botto, Sergio Cauda, Maria Cicciù
Editor:
Charlotte Munch Bengsten

Synopsis:
Deep in the forests of Northern Italy, a handful of elderly men hunt for the rare and expensive white Alba truffle.

MPAA:
Rated PG-13.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio:
Italian DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles:
English
French
Spanish
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
English

Runtime: 84 min.
Price: $24.99
Release Date: 8/17/2021

Bonus:
• “The Story of The Truffle Hunters” Featurette
• Trailer & Previews


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RELATED REVIEWS


The Truffle Hunters [Blu-Ray] (2020)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (September 14, 2021)

As a 54-year-old, I recall precious few movies in which truffles became an important factor. Actually, I can’t think of any prior to 2021, so while I’m sure they exist, none come to mind.

Bizarrely, summer 2021 brought not one but two flicks in that vein. Here I’ll look at the first of the pair, a documentary called The Truffle Hunters.

Northern Italy acts as the only place in the world where conditions allow for the growth of the rare white Alba truffle. Precious few beings know how to locate and excavate this food item.

In this location, a small group of elderly “truffle hunters” and their canine detectives pursue the Alba. They operate only at night and resist urges to spread their knowledge beyond their small clan.

When I first saw a trailer for Hunters, I immediately decided never to see it. This occurred partly because of the subject matter, as the notion of a movie about old dudes who sneak around the Italian woods didn’t sound appealing.

However, the main reason for my negative reaction stemmed from the annoying, incessant cries of “Carlo!” from an old lady. She really got on my nerves, and when you tossed in some cloying accordion music, the whole thing played like a parody of some whimsical Italian film more than an engaging story.

So what changed my mind? Good reviews primarily, but the eventual realization that Hunters offered a documentary instead of the fictional narrative I initially expected to get.

Though not a traditional documentary, as Hunters comes with a decidedly loose framework. Unlike most films of this sort, we get no narration to interpret what we see, and we receive no real background.

This means we learn about the truffle trade only in an incidental manner via various interactions, and we pick up minor tidbits about the characters. Heck, the movie doesn’t even identify any of the participants, so other than poor Carlo, we don’t know the names of those involved.

In theory, I appreciate this unconventional approach to the material. The style of Hunters gives it an unusual tone that seems like it could pay off in the end.

But it doesn’t. Instead, I continually wished we’d get something more concise and better focused than the loose, nearly random collection of footage on display.

When I go into a documentary, I hope to leave with a better understanding of the subject matter than I boasted when the program began. In the case of Hunters, this proved accurate, but that occurred more because I knew absolutely zilch about truffles and their pursuit than due to the film’s ability to inform.

Presumably the filmmakers preferred an experiential “fly on the wall” approach. They hoped to let us live in the shoes of the characters without the separation that formal documentary techniques would offer.

I guess this works to some degree, as the approach makes Hunters feel more personal than otherwise might be the case. However, the refusal to identify the participants and give us any real backstories or insights into their lives cancels any first person sense that might occur.

Honestly, Hunters often feels like a first draft of a documentary. It comes across like the directors compiled footage and meant to go back and add narration but never got around to it

This means we end up with lots of loosely connected footage of Carlo and the other unnamed characters but not much real information. We spend endless shots on nonsense like Carlo and his wife as they sort tomatoes but we find little that really allows us to sense what makes the participants tick.

All of this creates a sporadically intriguing but mostly frustrating documentary. If you like an “art house” approach to the topic, you might enjoy this, but the lack of insight or substance makes it a tough watch for me.

By the way, Carlo’s wife comes across as annoying, just like I expected. At least she doesn’t take up as much of the film’s running time as I inferred from the trailer.


The Disc Grades: Picture B/ Audio B-/ Bonus D+

The Truffle Hunters appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This turned into a mostly appealing presentation.

Overall sharpness looked fine, as the majority of the movie felt accurate and concise. Wider shots could feel a bit soft, and some lower-definition cameras occasionally created moments of mild fuzziness, but the general impression remained positive.

I noticed no issues with jagged edges or moiré effects. Edge haloes and source flaws never materialized.

In terms of colors, Hunters went with a natural palette that leaned a bit green to suit the setting. The hues felt well-reproduced.

Blacks seemed deep and dense, while low-light shots offered nice smoothness and clarity. For the most part, the image satisfied.

Given the documentary’s focus, I didn’t expect fireworks from the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, and we ended up with the kind of low-key presentation I anticipated. Dialogue dominated the soundscape, as effects and music played a minor role.

Occasional snatches of music popped up and showed decent presence, while effects leaned toward general environmental material. A few elements added greater life – such as with vehicles – but this remained a decidedly subdued soundfield most of the time.

Audio quality seemed appealing, with speech that came across as natural and concise. As mentioned, music manifested sporadically, but these moments showed nice range and clarity.

Also as noted, effects didn’t do much, but those elements seemed accurate and tight. Though nothing here impressed, the soundtrack worked fine for the tale on display.

The Story of The Truffle Hunters runs four minutes, 29 seconds and includes comments from directors Gregory Kershaw and Michael Dweck. They discuss the project’s roots and development as well as their approach to the material. We get some good notes but the featurette doesn’t last long enough to tell us much.

The disc opens with ads for The Father, French Exit, 12 Mighty Orphans, I Carry You With Me and The Human Factor. We also find the trailer for Hunters.

As a documentary, The Truffle Hunters focuses on colorful characters without much to say. We see random shots of their lives and antics but never learn much about them or the trade they ply. The Blu-ray offers more than adequate picture and audio but it lacks notable bonus materials. This becomes a disappointing program.

Viewer Film Ratings: 2 Stars Number of Votes: 1
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