And The Ship Sails On

And The Ship Sails On is released here on a 2-disc DVD set, the first containing the film itself, while the second is devoted to a collection of extra features. While these are not specifically related to the film, there is plenty for those who have a more general interest in Fellini's work.

On the whole, the picture quality is very good. There is noticeable flaring on the print during one early scene, but this is only very brief and for the remainder the tones and colours of the excellent cinematography are reflected well in the transfer. It is, however, non-anamorphic (as is the earlier Criterion release), but also presented in a slightly different aspect ratio to the original. Presumably, the picture has been cropped to achieve this.

The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital stereo, with only the original Italian dubbed track provided. Optional subtitles are available in English.

The first extra feature, Federico Fellini: Self Portrait is an excellent hour-long documentary following the director's career through archive news, interview and on-set footage. Fellini speaks candidly about the filmmaking process, the movie industry, his childhood and the motivations behind his work. We also see him directing on the sets of several of his films, including La Dolce Vita and 8½. The documentary is in Italian, with English subtitles.

Additionally, on the second disc, there are two episodes of La Felliniana, an Italian television series first broadcast in 2003, 10 years after Fellini's death. Included on this DVD are episodes four and seven, so presumably it is planned that other episodes will appear on future Fellini releases.

A Star Is Born looks at the director's early career, from his first full feature, The White Sheik, released in 1952, through to Le Notti di Cabiria's Oscar win in 1958. The second episode on the disc, The Work Of A Genius, focuses on Fellini's work during the Sixties, after the success of La Dolce Vita, taking in films such as 8½, Giulietta degli spiriti and Satyricon. Again, these episodes of La Felliniana are in Italian with optional English subtitles.