A triple helping of Italian cinema
“The Taviani Brothers Collection” contains three feature films directed by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Italian brothers who have been honored with numerous critical and industry prizes as well as top awards at Cannes, Berlin, and other film festivals. These films were all released theatrically in the United States.<br /><br />“The Night of the Shooting Stars” (1982) takes place on August 10, the Night of San Lorenzo, the night of the shooting stars, when dreams come true. A woman tells her child about a similar night in 1944, when she was six years old and the residents of her small Tuscan town defied their Nazi occupiers. This film was one of the highest-grossing Italian-language films in U.S. history and a multiple award winner at Cannes.<br /><br />In the film’s flashback, the film’s main characters are not soldiers, but average citizens. The Taviani brothers focus on the effect of war on the daily life of a few individuals determined to leave the town to reach nearby American soldiers despite the presence of mines set by the Germans. The film is strong on atmosphere, less successful with characterization. It’s difficult to empathize with this group because of sub-par acting and a sequence concerning pet dogs that alienates us rather than draws us in.<br /><br />“Kaos” (1984) tells five tales adapted from short stories by the Italian playwright Luigi Pirandello. In “The Other Son,” set in 19th-century Sicily, a woman waits for word from two sons who have emigrated to America but ignores the son still at home. “Moon Sickness” tells of a young newlywed who feels the strange effects of the full moon. In “The Jar,” a craftsman hired by a feudal landowner to repair a giant olive jar gets stuck inside it, and in “Requiem,” villagers struggle to bury their dead. An epilogue has Pirandello himself (Omero Antonutti) chatting with his mother about a story he’d like to write.<br /><br />Because the actors in “Kaos” are non-professionals, they convey a sense of realism to their characters. The stories range from dark comedy to tragedy, and the title is the name of Pirandello’s birthplace, where all the stories are set. The three-hour running time is pretty hard to take. Eliminating one or two of the tales would have made the viewing time more bearable.<br /><br />“Padre Padrone” (1977) is based on actual experiences of writer Gavin Ledda. Impoverished Sardinian boy Gavino (Fabrizio Forte) is forced to quite school by his overbearing and abusive father (Omero Antonutti). Committed to the traditions of his homeland, Gavin’s father feels his son is of more use to the family as a shepherd than a student. As he matures, the adult Gavino (Saverio Marconi) finds his way in the world, first by discovering music and then by learning a trade while serving in the military.<br /><br />The first hour of “Padre Padrone” is pretty coarse, with characters engaged in graphic, vulgar conduct. Though we aren’t used to seeing such behavior dealt with so openly in movies, it does ring true and is more enlightening than exploitative. Much of this behavior is chalked up to tradition. The picture’s most affecting scene is one in which a young Gavin is taken out of school and sent to tend a flock of sheep on a desolate mountain. When his father cruelly beats the boy, he is introduced to a new way of life, though the father’s treatment is borderline sadistic. Opening and closing off-screen narration introduces and concludes the story, explaining Ledda’s reasons for why the book was written and offers thoughts on why life is so rough for lower-class Sardinian children.<br /><br />Picture quality is unfortunately not uniform for the three films. The sharpest is “The Night of the Shooting Stars.” You can actually make out pores on the actors faces in close-ups. Color is not the bright MGM-musical type, but a less vibrant palette. The least impressive in terms of quality is “Padre Padrone,” which is kind of dull and often looks as if it were shot in soft focus. “Kaos&#34; lies somewhere between the two in picture quality. Sound on all three movies is fine, but doesn’t have the layered sound we’ve come to expect of more recent films.<br /><br />All three films are in Italian, with English subtitles, and are presented in widescreen with Dolby Digital sound. There are no bonus features on the Blu-ray release.
The movie title "The Taviani Brothers Collection (Padre Padrone / The Night of the Shooting Stars / Kaos)," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.6 from 15 reviewers. 
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 {"Aspect Ratio": "1.66:1", "Is Discontinued By Manufacturer": "No", "MPAA rating": "NR (Not Rated)", "Product Dimensions": "0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 5.92 Ounces", "Director": "Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani", "Media Format": "NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen", "Run time": "9 hours and 5 minutes", "Release date": "July 1, 2016", "Actors": "Fabrizio Forte, Margarita Lozano, Marcella Michelangeli, Omero Antonutti, Nanni Moretti", "Subtitles": "English", "Producers": "Giuliani G. De Negri", "Studio": "Cohen Media Group", "Writers": "Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani, Giuliani G. De Negri", "Number of discs": "3"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : Padre Padrone: Winner of the 1977 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or, this classic by the Taviani brothers is based on an autobiography by Gavino Ledda, "The One That Got Away." Gavino is six when his father hauls him out of school to keep watch over sheep on a barren countryside, huddled in a makeshift hut night and day. The child is constantly abused by his father who treats him as his own father treated him. When the illiterate Gavino is commanded by his father to join the army, he learns a trade and a new concept of life, discovering the outside world and his own identity within it. The Night of the Shooting Stars: Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at 1982 Cannes Film Festival. Set during the summer of 1944 in a small Tuscan town caught between the threat of destruction by the retreating German forces and the advancing American army, this is a bedtime story told by a mother to her child. A recollection of her experience during the war which takes on the quality of fairytale as seen through the eyes of a six year old. In it, the Tavianis create some of their most lyrical and poetic cinema. Kaos: With a free adaptation from Luigi Pirandello's works, the Taviani brothers have constructed an ethereal odyssey into the Sicilian landscape—with four stories and an epilogue—it brings together all the main actors whom the Tavianis had previously collaborated with in a voluptuous naturalistic trip.Bonus Content:.