Excellent direction form Bernardo Bertolucci and good camera work but failed to hold the attention over five hours. Costumes appear to have been made from man made uncreasable fabric which detracted from the authenticity of the period. Gerard Depardieu and Robert De Niro played their parts well whilst Donald Sutherland appeared to be a throw out from the silent movie era, with his teeth taking on a life of their own! Beware of some very violent scenes some of which include animal cruelty. An Italian movie in English which didn't flow very well. Whilst actors lip synced with the dialogue, this appeared to have been added after the film was completed. Strange.
The director was so self-indulgent as to not edit all the scenes he shot. So it runs for an unbelievable 345 minutes.He exalts the Communist factions while denigrating the Fascist Blackshirts, while anybody who has suffered under a murderous communist regime knows that their is little difference for the victims or others who may oppose the dictatorship.
I couldn't finish the first disc and cancelled disc two. Beautifully rendered, like an oil painting, but the acting was appalling and structure disjointed. It made me laugh though.