Death of a Cyclist [Criterion Collection]

"Juan Antonio Bardem's poison-penned melodrama about amorality among the Spanish bourgeoisie has been given a splendid DVD release in this edition from the Criterion Collection. Death Of A Cyclist has been transferred to disc in its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and while the print used for this release shows some faint signs of wear here and there, most of the time the source materials are excellent and Alfredo Fraile's noir-style photography is richly detailed and with a fine range of grey tones. The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Mono, and the sound quality is quite good for a film of this vintage. The dialogue is in Spanish, with optional English subtitles. As a bonus, this edition also features Calle Bardem, a documentary produced for Spanish television in 2005 that looks back at Bardem as an artist, a friend and a political activist. The accompanying booklet includes Bardem's controversial 1955 essay on the state of Spanish cinema and an appreciation of Bardem and Death Of A Cyclist by Marsha Kinder. While not well known in the United States, Death Of A Cyclist was a crucial work in the Spanish cinema of the Fifties, and Criterion has done a fine job of presenting it in its best possible light."