New on Blu-ray: THE BITTER STEMS / LOS TALLOS AMARGOS (1956)

Product Description: This rarely seen 1956 film was lauded in its day but only recently rediscovered, hidden away in a private collector’s home outside Buenos Aires.

Alfredo Gasper, a dissatisfied Buenos Aires newspaperman (Carlos Cores), partners with Paar Liudas, a clever Hungarian refugee (Vassili Lambrinos) who needs money to bring his family from Argentina. Together they create a bogus correspondence school, exploiting the hopes of would-be journalists. As their scheme succeeds beyond their wildest dreams, a mystery woman from Liudas’ past sparks Gasper’s suspicion: his charming colleague may be playing him for a sucker. Soon Gasper finds himself plotting the perfect crime – but fate has many twists in store.

This adaptation of journalist Adolfo Jasca’s award winning novel was acclaimed upon its release, earning top prizes in 1957 from the Argentine critics association for Best Picture, with Fernando Ayala named Best Director. The innovative and evocative score, combining elements of tango, jazz, and classical music, is one of the first film scores by legendary composer Astor Piazolla.

Thanks to the diligent efforts of the Film Noir Foundation and Argentine cinephile Fernando Martín Peña, a gorgeous new print of The Bitter Stems (Los tallos amargos) was created, by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, from the reconditioned original negative, now presented in its first ever home video release–with special thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Charitable Trust.

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Find out more about this DVD/Blu-ray release after the jump.

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Movie Details

Available Formats (Purchasing Links)

Video

Audio

Subtitles

Special Features & Extras

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MOVIE DETAILS

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Director: Fernando Ayala

Starring: Carlos Cores, Julia Sandoval, Vassili Lambrinos

Genre: Crime, Drama

Runtime: 90 min

Rating: Not Rated

Language: Spanish

Studio: Flicker Alley

Home Video Release Date: November 16, 2021

AVAILABLE FORMATS (click links to order from Amazon):

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Blu-ray

VIDEO

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Blu-ray

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Region: Region Free

AUDIO

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Dubbed:

Blu-ray: None

Audio Formats:

Blu-ray: LPCM Mono

SUBTITLES

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Blu-ray: English

SPECIAL FEATURES & EXTRAS

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NEW RESTORATION OF THE FILM
Introduction to The Bitter Stems (Los tallos amargos) – By author, historian, and "noirchaelogist" Eddie Muller.
New In-Depth Conversation – With Argentine film archivist and historian Fernando Martín Peña.
Profile of Legendary Composer Astor Piazolla – By film historian Steven Smith.
Audio Commentary Track – By author and film historian Imogen Sara Smith.
Souvenir Booklet – Featuring rare original photographs, posters, lobby cards, and advertisements, along with an essay by film historian and lecturer María Elena de las Carreras.
In Spanish, with English subtitles
REGION-FREE