Description

This spaghetti western — of interest to fans of the genre because of Sergio Leone’s uncredited participation in the project — gets a straightforward presentation on DVD in this release from Wham! USA. A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe (aka Un Genio, Due Compari, Un Pollo) has been given a letterboxed transfer to disc in its original widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1, though the image hasn’t been enhanced for anamorphic playback. The quality of the image is flawed; many of the interior sequences are dark and muddy looking, while the color balance shifts noticeably several times during the film. Supposedly this film has always suffered from visual flaws — parts of the negative were stolen during production, and some of the scenes had to be rescued from work prints — but since the color flaws could be corrected for DVD fairly easily, it’s unfortunate that Wham! USA didn’t bother to give the movie a proper restoration. The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Stereo, retaining the original monophonic sound track, and has been dubbed into English, with no multiple language options or subtitled; the sound quality is good if not great, though the sometimes faulty dubbing often distracts from the film. The only bonus materials are biographies and filmographies for the leading cast members, and the text is small enough to be difficult to read on many televisions. While spaghetti western fans will be glad to see this film finally readily available in North America, both the movie and its presentation on disc are nothing special, and interested parties may want to rent this disc and give it a look before purchasing.