Il Divo

Quite often foreign language releases get short shrift when it comes to extras on their DVD release - but Artificial Eye has done Il Divo proud with this diverting set of additional material.

The Making Of, which runs at 31 minutes, is far more detailed than the usual American-style love-ins. Writer/director Paulo Sorrentino along with key members of the cast and crew discuss everything from the selection of the period of Andreotti's life to focus on to the integration of everything from the music to the digital effects. This is an in-depth piece that features some interesting behind-the-scenes footage and some absorbing revelations about the anatomy of certain scenes - not just skating over the surface of the filmmaking but taking a look at the film every step of the way from conception to the editing suite.

The special effects featurette, though brief at just seven minutes, is also pleasingly detailed, as we are shown various effects - such as the dropping and exploding of a car - from their raw early stages through to the finished product.

The interviews with Sorrentino are as thorough as the making of, as he talks about the "ambiguity" of Andreotti, the pains taken to avoid caricature and of the difficulties, as far as funding went, of making a film which many didn't want to be made. He also reveals that Stephen Frears' The Queen was his model in terms of picking a specific period of someone's life to help an audience consider their contribution as a whole.

The package is rounded out by 12 deleted scenes - for completists only - a trailer, which is intriguing rather than spoiler laden and an Artificial Eye trailer reel. The tech credits are all fine, with good English subtitling across the entire package, including optional English subtitles on the film itself.