Ciao Italia: Live From Italy
Concert Tour - Released May 1988
Ciao Italia: Live from Italy (credited as Madonna: Ciao, Italia! Live from Italy in the video sequence) was released by Warner Reprise Video and Sire Records on 24 May 1988. It contained footage from a previous TV special of the Who’s That Girl World Tour, Madonna in Concerto, broadcast in Europe in 1987, filmed at the Stadio Comunale in Turin, Italy. The video release also contained footage from shows recorded in Florence, Italy and Tokyo, Japan, the latter having previously been released as a Japanese TV special and home video release, Who’s That Girl: Live in Japan. The decision to release Ciao Italia was spurred by the fact that this previous release became a commercial success in Japan.
Ciao Italia topped the Music Video sales chart of Billboard for eight weeks, and became the second best-selling music video cassette of 1988. It was certified two times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of 200,000 copies.
Background
Madonna’s 1987 Who’s That Girl World Tour was a critical and commercial success, earning US $25 million and playing in front of an audience of 1.5 million. When the time came for the video release of the tour, Warner Bros. decided to release it only in Japan, where Madonna’s previous video albums had not been released. This decision was also backed by the profit that the ‘Who’s That Girl World Tour’ had achieved from its Japanese leg. Named as ‘Who’s That Girl: Live in Japan’, the video contained a live date from the tour, filmed at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo, Japan on 22 June 1987. It was also aired as a television special in Japan only and was the first television broadcast there, using Dolby Surround sound. The release was a commercial success, prompting Warner to release a different version of the tour video, for the rest of the world.
The video was released on 24 May 1988, and contained video compilation of two different dates from the Italian leg of the tour namely Turin and Florence, although these were also supplemented by clips from her concert in Tokyo, Japan. The video had an introduction, where Madonna was shown practicing with her troupe on the stage, rehearsing the songs and the dance moves. Madonna, who had gone through rigorous exercises and aerobics to prepare herself for the tour, demanded from director Egbert van Hees that the shape of her body be given prominence in the footage in order to emphasise her new shape and figure. Madonna had previously been stung by earlier references to her more curvaceous figure. Even Quentin Tarantino later included dialogue referring to her ‘pot belly’ in the “Lucky Star” video in his film ‘Pulp Fiction’.
Reception
The video received positive reviews from critics, who noted Madonna’s showmanship and her skills as a performer. They also complimented the camera work in the video, for enhancing the visual aspects of the tour.
Andrew Perala from Anchorage Daily News complimented the video, saying “If you have a secret fondness for pop singer Madonna, you would want to check out her Ciao Italia, the singer’s concert film from Italy. You can be pleasantly surprised at how amazing she is.”
Dennis Hunt from Los Angeles Times gave a positive review, saying “A festive Italian stadium show featuring the Material Girl, who’s turned into a first-rate entertainer, strutting and singing in flashy production-number renditions of her recent most Billboard topping songs, is indeed a delight. The video captures the enormity of Madonna as a performer, and her theatrics, oomph and chutzpah.”
Tom Shales from The Washington Post said that “Ciao Italia works wonderful because it makes Madonna look like she’s at home, with her Italian family all around her. A Turin soccer stadium became the sexual center of the universe last year when Madonna, one of our naughtiest superstars, taped this concert there before 75,000 gyrating Italians.
Track listing
Ciao Italia: Live from Italy (credited as Madonna: Ciao, Italia! Live from Italy in the video sequence) was released by Warner Reprise Video and Sire Records on 24 May 1988. It contained footage from a previous TV special of the Who’s That Girl World Tour, Madonna in Concerto, broadcast in Europe in 1987, filmed at the Stadio Comunale in Turin, Italy. The video release also contained footage from shows recorded in Florence, Italy and Tokyo, Japan, the latter having previously been released as a Japanese TV special and home video release, Who’s That Girl: Live in Japan. The decision to release Ciao Italia was spurred by the fact that this previous release became a commercial success in Japan.
Ciao Italia topped the Music Video sales chart of Billboard for eight weeks, and became the second best-selling music video cassette of 1988. It was certified two times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of 200,000 copies.
Background
Madonna’s 1987 Who’s That Girl World Tour was a critical and commercial success, earning US $25 million and playing in front of an audience of 1.5 million. When the time came for the video release of the tour, Warner Bros. decided to release it only in Japan, where Madonna’s previous video albums had not been released. This decision was also backed by the profit that the ‘Who’s That Girl World Tour’ had achieved from its Japanese leg. Named as ‘Who’s That Girl: Live in Japan’, the video contained a live date from the tour, filmed at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo, Japan on 22 June 1987. It was also aired as a television special in Japan only and was the first television broadcast there, using Dolby Surround sound. The release was a commercial success, prompting Warner to release a different version of the tour video, for the rest of the world.
The video was released on 24 May 1988, and contained video compilation of two different dates from the Italian leg of the tour namely Turin and Florence, although these were also supplemented by clips from her concert in Tokyo, Japan. The video had an introduction, where Madonna was shown practicing with her troupe on the stage, rehearsing the songs and the dance moves. Madonna, who had gone through rigorous exercises and aerobics to prepare herself for the tour, demanded from director Egbert van Hees that the shape of her body be given prominence in the footage in order to emphasise her new shape and figure. Madonna had previously been stung by earlier references to her more curvaceous figure. Even Quentin Tarantino later included dialogue referring to her ‘pot belly’ in the “Lucky Star” video in his film ‘Pulp Fiction’.
Reception
The video received positive reviews from critics, who noted Madonna’s showmanship and her skills as a performer. They also complimented the camera work in the video, for enhancing the visual aspects of the tour.
Andrew Perala from Anchorage Daily News complimented the video, saying “If you have a secret fondness for pop singer Madonna, you would want to check out her Ciao Italia, the singer’s concert film from Italy. You can be pleasantly surprised at how amazing she is.”
Dennis Hunt from Los Angeles Times gave a positive review, saying “A festive Italian stadium show featuring the Material Girl, who’s turned into a first-rate entertainer, strutting and singing in flashy production-number renditions of her recent most Billboard topping songs, is indeed a delight. The video captures the enormity of Madonna as a performer, and her theatrics, oomph and chutzpah.”
Tom Shales from The Washington Post said that “Ciao Italia works wonderful because it makes Madonna look like she’s at home, with her Italian family all around her. A Turin soccer stadium became the sexual center of the universe last year when Madonna, one of our naughtiest superstars, taped this concert there before 75,000 gyrating Italians.
Track listing
|
No.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. |
Title
“Open Your Heart” “Lucky Star” “True Blue” “Papa Don’t Preach” “White Heat” “Causing a Commotion” “The Look of Love” “Dress You Up” “Material Girl” “Like a Virgin” (contains an excerpt from “I Can’t Help Myself “) “Where’s the Party” “Live to Tell” “Into the Groove” “La Isla Bonita” “Who’s That Girl” “Holiday” |
Writer(s)
Madonna, Gardner Cole, Peter Rafelson Madonna Madonna, Steve Bray Brian Elliot, additional lyrics by Madonna Madonna, Patrick Leonard Madonna, S. Bray Madonna, P. Leonard Andrea LaRusso, Peggy Stanziale Peter Brown, Roberta Rans Tom Kelly, Billy Steinberg Madonna, S. Bray, P. Leonard Madonna, P. Leonard Madonna, S. Bray Madonna, P. Leonard, Bruce Gaitsch Madonna, P. Leonard Curtis Hudson, Lisa Stevens |
Length
5:04 4:19 4:45 6:08 7:12 4:45 5:02 3:51 3:57 4:51 5:20 8:51 6:11 4:33 4:02 6:34 |
UK Releases
Surprisingly, given the success of Madonna's first world tour - and her first concerts in the UK - 'Ciao Italia' was given a decidedly belated release in June 1988, almost a year after the tour. The UK was particularly neglected, despite the significant fan-base, because the concert broadcast to the rest of Europe was not shown in the UK.
'Ciao Italia' was eventually issued on VHS video (with no reissues) and laserdisc, a new format that was not widely used in the UK. Although the disc label states 'Made in UK by PDO' the sleeve itself states 'Made in Germany'. (This 'made in two countries' anomaly also occurs with the only other laserdisc - Blond Ambition).
Due to the format never establishing itself in the UK, which resulted in low sales, the laserdisc remains the only collectable.
For all promo items see the 'video' entry under the PROMO page
Surprisingly, given the success of Madonna's first world tour - and her first concerts in the UK - 'Ciao Italia' was given a decidedly belated release in June 1988, almost a year after the tour. The UK was particularly neglected, despite the significant fan-base, because the concert broadcast to the rest of Europe was not shown in the UK.
'Ciao Italia' was eventually issued on VHS video (with no reissues) and laserdisc, a new format that was not widely used in the UK. Although the disc label states 'Made in UK by PDO' the sleeve itself states 'Made in Germany'. (This 'made in two countries' anomaly also occurs with the only other laserdisc - Blond Ambition).
Due to the format never establishing itself in the UK, which resulted in low sales, the laserdisc remains the only collectable.
For all promo items see the 'video' entry under the PROMO page
UK Video - 1988 release (with no reissues)
UK Laserdisc - 1988 release
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© madonna-decade 2013
© madonna-decade 2013