Malena

Amazon.com

When 12-year-old Renato, riding through his small Italian town on his new bicycle, sees the voluptuous Malèna, little does he know he's launching on an infatuation that will carry him through the tumultuous days of World War II. Malèna begins as an enraptured depiction of Renato's adolescent mind--the way he stares, hypnotized, at Malèna's garters pressing through the material of her tight skirt, or his frustrated rebellion against the indignity of wearing short pants--but soon transforms into a portrait of small-town prejudice. Malèna's looks spark lust and envy in the townspeople; when her husband dies in combat, the gossip only intensifies, to the point that Malèna is dragged into court to defend herself against accusations of adultery. When the women of the town refuse to sell her edible food at the market, Malèna has little choice but to become what she's been unjustly accused of being. At the end, a twist of fate turns this tale of longing and jealousy into a heartbreaking love story. Monica Bellucci exudes the can't-help-it eroticism that makes Malèna such a lightning rod for everyone's desires; she's like a more zaftig Isabelle Adjani. The movie seems to wander at times, but the ending has a powerful emotional impact. From the director of Cinema Paradiso. --Bret Fetzer

Description

The latest triumph from Giuseppe Tornatore, the writer and director of the Academy Award(R)-winning CINEMA PARADISO, MALENA is an utterly unforgettable story of a boy's journey into manhood amid the chaos and intolerance of World War II. In a sleepy Italian village, the most beautiful woman in town, Malena (Monica Bellucci), becomes the subject of increasingly malicious gossip among the lustful townsmen and their jealous wives. But only her most ardent admirer, young Renato Amoroso (Giuseppe Sulfaro), will learn the untold true story of the mysterious and elusive Malena! In a captivating motion picture nominated for two Academy Awards, the eventual struggles and hardships that Malena must bravely endure serve to inspire Renato to new heights of compassion, courage, and independence!

Customer Reviews:

A story of war, social conformity, love and life - through the eyes of a boy.......2007-07-17

Like many of Tornatorre's movies, this too is a story told through the eyes of a boy. Set in Italy around WWII, the story weaves significant themes, such as the courage to stand out, fear, conformity, fidelity, as well as the seemingly omnipresent autobiographical Tornatorre ideas - a boy coming of age, his infatuation with the most beautiful woman in town, the early experiences in life with death, war society, peace.

The movie is richly narrated, not only visually (through the strong performance of Monica Bellucci, among others), but also through the beautiful music of Enio Morricone.

While the movie will be interesting to those looking for a purely historic picture of Italy during WWII, people looking for an emotionally moving artistic experience.

The two Oscar nominations - for cinematograpy and musical score - are richly deserved.

Inferior to the "Malena Uncut" version.......2007-07-12

It was obvious that scenes were missing in a most annoying way. Fortunately I persisted searching here on Amazon, and only when I entered "Malena Uncut" I was able to find the true uncut Special Edition import version from Korea in a really beautiful luxury boxed set of 2 disks, and Monica Bellucci nude from the waist up on the cover. Not sure what's wrong with Amazon's "search" but it leaves out that gem, which is at this Amazon link: Malena Uncut Special Edition 2 DVD Set [Import]

Malena.......2007-06-13

Loved it. Romantic, beautiful and She is gorgeous too.

Exellent film pity about the DVD.......2007-05-06

I wont go into the stupidity of cutting scenes out of this first rate film too many people have already mentioned it. If companies think that veiwers are too stupid to make up their own minds on what they want to watch then they realy shouldnt bother producing films. Sad to say, when Americans complain about their films being cut they need to take a look at the idiots who clasify films in the UK (Average age 80) Must be great them sitting through hours of 'explicit scenes' only to cut them for us the masses. I can only assume they think we dont have the ability to watch a film and make up our own minds we need others to do that for us.

Anyway on with the film. Monica Bellucci is an exellent actress and in this film she plays a woman who pursued by almsot every man in her small town while her husband is away fighting in the war finaly gives up when she believes that her husband has died. First falling for the well to do in the town then sleeping with what it would seem half the German army based in the town. The horror of the reprisal against her at the end of the war and the final happy (to some extent) ending.

great film, if you can find the uncut version get it. Film editors need to put a stop to this we are grown adults let us decide what we want to watch.

American version probably fine.......2007-04-13

I purchased the imported uncut version, however that too is lightly censored. I read some reviews saying the cut version was basically crap compared to the original version. Well I haven't seen the cut version, but I don't think the 13 minutes that was cut from the film will be missed by most individuals. The story is about a 12 year old boy's infatuation and sexual fantasies of Malena. The scenes that were cut I would probably guess were scenes where he was fantasizing about her. Where he and she are in (at times) intimate positions. Its not like a Misses Robinson where the young boy is of age, this is a 12 year old. So I can see where Americans could find this objectionable or not really something they need to see to get a complete picture of the story. The only thing really censored in this movie is when the camera pans down to the "southern" regions of women, and a tinted blob covers the "offensive" area. Well personally I found it more disturbing when the whore was licking Renalto's chest. Overall I enjoyed the movie, but just wanted to point out the differences so someone else could make an informed decision on which version they want to buy.

Average customer rating:

The Rose Tattoo
Big disappointment
Emotional Performance stands the test of time
Only Anna Magnani and her face are right for this role
Life portrayed

The Rose Tattoo
Starring: Anna Magnani , Burt Lancaster , Marisa Pavan , Ben Cooper , and Virginia Grey
Director: Daniel Mann
Manufacturer: Paramount
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ASIN: B0002ERX1I
Release Date: 2004-09-21

Description

Upon meeting Alvaro, a happy and carefree man who reminds her of her deceased husband, Serafina emerges from her reclusive life and finds solace in this man who is startlingly similar to her beloved husband. Not only does Alvaro have the same occupation as her late husband, but he also has the same rose tattoo on his chest. Seeing these common traits between the two men as a sign, Serefina's life takes a change for the better.

Customer Reviews:

The Rose Tattoo.......2007-06-27

Magnani was already an international star when lured to Hollywood to do this sterling adaptation of Tennessee Williams's play. The earthy, fiery Italian actress inhabits the central role of Serafina like a second skin. Magnani's powerfully expressive face betrays the conflicting emotions of a proud but wounded woman facing the prospect--and attendant risks--of new love. Though Lancaster is miscast as Alvaro, he wins points for spirit and effort.

Big disappointment.......2007-05-13

When I ordered, I couldn't find the region it was compatible for. Now I can't watch it because it can't be watched in Europe.

Emotional Performance stands the test of time.......2007-02-11

Anna Magnani's Oscar winning performance sizzles through the decades and retains poignancy. Her organic method creates a believable and sympathetic character. The stereotypical view of Italians however is worse than the Soprano's. We even enjoyed second viewing with my 82-year-old father who said that Ms. Magnani's portrayal of the Italian immigrant seamstress was an early example of a more naturalistic approach to acting.

Only Anna Magnani and her face are right for this role.......2006-08-12

I remember reading that this role was written for her. I caught this film accidentally years ago and I was delighted. The acting and the story are adult and complex. The two leads really play off each other well. Burt Lancaster may be the one American actor I actually like and find earthily delicious. At least, he's the only one that comes to mind. Angelics like James Stewart and Gregory Peck are lovely but Burt is just cool. I'm not interested in seeing From Here to Eternity because Deborah Kerr's lips look too thin to be kissing Burt's and I expected more from Sweet Smell of Success. For me, this movie is a sure thing.

Life portrayed.......2006-08-01

I absolutely adore this movie.Burt Lancaster is so different than in most of his roles that I have seen him in as the bumbling truck driver who just wants to please the beautiful lady.My mother and her sisters are of Italian decent and even look and act as tempormental as she does so when I watch this it's kind of like watching a family reunion.The story is superb of the mother letting the daughter grow up and choose her own way.Real life.Wonderfully portrayed.

Divorce Italian Style - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

Divorce, Italian Style
Actually Sicilian style
Murder, He Thought
back when people took their marriage vows seriously ...
"Rosalia, are you sick or something?"

Divorce Italian Style - Criterion Collection
Starring: Marcello Mastroianni , Daniela Rocca , Stefania Sandrelli , Leopoldo Trieste , and Odoardo Spadaro
Director: Pietro Germi
Manufacturer: Criterion
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ASIN: B0007M222A
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Amazon.com

Divorce Italian Style is a comedy milestone--a brilliant, biting satire that was originally conceived as a drama; directed with nonstop inventiveness by a filmmaker who had never done comedy; and featuring an actor who, though not even among the first dozen players considered, cemented his international stardom with this performance. The movie also marked a breakthrough for foreign film in America, winning popular as well art-house success, Academy Award nominations for director Pietro Germi and star Marcello Mastroianni, and--the first of only a few foreign-language films to do so--the Oscar itself for Original Screenplay.

On the sun-blasted island of Sicily, Baron Ferdinand "Fefè" Cefalù (Mastroianni) breaks out of his heat- and boredom-induced stupor long enough to be smitten with mad passion for his 16-year-old cousin Angela (Stefania Sandrelli). But he's married--to Rosalia (Daniela Rocca), she of the unfortunate mustache--and the Italian Penal Code gives him no way out... except, of course, for catching his wife in adultery and availing himself of the patriarchal license to commit a "crime of honor." So Fefè searches for a way to fling Rosalia into the arms of another man.

Mastroianni's Fefè is an indelible masterpiece, visually and behaviorally: a portrait in painterly chiaroscuro, with brilliantined hair, eternally drooping eyelids, a cigarette holder angled in perpetual salute, and a manic, conspiratorial slouch, like Groucho Marx on painkillers. Germi's direction hustles the film along with bold, mobile camerawork, stream-of-consciousness lurches into fantasy and flashback, Fefè's feverish voiceover commentary, and a wonderfully propulsive music score by the late Carlo Rustichelli. --Richard T. Jameson

Description

Baron Ferdinando Cefalù (Marcello Mastroianni) longs to marry his nubile cousin Angela, but one obstacle stands in his way: his fatuous and fawning wife, Rosalia. His solution? Since divorce is illegal, he will devise a scenario wherein he can catch his spouse in the arms of another and murder her to save his honor-a lesser offense. Criterion is proud to present director Pietro Germi's hilarious and cutting satire of Italy's hypocritical judicial system and male-dominated culture, winner of the 1962 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, in a two-disc DVD edition that also features a documentary on the director, new interviews with the actors and screenwriter, screen-test footage, and more.

Customer Reviews:

Divorce, Italian Style.......2007-06-27

Germi's wry, black-comedic satire on Italy's outmoded marital laws (divorce was illegal there in the '60s) and culture of machismo was a triumph for the writer-director and his leading man, both of whom picked up Oscar nods. Mastroianni, delivering one of his finest comedic performances, carries the film from first frame to last, almost Keatonesque in his deadpan mannerisms. Originally conceived as a hard-hitting drama (Germi's specialty at the time), "Divorce" delves right into the issue at hand--women--with a devilish, socially biting sense of humor, such as the farcical fantasy sequences where Fefe imagines offing Rosalia in inventive ways. If "Divorce" was always this much fun, who'd be married?

Actually Sicilian style.......2007-01-05

Divorzio all'italiana is a richly textured satire of Sicilian macho Catholic life styles starring one of Italy's greatest actors, Marcello Mastroianni. He is a bit Chaplinesque in this tongue in cheek exploration of how to dump your wife and marry your 16-year-old cousin. His wide-eyed, dead pan expressions combined with vulnerability and suave, leading-man good looks made him the heart-throb of women for decades. He plays a bored baron stuck with a baroness (played fatuously by Daniela Rocca) that he cannot abide. It should be noted that today it IS possible to get a divorce in Italy, but at the time it was very difficult, perhaps easier to get an annulment, and so we have the premise of the plot.

Stefania Sandrelli, who became one of the great ladies of the Italian cinema, plays the cousin. She was only 15 when the film was shot but could easily pass for, say, 18. She is sensual, sweet and a bit naughty. In the final scene, famous for its fitting irony, the last thing we see are her feet. I won't tell you more, but the movie is almost worth seeing just for that final scene.

Rocca's Rosalia on the other hand is more syrupy than sweet and would qualify as clinging. She could smother a lumberjack, and although it is not polite to comment unfavorably on a lady's looks, I must note that she seemed to be having a bad facial hair day, everyday. Her impersonation of a country baroness nonetheless was unforgettable. I also liked 16-year-old Margherita Girelli as Sisini, the maid. Her coquettish ways helped to lend a French bedroom farce flavor to the film.

But what really makes this one of the great monuments of the Italian cinema is the witty and delightful script by Ennio De Concini (it won an Academy Award in 1962) and the detailed, textured direction by Pietro Germi. The picture that Germi paints of life in a small Sicilian (or southern Italian, for that matter) village is picturesque, much imitated, and indelible. The crowded ornate clutter of the old estate, the sun-drenched streets and the monolithic stone and mason churches haunt our memory. True, the film starts a bit slowly and drags (at least for modern audiences) a bit at times, but don't make the mistake of giving up on this. The latter half of the film is wonderful. And remember, if you had to go to film school, Divorce Italian Style would be on the syllabus.

So see this for Mastroianni of course but also because no film education would be complete without having seen Divorzio all'italiana.

The Criterion Collection DVD includes a second disc with a documentary on Germi's career, an interview with Ennio De Concini, and screen-test footage of Stefania Sandrelli and Daniela Rocca that I just had to see. There is also a booklet with reviews of the film from Stuart Klawans, Andrew Sarris, and Martin Scorsese. Scorsese's review is adoring and nostalgic since he is from Sicily and since the film had made such a lasting impression on him as a 19-year-old. For him the film was not so much a comedy as a true reflection of a life he and his family had known. He writes, "Every detail in Divorce Italian Style is so truthful and right that all Germi had to do was heighten everything a bit to make it funny."

Murder, He Thought.......2007-01-03

What would you do if you've been married for many years, lost any romantic interest in your less than attractive wife, and fell in love with a beautiful young girl? Divorce, you'd say but there is one thing, you see - in Italy in 1960s there were no divorce. So, once again, what would you do? Made forty five years ago about an old Italian Law that had declared divorce illegal but would give a minimum sentence for killing a cheating spouse, "Divorce, Italian Style" is hilarious, melancholic, biting, clever, and belongs to the best comedies ever. First, Germi was going to make a tragic film and there are many elements of tragedy in "Divorce, Italian Style". After all, two people who are in love and happy together will be killed because of the strict and unforgiving traditions that made their way into the laws of the country. Pietro Germi directed a movie that is saturated with the merciless boredom, suffocating heat and humidity of a small Sicilian town where seemingly nothing ever happens and where Baron Fete Gefalu leads the life of not so quiet desperation with his wife or 13 years, Rosalia who had bored him to death. To make the things worse, his 16 years old angelic cousin Angela (one look at 16 years old Stefania Sandrelli in her early role and you can forgive or at least understand Fete) just returned from the nun school and he is desperately in love with her. As we know, love moves the sun and the planets and it made Fete's mind invent the plan on how to get rid of Rosalia which was deliciously simple and deadly funny. What Fete did was unspeakable but HOW Marcello Mastroianni played it was one of the greatest comedic performances I've ever seen. To watch his face when he was imagining all sorts of creepy accidents to Rosalia and to hear him narrating the movie was Delight from the opening scene to the incredible and brilliant in its irony final.

back when people took their marriage vows seriously ..........2006-09-06

marcello mastroianni, as usual, turns in a masterful performance, this time as a bored husband who seeks to place his wife in an adulterous relationship so he can kill her as a way to circumvent italys draconian divorce laws. as always, marcello is great and for once this film comes in a decent print -- unlike the great movies with sophia loren.

"Rosalia, are you sick or something?".......2005-07-20

I've never even heard of this movie before, I only rented it cause I'm on a noble quest (just like a knight!) to see every Criterion DVD. And I'm glad I did cause this movie is hilarious! I loved it. I'd even buy a copy if I wasn't flat broke.

Aristocrat Fefe cannot stand his wife. Loud, annoying, crazy facial hair she grates on his nerves all day then wants to cuddle, etc all night. Yuck! Lucky for him though there is a 16-year-old hottie next door that is in love with him. Yes!

Now all he has to do is get rid of his wife, but since divorce is illegal he's just gonna have to kill her, but that means prison unless! Unless he catches her in the arms of another man then he'll get less than 3 years! But who would ever want to be with his wife?

Flawlessly directed with an almost psychotic intensity I think I grinned like an idiot the entire movie. And the performance! Everybody was great, but Marcello Mastroianni was absolutely brilliant. I'd laugh even when he was just standing around thinking.

Double feature this with THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH.

D: Pietro Germi (MY FRIENDS, SEDUCED AND ABANDONED)
W: Ennio De Concini (SALON KITTY, BLACK SUNDAY)

Ferdinando Cefalu - Marcello Mastroianni (LA DOLCE VITA, 8 1/2)
Rosalina Cefalu - Daniela Rocca (THE SUCKER, BEHOLD A PALE HORSE)
Angela - Stefania Sandrelli (1900, THE CONFORMIST)

Average customer rating:

More hokum than history - and shoddy hokum at that
I have no idea
Scenery and Sets
A sad day for Puzo and mob movies
Master OF The Rare Laserdiscs Movies.

The Sicilian
Starring: Christopher Lambert , Terence Stamp , Joss Ackland , John Turturro , and Richard Bauer
Director: Michael Cimino
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
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ASIN: B00005QAP2
Release Date: 2001-11-20

Description

ONLY ONE MAN EVER DARED TO STAND ALONE. From Mario Puzo, the best-selling author of "The Godfather," comes the riveting saga of the life, loves and dreams of the infamous Sicilian bandit, Salvatore Giuliano. Filmed entirely on location in Sicily, THE SICILIAN stars Terence Stamp ("Wall Street") and Christopher Lambert ("Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan") in a powerful portrayal of Salvatore Giuliano, a man whose dream became a legend. World War II is finally over, and a war-torn world is at rest. But for Sicily, who dreams of independence from Rome's oppresive, ironhanded regime, the struggle has just begun. Three powers have always ruled the island - the Church, the Landowners and the Mafia - until Salvatore Giuliano pronounced himself the fourth. Determined that Sicily shall gain its freedom, Giuliano and his "brothers" rob and ransom the rich, cold-bloodedly murdering all who dare to defy or betray them. As Giuliano proudly redistributes his newfound wealth among the peasants, Don Masino, the head of the Sicilian Mafia, declares that Giuliano must be stopped - at any cost. Now it's a fight for survival, as the bloodiest manhunt in Italian history sweeps the countryside in search of the notorious outlaw, Giuliano.

Customer Reviews:

More hokum than history - and shoddy hokum at that.......2006-05-05

Salvatore Giuliano has been poorly served by the two films made about him, albeit in very different ways. Francesco Rosi's Salvatore Giuliano sidelines the legendary Sicilian bandit completely and distorts much of the events around him to support a political agenda despite posing as a semi-documentary dramatisation. Despite a few good scenes, it almost seems as if the contradictions in Giuliano's story dictate it should best be told by an outsider with no political axe to grind.

On the surface, that theory is soundly kicked in the groin, beaten to a pulp and left for dead in a ditch by The Sicilian, along with Desperate Hours the only Michael Cimino film that really IS as bad as critics said Heaven's Gate was. This film is so far from the truth that only the addition of flying saucers and death rays could make it any more outlandish. This Giuliano is a Christ-like martyr and hero of the people caught smuggling grain to the starving (in reality he was selling on the black market), buying land for the peasants (Giuliano had no interest in land reform), marries the sister of a communist (Giuliano didn't even have a girlfriend), hijacking troop trains, crucifying priests and even trying to stop the massacre at Portella della Ginestre (shamefully blamed in the film on Terranova, who was one of the few of Giuliano's band who it's definitely known did NOT fire a single shot on that day). No sign of the American occupation, no mention of the Separatist movement, no sense of how Giuliano operated: just Hollywood hokum, and badly executed hokum at that.

Of course, a film can be a total fantasy and still be enjoyable, as anyone who's ever seen a Jesse James or Robin Hood movie knows. Unfortunately, The Sicilian also has the disadvantage of being an astonishing piece of crap for most of its running time. It's full of atrocities, from Joss Ackland's comedy Mafia don (his dance with Barbara Sukowa is one of cinema's great this-isn't-working-but-just-grit-your-teeth-and-try-to-get-through-it-as-quickly-as-possible acting moments), an embarrassing acappella bebop mountain wedding (dig those crazy jitterbugging bandits, man), clunking dialog ("They'll never trust you again." "Yes. Sad, isn't it?") and situations, a terrible grinning performance from Christophe Lambert and a has-to-be-seen-to-be-disbelieved final shot of Salvatore rearing up on a horse against the setting sun at his own funeral. The uncut version actually is worse than the edited version released in the US, giving more screentime to Barbara Sukowa's atrocious `American' aristocrat ("Ja, ay em verr Amerikahn"), who even gets to rape the hero during a robbery at her villa, and amplifying the inept Messianic parallels to a comic degree. There are hints at ambition, with a couple of scenes that threaten to work and the odd good line that one suspects comes from Gore Vidal's rewrite, but it's just another Hollywood mafia movie, with Ackland's Don protecting and ultimately betraying Giuliano, the son he never had. This was, after all, originally a semi-sequel to The Godfather (in Mario Puzo's novel Michael Corleone tries to arrange Giuliano's escape) until the producers found out Paramount owned the screen rights to Corleone characters and had to write them out. Unfortunately, they threw out the baby with the bathwater.

For those who want the film in its original 2.35:1 ratio rather than Artisan's fullframe panned-and-scanned version, the European PAL DVD is the uncut version in a good 2.35:1 widescreen transfer that showcases the fine photography. Extras are limited to a trailer and stills gallery.

I have no idea.......2006-03-16

My dad bought this movie cause it had to do with Sicily and Christopher Lambert starred in it. I saw a glimpse of the movieand I wasn't too impressed by what I saw, which was not much,but don't be too discouraged...its probably a good movie!!:)
Just not my cup of espresso.

Scenery and Sets .......2006-01-01

There are many reasons for watching--and ways to enjoy--a movie. In "The Sicilian," these do not include strong performances by actors and/or a well-crafted film.

The movie was filmed entirely on location and that is its greatest asset. If you are considering travel to Sicily or simply enjoy beautiful scenery and sets, viewing "The Sicilian" in lieu of a travelogue may be enough to overcome the rest of the movie's limitations.

A sad day for Puzo and mob movies.......2005-08-05

After watching the Godfather trilogy countless times and reading Puzo's novel twice, I gave "The Sicilian" a try. Let me just say I highly recommend the book.

After reading the book, I then decided to see the movie. WOW! Christopher Lambert?? Cmon! I guess we were just spoiled with the phenomenal casting in the Godfather. The fact that there was no actor of Italian descent is ludacris.

Moreover, I was not impressed with the way Giuliano is portrayed. Reading the book, you think he would be portrayed as much smarter. And what about La Venera or Sal's parents? Characters that should have been included.

The plot is just as hard to follow. There is no flow or drama. It is just very hard to get into.

I think a new version of this story, with better acting and directing, might force this version to die!

In other words, only watch this if you're curious to see how bad it is

Master OF The Rare Laserdiscs Movies........2005-07-10

I have THE SICILIAN ON LASERDISC And I bought it on DVD too ,'tis a great Mafian Movie.

Average customer rating:

The insights of desperation, depressive mood or lack of love!
Great!
This film is a powerful concentration of life in a small area of Italy.
Magnificient Italians in a magnificent film
Freud could only imagine

Respiro
Starring: Valeria Golino , Vincenzo Amato (II) , Francesco Casisa , Veronica D'Agostino , and Filippo Pucillo
Director: Emanuele Crialese
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B0000C23T0
Release Date: 2003-10-21

Amazon.com

A sunny seaside location and the radiant beauty of Valeria Golino are enough to set the mood in Respiro, a fitfully effective Italian film. Hollywood never quite figured out what to do with Golino, but she blossoms in this story about a sensual wife who's either free-spirited or manic-depressive, depending on your perspective. Her fisherman husband (Vincenzo Amato) finally decides to have her sent away for professional help, which only provokes an even more impulsive act from her. Within this story is a pointed critique of male machismo--Italian style. Director Emanuele Crialese veers between the neo-realist tradition and a more Fellini-esque taste for symbolism, never quite settling on one or the other. But the whiff of classic-era Italian film is welcome, and the seasoned, sun-baked presence of La Golino makes this movie compelling even when its point seems obscure. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

The insights of desperation, depressive mood or lack of love!.......2007-07-10

A small village of fishermen, who live in Lampedusa, a small Italian island, a young marriage; a woman who simply doesn't accept the boredoma and the reduced existential universe, where nothing happens. she needs to be listened, but the level of her demands are quite above the surroinding affective world who involves her. So she has not many options except the sea with its enormous significance of freedom, an existential metaphor where love is just a part of that crisis.

An unusual movie that possesses its own rhthym, slow but rewarding. The sensual beauty of Valeria Golino, the beauutiful island, baked by the sun lights, hovered by the dark cloud of social conventionalisms and lack of perspectives for a recent future in which tomorrow simply will be a simple varaint respect today.

A brilliant film that unavoidably, reminds us to Antonioni, the great master of silences, existential anguish and desperation. There are exquisite images throughout it.

Great!.......2007-06-06

This is a masterpiece...
Good performances, beauty and feelings!
The boy that plays in the film is unbelievable, to much sensitive!
I've liked!

This film is a powerful concentration of life in a small area of Italy........2006-06-17

Although subtitled Grazia's island (Grazia is the lead role, magnificently realized by Valeria Golino), "Respiro" could have well been called "Scenes from rural Sicilian life", as the scenography, cinematography and tableaux-like imagery seem as important to the director as her thin narrative line. Respiro's locale is Lampedusa, a tiny island far off the west coast of Sicily. About the same latitude as Malta, this place is about as remote as it gets - Tunisia is closer than Palermo. It can be safe to say that Italian time here has pretty much stood still for decades; this is Italy of de Sica and Mascagni, not Fellini and Prada. The men go out to sea, the children play, women pack fish, old black-clad crones meddle and the languid summer air of total boredom hangs down from the cloudless sky.

Throughout this film you would probably ask yourself, "Is she really as crazy as the family and neighbors think she is or just free spirited?" It's a fairly typical story, the type that a few great (and many, many average) Italian filmmakers have been serving up for the last three generations - life in the sun drenched rural, ritualistic and tribal south and the saga of one village denizen who dares to break the moulds. How long since "Cinema Paradiso?"

What I like most about the movie, besides the appealing scenery, was the interrelations of the characters, the humor, petty gossips, the impromptu emotional outbursts, the displays of maternal and filial affection. The two boys are tremendous: the older Pasquale (Francesco Casisa) is the more mature of the two. The younger Filippo (Filippo Pucillo) has an unregulated diarrhea mouth filled with hilarious and inspired ravings, often without sense. His rant against the busybody women is a treasure, as is his little-brother-as-big-brother protectiveness of his sister from the policeman-friend. The boy embodies an epic Italianate inflammability far beyond his years. While viewing this I thought the son's affection was overtly and uncomfortably oedipal at times. They do spend a lot of time and energy comforting their mom plus defending her against verbal attacks in the village.

After seeing this film, I have realized that the rural lives by the sea in many countries are similar, the differences are in the languages, but the feelings are same. I enjoyed this film so much I might see it a couple of times.

Magnificient Italians in a magnificent film.......2006-01-07

This beautiful film impacted me at a very physical level. The beauty of the sun baked island of Lampedusa in the turquoise Mediterranean Sea is stunning and elicits images of antiquity. The actors are almost angelic in their beauty. The life of the family and villagers is primal and native, simple and sometimes harsh. There are multiple issues that could be discussed about this film. I will discuss three below:

First, the mother in this story, Grazia, is a functioning manic-depressive who is wild and delightful in her manic stages. Yet, she frightens the town's other residents and she is an embarrassment to her husband, mother-in-law, daughter, and two sons. The overt, primary story line revolves around this woman and the struggle her family endures trying to get her into psychiatric treatment in Milan and then dealing with her mysterious disappearance.

Second, the story explores machismo and male dominance in native village cultures. The father Pietro is often compelled to act in socially prescribed ways, such as demanding complete obedience from his children, beating the children when they misbehave, not allowing his wife to converse with his brothers and buddies, and reacting strongly when his wife puts lipstick on local boys and when oldest son paints his mother's toe nails.

Third, under the primary story of a families reaction to a manic-depressive mother and to the social context of Italy, there is a deeper underlying story of an Oedipal struggle between a father and his eldest son for the love of the mother and the struggle to be her protector. Pietro and Grazia appear to be only around 18 years older than their daughter Marinella and maybe 20 years older than their son Pasquale (who seems to be around 15). The 35 year old Pietro is at the height of lusty manly power and loves his wife completely. Yet when he is pushed by family and neighbors to hospitalize her, it is her eldest son, Pasquale who comes to her rescue. Pasquale is fast leaving the world of boyhood behind and entering the mysterious world of adult sexuality. He struggles with the father, rarely overtly, usually covertly, to save the mother from hospitalization.

It is the resolution of this conflict that begins to dominate the second half of the film and which is the climax of the film. The beauty of the actors and scenery, the basic primal reactions to the struggle for village existence, and the life affirming and basic humanity of this film all come together into a magnificient production.

Freud could only imagine.......2005-10-30

I loved this movie. If I came to it with a literal mind then I would have been perplexed. Steeped in metaphor, it works like a poem, under the skin in a different language other than prose. It works in its images -- the sea, the cave, the feet gathering in water, like babies as they swim. It turns Freud right on his head with a child, a son no less, presenting the mother a cave out of which he will "birth" her. She will swim in the birthing water surrounding by townspeople whose feet resemble so many infants. The mother's death and resurrection are ultimately the salvation of the small minded, controlling town where men have always been at the center of all activity. Thank you for making this beautiful film.

Verdi - I Vespri Siciliani / Merritt, Studer, Furlanetto, Zancanaro, Musinu, Banditelli, Gavazzi, Muti, La Scala Opera

Average customer rating:

Another La Scala Stunner!
Sweet from Act 3 on
Excellent singing
What an amazing opera

Verdi - I Vespri Siciliani / Merritt, Studer, Furlanetto, Zancanaro, Musinu, Banditelli, Gavazzi, Muti, La Scala Opera
Starring: Cheryl Studer , Chris Merritt , Giorgio Zancanaro , Ferruccio Furlanetto , and Riccardo Muti
Manufacturer: BBC / Opus Arte
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00030EQXY
Release Date: 2004-11-16

Description

Verdi's 1855 Paris opera which followed Rigoletto, Il Trovatore and La Traviata is treated to a performance of blazing energy and intimate refinement with a superb cast which includes Cheryl Studer and Chris Merritt. The rarely-seen third act ballet is included complete, with the internationally-acclaimed dancers Carla Fracci and Wayne Eagling. This is the eighth release in the La Scala Collection. The DVD includes a wonderful 28 page booklet with the full libretto. Picture Format: 4:3 • Subtitles: GB • Sound Format: Dolby Stereo

Customer Reviews:

Another La Scala Stunner!.......2007-06-30

My goal in viewing/listening to opera is to keep in touch with Italian language and get in touch with Italian opera culture in preparation for an upcoming trip. Someone with rudimentary Italian (io) could easily understand (without subtitles, but following the libretto and referring to the synopsis) this production of "I Vespri Siciliani" because it had communicative staging and costuming, decent (Furlanetto) to superior (Zancanoro) acting, and numerous closeups of the interactions of the main characters. One example of make-it-accessible stagecraft: The costumes of the male Sicilian chorus were probably historically inaccurate but expressive of place and station, showing the locals in clear contrast to the occupying French. I fast-forwarded through the (overly-long, not very interesting) ballet in Act III but was otherwise fully engaged throughout. Like other La Scala productions I've seen that were filmed by RAI TV, a first-rate theatrical performance made into a top-class home viewing experience.

Sweet from Act 3 on.......2005-01-23

The first act was a drag. The beginning of Act 2 was wonderful (Zancanaro's opening aria which was warm and beautiful got great applause), then the score wilted. But from Act 3 right up to the shocker of an ending, the whole thing was absolutely beautiful. Everyone sang wonderfully. The plot had enough devices to keep it interesting. I don't like ballet, but I enjoyed this one, the dancing was clever (but what did it mean?) and the music was beautiful and fun by turns. One note. Merritt's character in particular, but all the rebels in general seemed obsessed with a death wish! I want to die, would that I could die, it is better to die than to... Good grief! If they'd all had their way, the opera wouldn't have lasted 10 minutes, just a stage littered with contented corpses. And (sigh) why must everyone suffer so in a Verdi opera? I quibble. It's just old fashioned melodrama. I highly recommend this, first and second acts notwithstanding.

Excellent singing.......2005-01-09

This is an excellent DVD musically. The only fault I can find with it is a fault common to many DVDs of operas; some of the leading singers look much older than their rolls. In the opera house this is not a problem because you cannot see the singers closely enough to notice, but in movies, TV, and DVD closups this obvious age problem detracts from the overall effect. Since in operas, I consider the music to be the most important part, if I must choose between excellent singing and looking the part,I would choose excellent singing every time. Therefore, I give this DVD 5 stars.

What an amazing opera.......2004-12-19

I've been living in Asia for many years and I somehow missed hearing of Cheryl Studer. A few years back a friend played a cut from this DVD for me- Studer's singing of "Merce, diletti amiche," and I was hooked. What incredible singing- the voice radiant, the coloratura nearly flawless, the diction clear and clean.(Compare her singing with the very strange sounds that Martina Arroyo made in this aria in the 1974 recording with Levine). Studer's singing throughout just makes you glad to be alive.

Muti's conducting is also another reason to treasure this disc.The music is so beautiful and he approaches the score with delicacy and energy at the same time.The ballet is wonderful evidence of how fine his conducting is. Some have complained that this dance episode is too long but I can't hear it often enough.

For me Chris Merritt is the one fly in the ointment. I find his singing dry and colorless; but, at the same time, you sense that he is giving his all for Muti and this gorgeous music.(Domingo for Levine, in his early prime, is golden voiced). The rest of the cast and the staging are very fine.

I'm not a judge of sound but the transfer sounds great to me (better than the EMI disc). And it is very reasonably priced. Not to be missed, especially by Verdi lovers.

Salvatore Giuliano - Criterion Collection

Average customer rating:

Example of why Italians are the best film directors
Disappointing, dishonest and, worse still, dull
great interviews on disk 2
A great Italian crime film
Loved it the first time I saw it. Even though I was lost.

Salvatore Giuliano - Criterion Collection
Starring: Salvo Randone , Frank Wolff , Max Cartier , Frederico Zardi , and Bruno Ukmar
Director: Francesco Rosi
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00014K5ZU
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Description

Who murdered Salvatore Giuliano? July 5, 1950-the infamous bandit's bullet-riddled corpse is found facedown in a courtyard in Castelvetrano, Sicily, a handgun and rifle by his side. At the age of twenty-seven, Giuliano (Frank Wolff) was then both Italy's most wanted criminal and most celebrated hero of his day. In this groundbreaking work of investigative filmmaking, director Francesco Rosi harnesses the facts and myths surrounding the true story of Giuliano's death, creating a searching and startling exposé of Sicily and the web of relations between her citizens, the Mafia, the military, and government officials.

Customer Reviews:

Example of why Italians are the best film directors.......2005-10-27

My son (a film editor) recommended that I watch Criterion films. He told me that I would be stunned by the story and by the nonprofessional actors in Salvatore Guiliani. I am still stunned. The interviews and commentary are also excellent.

Disappointing, dishonest and, worse still, dull.......2005-09-20

Salvatore Guiliano feels like a missed opportunity and little more than an exercise in film form masturbation from Francesco Rosi. Salvatore Giuliano is a fascinating figure in Sicilian history and folklore, an extraordinarily successful bandit who briefly became the only competent military leader in the Sicilian Separatist movement only to be betrayed by politicians and the Mafia and killed under mysterious circumstances: as with all the key events in Giuliano's life, there are at least three different versions of how he met his end depending on what your stance is. That's always the major problem when dealing with Giuliano as a historical figure - people project onto him what they want to see to fit their own interpretation, and Rosi is certainly guilty of the same crime. Despite his shooting on the actual locations, he ignores and simplifies too much too often (for example, the Americans never really supported the Separatist movement due to their links with the British, choosing to place their trust in the Mafia instead, while the Mafia's importance in Giuliano's story is exaggerated: Rosi suggests he worked for them when in fact they acted more as go-betweens) and often makes deliberate changes to the known facts. While its perhaps acceptable dramatic license to add a Communist speech in the prelude to the Portella della Ginestre massacre sequence for context (even though the shooting began to stop the speech starting), his minor changes to details like the death of Gaspare Pisciotta seem especially perverse in a film that boasts of its documentary credentials and claims to stick only to verifiable facts. In fact, at every turn, this film shows considerably LESS than was known at the time.

Giuliano's extraordinary success was largely down to a number of historical factors - the resentment Sicilians felt to Italians and the central government in Rome; the comparative weakness of Mafia, who, suppressed by Mussolini and newly restored by the Americans (who deemed them a legitimate anti-Fascist resistance movement!), were then in a period of transition and, unable to control local bandits, took advantage of them by acting as intermediaries and sources of information for their kidnappings; the fact that the army and police each wanted the glory of his capture or killing and would actively undermine each others efforts (this internecine feuding extended within both groups: one police chief even murdered a rival's informant); Giuliano paying well the locals well over the odds for supplies to make it in their interest not to betray him; Giuliano's willingness to kill childhood friends and threaten family members; and most importantly, his tendency to change sides to any non-communist group that might promise a pardon. Unfortunately, none of that is to be found in the film. Indeed, going into it blind, you'd be hard put to understand why Giuliano is such a local legend. Rosi marginalizes him at every turn, dramatizes minor incidents and spends half the movie on the trial of Pisciotta and various survivors of Giuliano's band. These scenes do at least capture the chaos and some of the revelations and allegations of political duplicity, but again Rosi seems more interested in deliberately showing how little he knows rather than attempting to find an ordered argument in it all. Ultimately it all comes down to "Well, I can't make head nor tail of it, but it stinks a bit to me."

Sadly Peter Cowie's audio commentary on the Criterion DVD is quite poor - he tends to amplify rather than correct Rosi's errors and frequently resorts to bizarre metaphors ("like leopards they just changed their spots" - huh?). He's good on Rosi and his brand of political cinema, but poor on Giuliano - much like the film itself. Despite a few good scenes (the mass arrest of the male population of Montelepre, the immediate aftermath of Giuliano's death), it almost seems as if the contradictions in Giuliano's story dictate it should best be told by an outsider with no political axe to grind.

great interviews on disk 2.......2005-07-26

more than the movie itself, I found the interviews very interesting. The director and his collaborators and other critics are featured, which actually reveal very interesting details on the writing, preparation, and production. There is also a vintage newsreel from 1950, and from the actual real photographs of Giuliano and the sicilian village, you could see how realistic was the film set. One of a kind. They don't make movie directors like this anymore.

A great Italian crime film.......2005-01-23

This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

"Salvatore Giuliano" is based on the true story of a 1940's Sicilian gangster of the same name. He has been regarded as a Sicilian Robin Hood as many people in Sicilly considered him a hero. The film covers his life from the beginning of his years of crime up to his death and the aftermath of it.

The movie is very well made and was filmed at the same location that the actual events took place and the extras casting had many people who were actual eyewitnesses to the events depicted in the film. It is possibly one of the most true to life reenactments even conducted for a film.

The Criterion Collection has done an excellent job and has included some excellent special features.
Disc one contains the film with optional audio commentary by Peter Cowie and a theatrical trailer.
Disc Two contains actual newsreel footage covering the death of Giuliano as well as a documentary about the life of director Francesco Rosi and a filmed discussion about the historical events of the film.

This is another great film and those interested in Mafia films will like this one also.

Loved it the first time I saw it. Even though I was lost........2004-06-17

I don't usually praise this kinda thing but it has to be said. This the best DVD transfer I have ever seen on a film. Criterion did an incredible job with this dvd. It's amazing. Amazing doesn't even do it justice. After seeing this I wish Criterion Collection owned the DVD rights to every movie ever made.

I'll admit this film is hard to follow due to the way it was edited and peiced together. It took me a couple of viewings to just take it all in and there is alot to take in. Luckily It was so entertaining that I did not mind watching it a few times at all. Actually this film gets better the more you watch it.

Off the batt, some scenes stood out so much that you could really tell what other directors were influenced by this film. Francis Ford Coppolla is the most obvious one. I'll let you figure out the others for yourself.

This film has some of the best camera work I've ever seen. Way better then Antonioni's "L'aaventura." This film deserves the praise that "L'aaventura" gets. Even more actually. The acting is strong but to be honest with you you don't really pay much attention to the acting. The visuals in this film alone are so powerful that they leave you in awe. It was too hard for me to focus on the story the first time. I was too busy drooling over the camerawork.

I don't wanna write any more about this film. The more I write the more time you waste reading and not watching. Instead of trying to make sense of all this poor grammar you should be watching this film. Go now!!! Watch!! Don't waste anymore time. Amazon will still be here when you get back.

Average customer rating:

"Keep your friends close but your enemies closer."

Worth watching for Delon, Gabin and Ventura.

The Sicilian Clan / Le Clan Des Siciliens - English audio (Russian release)
Starring: Jean Gabin , Alain Delon , Lino Ventura , Irina Demick , and Amedeo Nazzari
Director: Henri Verneuil
Manufacturer: DVD Magic
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Le Samourai - Criterion Collection

Product Features:

- English soundtrack

- English subtitles

ASIN: B000E1E2JA

Product Description

ENGLISH SUBTITLES!!! This is a Region Free, NTSC, widescreen DVD. Audio Tracks: DD 2.0 FRENCH, DD 2.0 ENGLISH dubbed and DD 2.0 RUSSIAN ______________________________________ SYNOPSIS: Roger Santet (Alain Delon) is a convicted murderer sprung from prison by the Sicilian clan headed by the aging Vittorio Manalese (Jean Gabin). They conspire to steal a large cache of jewels from an exhibit in Rome. As they are preparing for the heist, the mobster's American friend Tony Nicosia (Amedeo Nazzarri) suggests that a better way to get the rocks would be to hijack the transport plane while it is en route to New York. The dogged inspector Le Goff (Lino Ventura) is using all the available resources to thwart their plans. Though the heist itself is successful, Santet finds himself trapped by the mob because of his fling with Manalese's daughter-in-law (Irina Demick).

Customer Reviews:

"Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.".......2007-09-13

As one of the IMDB reviewers said, "The best feature of this film is the fantastic sound track by the genius composer Ennio Morricone". Morricone's catchy, wistful, longing, mourning and absolutely mesmerizing score elevates this typical (in a good sense) French crime noir to even higher level. I first heard it couple of years ago when I bought Morricone's "Once Upon A Time: The Essential Ennio Morricone Film Music Collection", a double disc superb collection. Even among legendary Morricone's scores, the music for "Le Clan des Siciliens" stands out. It created a mood that mixed suspense, melancholy, danger, and regrets, and it made me fell in love with the movie that I had not even seen. Since I heard the score for the first time, I tried to find the film and finally I purchased a Region Free, NTSC, widescreen DVD with French, English and Russian Audio tracks and English subtitles. The film looks gorgeous and I was pleased with the clean and clear DVD transfer. I have been a fan of French crime/heist/noir/mystery of 1960-1980 films for long time and to see three of my favorite actors (Alain Delon, Jean Gabin, and Lino Ventura) who had made many classics of the beloved genres acting in the same movie added to my excitement. All three are excellent, and one of the advantages of the new DVD was the chance to see the film in its original French and to hear the real voices of three screen legends. Nobody could be cooler than Delon as Roger Santet, a convicted murderer, ruthless, violent yet irresistibly and dangerously charming, a "beautiful destructive angel of the dark street". Lino Ventura is reliable and convincing as a chief of detective inspectors who had vowed to hunt Santet down. Aging Jean Gabin, one of the most beloved French actors with the wide acting range who could play successfully the characters as diverse as inspector Maigret and Pépé le Moko is wonderful as Vittorio Manalese, the father and "the Godfather" of the Sicilian Clan, the family which is tied by blood in more ways than one. Vittorio certainly lived by an old wisdom, "Keep your friends close but your enemies closer."

Worth watching for Delon, Gabin and Ventura........2006-02-28

Not the best film made by any of its three stars, the Sicilian Clan is worth watching because of those three stars, Alan Delon, Jean Gabin and Lino Ventura.

Delon is a gangster facing the death penalty, who escapes from the Police with the aid of a Sicilian family living in Paris. (hence the title). The head of the family is played by an elderly Jean Gabin. The reason why Delon has been helped to escape is so that he give Gabin's family the plans of a jewel robbery. (Most French gangster films involve a jewel robbery).

Hunting Delon is policeman Lino Ventura.

Its three stars bring a certain French cool to the whole matter. Delon and Gabin are for different age groups the typical French film star, while Ventura has one of the most memorable faces to ever grace the screen. All three can act, although in this film not to much is required of them.

My version is also dubbed into English rather than have subtitles. This cuts down on the realism, Gabins voice is in particular to stilted to do the great actor credit.

Still the Sicilian Clan is worth a couple of hours of your time if you enjoy French heist cappers.

Helmut Lotti Goes Classic: The Blue Album [Special CD & DVD Edition]

Average customer rating:

Helmut Lotti Goes Classic: The Blue Album [Special CD & DVD Edition]

Manufacturer: Xxl
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000B8TIOU
Release Date: 2005-10-08

Globe Trekker - Corsica, Sicily & Sardinia

Average customer rating:

Globe trekker
Not a glamour shots travelogue
Sorry I bought it

Globe Trekker - Corsica, Sicily & Sardinia
Starring: Ian Wright
Director: Ian Cross
Manufacturer: Pilot Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007GP7VO
Release Date: 2004-11-01

Product Description

The Mediterranean islands of Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily are the stepping stones between Europe and Africa. A mix of Italian, French and Moorish traditions visitors have long been attracted to the contrasting cultures and scenery of these three Mediterranean Islands. Traveler Ian Wright begins his journey on the French Island of Corsica, the birthplace of Napoleon, where he enjoys a wealth of outdoor activities. He then sails to the Italian Island of Sardinia to celebrate the S'Ardia festival and witness the fine horsemanship of the locals. Ians final destination is the Island of Sicily where he cooks up a storm with a local pasta chef before ending his journey on top of Stromboli's smoking and lava spitting volcano. Hike a rugged Corsican mountain range. Drive an old Fiat Topolino through the hills of Sardinia. See a wild horse race in a remote mountain community. Work for your passage on a luxury yacht across the Mediterranean. Enjoy the Festival of Saint Rosalia in Sicily as the city comes alive with lights and people are showered with rose petals.

Customer Reviews:

Globe trekker.......2007-03-10

Not bad if you are interested in this region. We were only interested in Sicily and it is only a very small part of this video.

Not a glamour shots travelogue.......2006-04-12

I loved this DVD and pretty much everything I have seen from the Globe Trekker series. Ian Wright is my favorite traveler. I'd watch him go anywhere! While I sympathize with the other reviewer who wanted to see more beauty shots of the island, I appreciated learning about the history and cultures of these three interesting places. If I am ever fortunate enough to visit the Mediterranean, having information on the language and culture of Corsica and Sardinia will be a lot more helpful than knowing the best place for a kodak moment.

Sorry I bought it.......2005-08-03

I have been to Corsica several times and wanted to buy a DVD that captured this island's beauty, but this DVD doesn't do this. First of all, it's like an amateur video that focuses most of the time in Ian Wright and not in the beautiful places that Corsica has to offer. Second, for someone who has never travel to Corsica it would offer no insight into the island. If I had the opportunity I would return it because we didn't even finish looking at it.

On the other hand, I also bought and would much better recommend: Corsica: Ile de Beauté which gives you the images you expect in a travel video.

DVD:

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