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It's not just a pretty poster
by Il Capo di tutti Capi (movies profile)
Nov 19, 2005
3
of
4 people found this review helpful
It's about art, by definition, a few aspects of reality seen through the eyes of a single individual (or a small group, in the case of cinematography). Pretty words and abstract descriptions normally used to criticize a movie cannot hide the fact that this one, in particular, is the kind that has the potential of appealing to anyone, from teenage kids with short "pencils" to nostalgic grandmommas and grandpoppas who can still sit up straight to watch TV.
The "sharp" subtleties consist of the web-like sticky, not-at-all-welcoming for our signiorina combination of social, traditional and political values which existed back in '40s Italy (and not only). There are a few scenes in this film that persistently keep popping up in my head (in a non-intrusive and nasty kind of way), just raw facts of life, like a Discovery Channel wildlife documentary, such as the street beating and humiliation of Malena by a blood-thirsty pack of smelly, ugly, disgusting, jealous and wrinkled females, just after the Americans had marched triumphantly through town. None of the men dares to intervene or help her in any way, even though they had all (unsuccesfuly) tried taking advantage of her at one point or another in the story.
What I find especially heart-breaking is the ending which (I will not say what it is) seems desperately undignifiable and injust, but with a sense of resignation which is passed on to the viewer by a sensible, yet worn-out Monica Belluci. |
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