Hey folks, Harry here with a look at MALENA from our resident Talk Back SUPERHERO.... superhero.... there is nothing all caps about him, he's merely your lower-case variety good-doer. Here, he is bringing to your attention a wrong that must go corrected... MALENA... you must read his review and get out there to see it.... Here ya go....
Hello Harry!
Once again, I am the individual known as superhero in your manic wonderful world of talkback forums.
I am writing to your site to give you some insight on a brilliant film that I saw this weekend which I believe has gotten absolutely no attention on your (or any other) site. This is a film of incredible emotion and depth with a lot of lightheartedness to make it an incredibly well rounded movie going experience.
What is this film you may ask? What is this film that seems to have slipped up off of everyone‚s radar when much more inferior filmmaking such as Before Night Falls gets much more, less deserved attention?
Well this film is called Malena and I will not hesitate to say that it is one of the best movies of the year 2000.
As a matter of fact, I quite honestly think that this movie should be a top contender for best foreign film along with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Now I know what several of you are thinking (I am a superhero after all): Have you lost leave of your senses superhero? Has your X-Ray Atomo vision failed you? Is the pain from that rare, cosmic element crippling your senses? Why Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the greatest film since Citizen Kane! The most magnificent thing placed on a piece of celluloid since the Matrix or at least „GASP‰ Star Wars!!!! How, oh, how could you even come to compare anything to the Ark of the Covenant that is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?
It‚s easy. I can‚t.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is an incredibly original, wonderful piece of moviemaking. Something that re-invigorates your faith in moviemaking. Nothing can touch it and nothing should.
But Malena, my friends, Malena should not be ignored for it is also a wonderful piece of moviemaking.
As most of you may already know Malena is the latest feature film written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore who directed one of the most beautiful love songs to film fans ever made, Cinema Paradiso.
Malena tells the story of a young mans coming of age and the beautiful woman that he becomes obsessed with as he begins to make the transition from young boy to young man. Well, at least that‚s what the movie seems to be once it begins but as it moves along you start to realize that this movie is about much, much more than that.
The movie takes place during World War II, Italy, and as the story unfolds we are introduced to a young, beautiful (Did I say beautiful? Boy, lemme tell ya I ain‚t kiddin‚ around here. This woman is pretty much what God intended when the phrase physically perfect was brought to the human language!) woman whose husband has been sent off to war. She is someone who keeps to herself and usually has nothing to do with most of the people in her little town as she is just silently and faithfully waiting for her husband‚s return. The problem is that all the men in the town (including the young protagonist, Renato Amoroso) are obsessed with her. They continually watch her and make the lewdest of comments in her direction and spread rumors about her saying that there is NO WAY anyone as gorgeous as Malena could actually remain faithful to a husband who is thousands of miles away.
And for Malena this is all well and good because all she does is ignore the comments and rumors while trying to move through her daily life, paying no attention to the unscrupulous characters who are constantly in her business.
On the other end of the spectrum is aforementioned Renato who is just coming of age and trying his best to fit in with the group of boys in his town. In the beginning of the film he is inducted into the membership of a group of boys and their favorite past time which happens to be following and lusting after the young married woman Malena.
The problem for Renato is that as he becomes one of Malena‚s „stalkers‰ his obsession consumes him and he begins to watch her every move and she begins to fill his every thought. His passion for her slowly becomes a genuine love which he, just beginning to understand the feelings within him, is having a hard time comprehending. As many young men do with their first full blown introduction to feelings of lust/love, Renato continually goes into flights of fancy in his own head about his object of first desire (Linda Carter, anyone?) and also starts to make a fool out of himself in front of his friends and family in his attempts to prove that he is a full blown man. The passions that fill him make for some genuinely hysterical moments in the movie as he tries to come to grips with all of the emotions building up within him and his inability to cope with them rationally.
One of these irrational behaviors, as I mentioned before, is his constant pursuit of Malena as she moves about her little, lonely life. Quite honestly there were times in this film where it could have been called, „Young Stalker: The Movie‰. But as the story unfolds you start to see that Renato‚s constant surveillance of the town‚s resident beauty is actually an ingenious device used by the film‚s director. As the love smitten young lead in the movie follows Malena around he begins to take notice of the fact that not only are the men talking about her but the women as well. Out of jealousy and/or fear that she will steal their men, they begin spreading the most vicious and horrible lies about her character that affect her life in ways that she may not even be privy to. Meanwhile Renato is following her around discovering the truth about her that nobody knows and happens to be so far from what the town is gossiping about that it‚s ridiculous. As a result the object of his desire‚s life slowly begins to crumble around her and she begins to transform into exactly what the town characterized her as out of necessity.
I won‚t say anymore about the plot as I truly HATE spoilers but I will say that one of the ingenious things about this movie is that as you watch it you think that what you are watching is a lighthearted romp and what begins to unravel is a deep, heart wrenching tragedy.
This movie talks about so many things that it‚s incredible. It truly becomes a statement about the nature of people and the basic fact that sometimes people truly do want to destroy what‚s beautiful. It‚s about the nature of gossip and the nature of growing up and realizing that the truth is not always what people are interested in.
As far as performances go the movie is wonderful. The young boy who plays Renato is magnificent. As is the woman who plays Malena. Honestly, this stunning actress hardly says a word during the entire film but her presence and beauty provide the movie with a true anchor point which holds your attention throughout the film. Man, if anyone in Hollywood is listening you need to go find this woman and put her in your movie.
Of course, Hollywood would never have the balls to make this movie and I will now tell you why.
This movie is EXTREMELY non-PC. Which, to me, is absolutely terrific. You see the movie is filled with tons of Italian Stereotypes. Not of the Goodfellas variety but of the old-homecountry variety. Not only that but most, if not all, the men in the movie are complete cads! They are the complete, romancing, only out for one thing Italian male stereotype. And some of the things they say! Man, you wouldn‚t find those many disparaging remarks about women in any American movie! But the thing of it is that it‚s all good natured. It all serves the story and propels it along. Some people may be offended but I was not. I actually thought some of it was truly honest. I mean some men (not only Italian) really DO speak that way about women and I truly think that the movie condemns that sort of mentality. It uses it to say it‚s wrong which in my opinion is the best way to present something that may offend certain individuals.
Go see this movie. It‚s tone is much like Life Is Beautiful in that it mixes equal elements of joy and tragedy. It is actually worth your eight to ten bucks and you‚ll feel like you‚ve actually had a great time at the movies which is more than I can say for a lot of the crap out there.
Uh, Oh. It looks like a nearby asteroid has decided to get ornery and head towards Earth which could destroy all civilization as we know it!
I'd better go. Duty calls
Til next time!
Saving the world from bad cinema.
superhero
