Malèna
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Malèna | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Giuseppe Tornatore |
| Produced by | Harvey Weinstein |
| Written by | Screenplay: Giuseppe Tornatore Story: Luciano Vincenzoni |
| Starring | Monica Bellucci Giuseppe Sulfaro |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
| Cinematography | Lajos Koltai |
| Editing by | Massimo Quaglia |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
| Release date(s) | October 27, 2000 |
| Running time | 109 minutes (Italy) 92 minutes (U.S.A.) |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | Italian |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Malèna is a 2000 Italian drama/romance film starring Monica Bellucci and Giuseppe Sulfaro. It was directed and written by Giuseppe Tornatore from a story by Luciano Vincenzoni.[1]
Criticised for its depiction of teenage sexuality, as well as the paucity of dialogue, Malèna was relatively successful in Europe, but the movie itself was altered by its North American distribution company Fine Line Features, and several scenes were cut. The film did poorly in few United States movie theatres, despite good reviews. As of 2005, only the edited version is available for commercial purchase on DVD in North America.
The film nonetheless is credited with officially introducing anglophone audiences to Italian actress Bellucci (whose career had previously been limited to European films), who went on to make a number of high-profile American film appearances.
The score by Ennio Morricone was nominated for an Academy Award.
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[edit] Plot
The film is set in 1940 during World War II just as Italy enters the war. Malena's husband, Nino Scordia, leaves to serve in the military. Malena feels sad and tries to cope with her loss, as the town she has just moved to tries to deal with this beautiful woman who gets the attention and lustful stares of all the local men, including the 12-year-old Renato. However, in spite of the villagers' gossip, she continues to be faithful to her husband. Renato becomes obsessed with Malena and starts fantasizing about her while masturbating.
The silent, distractingly beautiful outsider learns one day that her husband has been killed. Renato continues to watch as she suffers from loneliness and grief. Malena is shunned by the townspeople and the jealous women of the Italian village.
She visits her father, an almost deaf professor of Latin, regularly and helps him with his household chores. When a slanderous letter about her sexual morals reaches his hands, their relationship suffers a catastrophic blow. In the meanwhile, the war worsens. The village is bombed and Malena's father is killed.
She falls on hard times and eventually has no money. The wife of the local dentist takes her to court, but Malena is acquitted. The only man, an army officer, who Malena does have an innocent romance with, is sent away because of the trial.
Malena's poverty finally forces her to succumb to the greed and malice of the town. When the German army comes to town, Malena goes over to Germans as well. Renato sees her in the company of two German officers and faints. His mother and the older ladies of the town think that he has been possessed by the devil and take him to church to exorcise the "demons." His father however understands that he is suffering from sexual hunger and takes him to a brothel; Renato has sex with one of the prostitutes while fantasizing that she is Malena.
When the war ends, the women of the village gather and, out of jealousy and hatred, publicly beat and ridicule Malena. Malena leaves for Messina. A few days later, Nino Scordia returns to town, to the shock of all the residents. He finds his house occupied by people displaced by the war. Renato tells him through an anonymous letter about Malena's whereabouts. Nino goes to Messina to find her. A year later, they return. The villagers, especially the women, astonished at her courage, begin to talk to "Signora Scordia" with respect. In the last scene near the beach, Renato helps her pick up some oranges that had dropped from her shopping bag. Afterwards he wishes her "Buona fortuna, Signora Malena" (good luck, Mrs. Malena) and rides off on his bicycle, looking back at her for a final time as she walks away with the retrospective thought that he has never forgotten her, even in his old age. He said, "Of all the girls who asked me if I remember them, the only one I remembered is the one who did not ask."
[edit] Cast
- Monica Bellucci as Malena Scordia
- Giuseppe Sulfaro as Renato Amoroso
- Luciano Federico as Renato's Father
- Matilde Piana as Renato's Mother
- Pietro Notarianni as Professor Bonsignore
- Gaetano Aronica as Nino Scordia
- Gilberto Idonea as Avvocato Centorbi
- Angelo Pellegrino as Segretario politico
- Gabriella Di Luzio as Mantenuta del Barone
[edit] Critical reception
When first released Variety wrote, "Considerably scaled down in scope and size from his English-language existential epic, "The Legend of 1900," Giuseppe Tornatore's Malena is a beautifully crafted but slight period drama that chronicles a 13-year-old boy's obsession with a small-town siren in World War II Sicily. Combining a coming-of-age story with the sad odyssey of a woman punished for her beauty, the film ultimately has too little depth, subtlety, thematic consequence or contemporary relevance to make it a strong contender for arthouse crossover. But its erotic elements and nostalgic evocation of the same vanished Italy that made international hits of "Cinema Paradiso" and "Il Postino" could supply commercial leverage."[2]
Film critic Roger Ebert compared the film to Fellini's work, writing, "Fellini's films often involve adolescents inflamed by women who embody their carnal desires. (See Amarcord and 8½ Please.) But Fellini sees the humor that underlies sexual obsession, except (usually but not always) in the eyes of the participants. Malena is a simpler story, in which a young man grows up transfixed by a woman and essentially marries himself to the idea of her. It doesn't help that the movie's action grows steadily gloomier, leading to a public humiliation that seems wildly out of scale with what has gone before and to an ending that is intended to move us much more deeply, alas, than it can."[3]
[edit] Music
The soundtrack was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.
[edit] American version
The United States version of the film was heavily cut due to the portrayal of the young boy fantasizing about performing sexual acts with Malena. One scene in the uncut version of the film has an extended scene of the boy visiting a brothel and going to bed with a prostitute whom he imagines as Malena.
[edit] Awards
Wins
- Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists - Silver Ribbon, Best Score: Ennio Morricone.
- Cabourg Romantic Film Festival: Golden Swann, Giuseppe Tornatore, 2001.
- David di Donatello Awards: David, Best Cinematography, Lajos Koltai. 2001.
Nominations
- Academy Awards: Oscar, Best Cinematography, Lajos Koltai; Best Original Score, Ennio Morricone, 2001.
- Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists - Silver Ribbon, Best Costume Design: Maurizio Millenotti; Best Editing: Massimo Quaglia; Best Production Design: Francesco Frigeri, 2001.
- Golden Globes: Golden Globe, Best Foreign Language Film, Italy; Best Original Score - Motion Picture, Ennio Morricone; 2001.
- British Academy of Film and Television Arts: BAFTA Film Award, Best Film not in the English Language, Harvey Weinstein, Carlo Bernasconi and Giuseppe Tornatore; 2001.
- Berlin International Film Festival: Golden Berlin Bear, Giuseppe Tornatore, 2001.
- David di Donatello Awards: David, Best Costume Design, Maurizio Millenotti; Best Music, Ennio Morricone; Best Production Design, Francesco Frigeri; 2001.
- European Film Awards: Audience Award, Best Actress, Monica Bellucci; Best Director, Giuseppe Tornatore, 2001.
- Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards: Sierra Award, Best Foreign Film, 2001.
- Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards: PFCS Award, Best Foreign Language Film, 2001.
- Satellite Awards: Golden Satellite Award, Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language; Best Original Score, Ennio Morricone, 2001.
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ Malèna at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ Rooney, David. Variety, film review, October 30, 2000. Last accessed: March 1, 2008.
- ^ Ebrt, Roger. Chicago Sun-Times, film review, December 22, 2000. Last accessed: March 1, 2008.
[edit] External links
- Malèna at the Internet Movie Database
- Malèna at Allmovie
- Malèna DVD review at DVD Times
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