Malena (UK)
A world at war. A young man coming of age. And the woman who changed his life forever
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 88 mins
Retail Price: £17.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
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, the eventual struggles and hardships that Malena must bravely endure serve to inspire Renato to new heights of compassion, courage and independence!
Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
`Making Of` Featurette
Theatrical Trailer
Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 1.78:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 Italian
Subtitle Tracks:
English
Directed By:
Giuseppe Tornatore
Written By:
Luciano Vincenzoni
Giuseppe Tornatore
Starring:
Gaetano Aronica
Pietro Notarianni
Matilde Piana
Luciano Federico
Giuseppe Sulfaro
Monica Bellucci
Casting By:
Adolfo Onorati
Soundtrack By:
Ennio Morricone
Director of Photography:
Lajos Koltai
Editor:
Massimo Quaglia
Costume Designer:
Maurizio Millenotti
Production Designer:
Francesco Frigeri
Producer:
Harvey Weinstein
Mario Cotone
Carlo Bernasconi
Executive Producer:
Bob Weinstein
Mario Spedaletti
Teresa Moneo
Fabrizio Lombardo
Distributor:
Buena Vista
Your Opinions and Comments
The video transfer is good. While there are a few compressions signs on occasions, the overall quality of the picture is good. The colors are a bit de-saturated, but I believe it is intentional. My disk contained only the fullscreen version of the movie.
The DD 5.1 (yes, DD 5.1) soundtrack is good. There isn`t much usage of the surrounds (except for the beautiful musical score and a scene towards the end of the movie), but for this kind of a movie it is acceptable.
The menus are still with music.
The extras include a short behind the scenes look.
Bottom line - a nice movie with a touching story.
Maléna is the Venus de Milo in the flesh who sets the men`s hearts aflame in a small Italian town with her porcelain skin and raven hair. Her daily waltz through the town square is an event men plan their days around. But no heart burns as hot as that of the sexually awakening Renato (Giuseppe Sulfaro), the film`s adolescent protagonist who lurches into manhood with one glimpse of her angelic form.
Faithful Renato seems to be the only one able to see the personality hidden from everyone else, and his pure romanticism renders him vulnerable to the first painful lesson in becoming a man: Unrequited love is emotion in its purest form but no less bittersweet for its tenderness and purity.
"Malena" isn't a great film, but it isn't a bad film either. There are some good moments and a workable story that most adult audiences might like. However, others might turn away because the film is foreign and most mainstream audiences don't like to read subtitles. I just found some flaws with the film with its repeatative "overdone moments". If you like a change from the typical Hollywood fare, don`t miss this beautifully photographed Italian movie (with English subtitles).