Amazon.com

Salted pork shanks as leitmotiv in a dark comedy about an absurd love triangle: this is what post-Franco cine is all about (food and sex). Spanish tortillas (i.e., potato omelets) are also big in this one. Director José Juan Bigas Luna's Jamón Jamón is intelligent, wry, and--despite the formulaic narrative that melodrama must essentially contain--unpredictable. At times his film exudes a certain Almodóvar flavor, but there is an edge, perhaps a heavy-handedness, to the dark humor that is either Luna's success or his downfall. The film garnered the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, after all. Try to follow: sexy Penelope Cruz (Belle Epoque) is growing up with her mother outside town on the highway, on the wrong side of the highway. Together they run a truck stop where cars and life literally race past. Cruz is in love with Jordí Molla, by whom she is pregnant. Molla's bourgeois mother, played by Anna Galiena (Being Human), thinks he can and should do better. (Of course, neither Cruz nor his mother knows of the erotic, hmm, avian interludes Molla enjoys on the side.) To save her son from the lower classes, Galiena hires Javier Bardem, a muscular, pretty man (whose regular consumption of the pork he distributes for a living has enhanced his sexual appeal) to pursue Cruz. The dark comedy finds a proper ending to the triangle in a grotesque but comedic landscape of death. This is not a cookie-cutter movie but rather one that will resonate with both your light and dark sides. After each surprise, you'll chuckle, feel guilty, and chuckle again. --Erik Macki ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Two words, Penelope Cruz
O.K. it may not be a five star movie, more like four but if you're a Penelope Cruz fan like me you'll love it. Seeing her half clothed body frequently throughout the movie makes you glad they invented rewind and pause controls on your antiquated vcr. Seriously though this is a very sexy and smart movie about two of the things most of us love most, food and sex. Spanish cinema has a certain flair for exploiting those issues most dear to us in the most unusual manner. The movie is very funny, more so if you understand Spanish culture, and the imagery used to convey the issues at hand are most visually dramatic. The story evolves primarily around the life of Jose Luis who is the wealthy son of a domineering mother whose family is in the underwear business. Not sexy yet? Enter Javier Barden("High Heels" and "Live Flesh)" as Raul, a novice bullfighter, underwear model and soon to hired lover to interfere with Jose Luis's love interest. He's a confident Spanish stud who takes no prisoners in his conquering of women. Still doesn't sound sexy? O.K., now for the best part of this movie, Penelope Cruz is Sylvia the pregnant girlfriend of Jose Luis and is the leading lady in this tale of twisted love triangles. The sexy Sylvia is torn and her future in-laws make her decision more difficult. Lots of unpredictable liasons develop that may be immoral but if taken as a satirical romp quite funny and entertaining as opposed to shocking. Some of the scenes are a riot like when the two machos sneak into a bull ranch late at night for a little clandestine bullfighting by the moonlight. The daring bravado of the two machos is illustrated so beautifully and the scene transition is just as wild as they run from their persuers.Without describing and ruining the scene suffice to say that the fact that two young men would go to such great lenghts to prove their macho is hilarious. It is scenes like this that make for memorable Spanish cinema with a quirky message hidden in celluloid reminiscent of Aldomovar. Very funny stuff worth the price of admission alone just to see a very young Penelope Cruz at her sexiest.

Like a potato omelette ("tortilla de patatas")
This movie by Bigas Luna combines elements of irony and surrealism in a very disfunctional setting where almost nothing works the way it's supposed to, based on "normal" thinking (whatever that translates into for each and everyone of us). The movie, almost from beginning to end is very unpredictable (which is good) and brings out very sexually-charged performances by the entire cast, but very specially by now-superstars Penelope Cruz (Woman on Top, Blow, Captain Corelli's...) and Javier Bardem (Before Night Falls).

My "issue" with this movie is that it doesn't qualify as a comedy altogether, due some of its very disturbing scenes. It also doesn't succeed, in my opinion, at being a parody of the Spanish macho man and some other typical (yet repressed during the Franco times) elements of Spanish culture. And finally, although it attempts to (with the pig, bull and ham imagery), I don't think of it necessarily as a good surrealist movie (in the style of a Bunuel or a Fellini). I think it is more a combination of the sexual drive typically behind Bigas Luna's movies and a good dose of Oedipus complex sprayed (portrayed in an interesting way). Trying to be too many things, it ends up being like a potato omelette ("tortilla de patatas".) In all honesty, in the end it left me with nothing but a few laughs at its ironies.

Nude Matadores and Lottsa Ham
This is a fun film! A black "who's sleeping with who?" comedy that draws its viewers into this bizarre, crazed love triangle. Anyone who is a fan of early Almodovar will get something out of this.
The acting is great, especially by Bardem. The script has alot of subtle one-liners, and the sex and nudity is explicit and contributes to the anything goes atmosphere. So if you're looking for a fun dark/tragic comedy with lottsa sex, pick this one up.

Javier Bardem and Tomas Penco in all their glory.
Sometimes an aspiring actor has to do a little film to pay the rent or fulfill a contract agreement. What this film shows is how excellent Javier Bardem has become as an actor. He has come along way. Still young Bardem was in great shape. Not much of a plot that I could enjoy, but the film is a bit exploitive. That is guaranteed money for filmmakers. I don't mean to embarass the two male actors that are 100 percent nude, but since they probably got a good size paycheck, what the hay. You'll see Javier Bardem pretend bullfighting in blue shorts, then later Javier and Tomas Penco model underwear. Later in the film, Javier Bardem and Tomas Penco decide to have some fun at night time nude bullfighting. These scenes are remarkable to watch because it is a real bull they are teasing. Penelope Cruz and Jordi Molla are also in the film. Javier Bardem and Jordi Molla worked together in SECOND SKIN.

WOW
Jamon Jamon is one of those spainish films you watch because Penelope Cruz is in it, but, by the time the naked bullfight scene rolls around, if not before, you realize that not even the best looking actress around can make up for such a bizarre and ridiculously sketchy peice of cinema. Meant to be funny, the outrageous sexual innuendo that is the script is just too strange to be humerous or even erotic.
The plot set up in the beginning of the movie, which had potential, breaks down as a result of the plethera of random hook-ups, many implausible, and by the time Silvia makes out with her fiance's father, one is just too wierded out to care. Some themes adressed in the movie are masculinity and the role of the man and woman, but through poor acting and trippy cinematography, even these are too blured to amount to any semblance of profoundness. All in all, if you're looking for a good movie with Penelope Cruz in it, watch Belle Epoque. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

My Favorite Bertolucci Film!
It has been a few years since I've seen "The Conformist". But, this was the first Bernardo Bertolucci movie I ever saw. And the film has stayed with me all this time. Like some of the other customers on here, I too feel this is Bertolucci at his best.

To be honest I really can't quite remember the story-line so well. A man named Marcello (Jean Louis Trintignant)is sent to assassinate his old professor, Professor Quadri (Enzo Tararscio), who left Italy when the fascist took over.

Bertolucci managed to tell such a powerful, abosorbing story, that even in at it's most gritty moments, I couldn't turn away from the screen. There's a scene where two people are shot at that would probably be describe by people as disgusting, but, my eyes were glued to the screen. And this is the power most of Bertolucci's films have. Well, at least on me.

I too feel it's a shame this film it not available on vhs or dvd. And because of that this film is not as well known as it should be. Here is a movie that many would agree upon as being one of Bertolucci's best films, and no one can see it. All most of us can do is just recall moments of the first time we saw it.

For anyone who ever gets a chance to buy this film or even rent, do it! It will truly be one of those rare films that will always keep coming back to you.

Bottom-line: Simply Bernardo Bertolucci's best film! Powerful and absorbing. Bertolucci hits the bullseye.

Breathlessly awaiting The Conformist on DVD
I was shown this film in cinema class when I was 17, and then only saw it again recently, 14 years later. It's still wonderful, and IMO Bertolucci's only universally great film. I don't fault Criterion for not including it in their releases, it's probably a rights issue as it normally is (i.e. they had but lost the rights to Kwaidan - A for effort though). Folks like Criterion and Anchor Bay can't always get the rights to a director's entire body of work. Despite it all, I am one of the masses breathlessly awaiting a DVD release of The Conformist (though not optimistic an original Italian language version was ever cut, so we may have to endure the bad dubbing forever) - the art direction and cinematography are unforgettable. I never forgot certain scenes over the course of 14 years and thousands of other wonderful films. Please someone, release the DVD rights to good people like Kino, Criterion or Anchor Bay - we'll be lining up.

Pictures without subtitles
Naturellemant! This is a film one has to see. And once and a while it plays in a cinema here or there. Isn't that the only possitive side effect of such a wonderfull movie un-available both on DVD AND in its original language? To have to be on the look out for cinema screenings, somewhere? If you really want to see this film! Yes, I think so. And there is one more.
But what a sin to dub this film! The soundtrack on this VHS tape is in English! I was under the impression this was a common procedure in Germany only - 'he, Ronny, wir mussen den Dollars und Magnums in John's chevrolet nach Miami fahren!' - and very understandably the treatment that is received by animated films for childeren.
The film is magnificently photographed - by Vittorio Storaro. And the film deals with an important story. You can allways watch the VHS tape with the soundtrack switched off! Than you turn the postsynchronisation into an advantage. Because, you will be able to view the picture without the disturbing subtitles. That's the other advantage of this tape.

DVD - Get moving Paramount
I've heard about this film from friends and film professors for years, but have been unwilling to watch butchered, dubbed versions. I missed a showing of the restored print up in Los Angeles yesterday. According to the LA Times, the restoration was personally supervised by the film's legendary cinematographer, Vittorio Storaro.

Paramount is to be commended for taking this step. Now they have to take the next one, however, and actually release it to DVD. A restored version of the film does little good playing in a few arthouse theaters where almost nobody can see it. Release this to DVD now, please!

Pleaaasssseeee....
I WANT "THE CONFORMIST" RELEASED ON DVD!!!!!! It is so annoying I can't have this film on dvd. ... Read more

Description

With its breezy look at the battle of the sexes, this stylish comedy has generated critical acclaim everywhere!A wife, a child, a house . . .it all seems like too much responsibility for a guy who's afraid to grow up!But Carlo is not alone.All of his buddies are suffering with their own growing pains and none of them seem to be ready to settle down without a fight.As the romantic entanglements tighten, this amusingly self-centered group of guys will keep you entertained as they struggle to learn the complicated lessons of life and love. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Relationships, Italian Style
THE LAST KISS (L'ULTIMO BACIO) is writer/director Gabriele Muccino's astute view of relationships in contemporary Italy, a country long regarded as having marriages of convenience while masquerading affairs of the heart outside of the marriage. Muccino manages to examine a group of young men who are either 1)married with child and longing for the passion of yesterday 2) incapable of maturing into the role of committed adult 3) enjoying a non-married relationship until the specter of pregnancy threatens the passing of youthful freedom and lust or 4) sleep-around guys who can't move beyond an evening's moment of lust. There are many stories and films about today's youth being unable to partner for long-term relationships, but Muccino has the wisdom to have parallel stories about the parents of some of these youths and how middle age (and the threat of becoming grandparents) resurrects the fears of initial commitment.

Set beautifully in Italy and populated with an extraordinarily gifted ensemble of actors, this film is a roller coaster ride through the astringent downs and cascading highs of Love. Stefano Acorsi and Giovanna Mezzogiorno are the main couple whose lives we examine and it is their coming to grips with commitment when their fantasy love affair is altered by pregnancy. They both are superb and it is due to their credibility that the whole series of stories their situation initiates gathers our compassion. There is much to be learned from this sensitive film, and even more to be entertained. A sparkling survey of love, Italian Style!

excellent film!!
This movie was terrific! The characters were portrayed as very honest and genuine, as the plot follows the lives of 4 men who are afraid to grow up. The main character, Carlo gets involved in a bit of problem and learns a lesson. Definately a great movie and I haven't seen anything like this before!

Muccino an incredible bluf
Muccino are a director wich no particular ideas, your cinema visions are out of focus that don't communicate nothing at the audience.
I'm very hungry because this incredible poor director is an affront for the categories, and i hope that don't have the possibility to direct others movies afther RICORDATI DI ME.
Please don't pay to see this orrible movie.

Peter Pan syndrome
My take on the movie is that it's about men who refuse to grow up. A group of young Italian men is acting out, either through not being fully present in his marriage, not fully committing to his pregnant girlfriend, sleeping around, or not letting go of an ex-girlfriend. As a woman, I found this mildly annoying through much of the movie, but in the end I have to admit I enjoyed the light treatment of the subject. The acting is good, the cinematography beautiful. What's not to like?

not even good sex
When we exited the theatre we were asked to turn in our comment cards. Neither my friend nor I could answer the question,"What did you like best about the film?" There was nothing I liked, except the music and hearing the gorgeous Italian language. "What did you like least?" The emptiness, the story, the confusion at the beginning as to who was with whom and what were they doing? The wasted lives, the selfcenteredness made me sad. If I could see some lessons learned or redeeming values I'd give it a recommendation, but I see none. Sorry, because I usually love Italian films and saw some fine actors wasting their time on a mediocre script. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A serious subject in a superficial movie
Chile and Argentina have gone through tragic years during the 70's, and this movie attempted to tackle what happened - everyday at the time, in Chile. Two good actors (Banderas and Connelly) seem lost in a poor script and directorship, although Allende knew the subject from the inside (I did not read her book yet).
Banderas could not concentrate and acted quite bad, and you can see that the way his eyes wander in several scenes with Jennifer. She makes a big effort in her role, but this is not one of her good movies.
In Jennifer's attempt to bring the South American political disaster to the screen, a much better (remarkable) film is Waking the Dead. A must see!
Note: their love scene in Of Love and Shadows could produce a tender moment in this play, but was grossly produced and the director missed the chance, unfortunately.

Left Wing Ideology
I can see how this film might appeal to some people, especially to those on the extreme left as it tends to push to the forefront socialist causes like egalitarianism, homosexuality, and spirituality.

Antonio Banderas plays a communist photographer who meets a magazine editor played by Jennifer Connelly. As he befriends her, he tries to steal her from her fiancé and persuade her to his left-wing idealogy.

It is definitely not a film for everyone, but it will appeal to some women, especially those who like Antonio Banderas - the camera is fixated on him, and ignores the beautiful Jennifer Connelly in their love-making scene. It will probably also appeal to the extreme left and gay community, though Jennifer Connelly fans will surely be disappointed.

Love, shadow, and a right wing dictatorship.
If you love to see people loving, you will probably love that part of this movie. However this movie is also about a War on Terrorism. It may challenge some of the common ideas that we Americans get from our corporate controlled media. There's alot of beauty in this movie; but there's also something ugly. It is timely, especially now in America.

IF YOU LOVE ANTONIO, YOU'LL LOVE THIS MOVIE
I FOUND THIS TO BE A VERY INTERESTING MOVIE WITH ONE OF THE TENDEREST LOVE SCENES I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG TIME. IT MAY BE A LITTLE ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES IN CERTAIN PARTS, BUT OVERALL I LOVE THIS MOVIE, AND WILL WATCH IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.

It [disappoints]
This movie is so bad you are just going to laugh.
The acting is terrible, the settings are awful.
And of course you have Allende boring, cheesy and easy Writing. Obviosuly she depicts people in the chilean right as the "evil" ones, and the ones on the left as the "good" ones. Sorry but history is more complicated. The plot is an absurd left wing account of Chilean recent history. The movie also reaffirms that Allende is a terrible writer. ...

Please don't see this movie. It is so bad. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Critics were decidedly mixed about this 1996 drama from Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci, and the movie enjoyed only a brief theatrical release. Now it's best known for its early appearance by Liv Tyler as a 19-year-old beauty named Lucy who summers at a villa in Tuscany with a variety of artistic types who immediately respond to her inspirational innocence. An amateur poet who has decided it's time to lose her virginity, Lucy has come to Italy after the death of her mother, who visited this artist's refuge 20 years earlier. Several young Italian men find Lucy quite heavenly (she is, after all, Liv Tyler), and she's not immune to their attentions, but she'd rather spend time with a playwright (Jeremy Irons) who is dying of AIDS and therefore has something other than sex on his mind. The movie's plot is about as substantial as Tyler's character (she's sexy, all right, but hardly an intellectual muse), but Stealing Beauty creates a serene mood that's so soothing you'll want to book a flight to Tuscany immediately, just to soak up the setting's idyllic atmosphere. If you're in the right frame of mind, this movie is like a balm for the soul, and Tyler and Bertolucci can share the credit for making this two-hour vacation so charmingly relaxing.--Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (73)

A Beautiful Vacation
In this 1996 film, Liv Tyler makes her stunning debut. Set to a soundtrack that is a good mix of quintessentially '90's music (a la Portishead and Liz Phair) and retro classics (like "My Baby Just Cares For Me" and "I'll Be Seeing You,"), this film takes both Liv's character, Lucy, as well as the viewer, on a journey into mystery and enchantment. Lucy embarks on her journey to Italy after the death of her mother, a famous poet and artist. She travels there in search of greater knowledge about her mother, who spent a brief few weeks there one summer. But what Lucy really uncovers in Tuscany are the answers to secrets in her past. And, as the film goes on, she discovers more and more about herself, and the woman she is to become. This film is a great, slowly paced meditation on sex, love, art and self-awareness. When Lucy finds out that she was "conceived" in the olive groves of the artists' villa there, her curiosity deepens and the search for her birth father becomes one of the main goals in her journey. Faced with the loss of a future with her mother, Lucy is looking towards the past for information about those she loves, for knowledge about herself and where she came from, and for hints about where this might lead her as she takes on the life of an adult.

The film begins with shots of Lucy sleeping on the train on her way to Tuscany. There is even one devilish strategic close-up shot of her jeans which is perhaps explained later in the film when it is revealed in a comical exchange between Lucy and Jeremy Irons' character that the beautiful 19 year old Lucy is a virgin. Unbeknownst to Lucy, she was being taped on her journey by a fellow passenger on the train. But he gives her "beauty" back to her in the form of the videotape. Her fate is still in her hands. From there, the film follows several slow, melodic plot lines, one of which is the attempt to find the perfect first sexual partner for the young and much-loved Lucy.

Liv plays a perfect beauty here. She is innocent, touching, bright, curious, and passionate, and as the film goes on, she takes a cue from the artists at the villa and becomes and more free in her expression, more comfortable in her own skin. But she is also careful. She wants her passion to be shared with someone worthy of it, someone who gives as well as takes. It takes a while for her to find out who that perfect catch is, but as in life, the story is what happens while she is waiting for the "pay-off."

Her curious habit of striking a match to each finished poem and burning it up seems to say that she is not yet confident in her artistic abilities, that she wants to keep some things sacred, private. She is cautiously awaiting sharing herself on a deeper level with those whom she grows to love.

Jeremy Irons' character, a man struck by illness in the most beautiful of places, is a nice offset to the virginal beauty of Tyler. Together, they bring the film full circle from youth and glowing health to the natural course of death and dying. The attention they pay to one another is mutual. Lucy in this way is wise as well as youthful.

The countryside in this film is magical. The vineyards of Tuscany, with the glowing sun above, are lovingly captured by Bertolucci. The film is as much an ode to youth and innocence, and the inevitable loss of it (which I think Bertolucci is saying can also be beautiful) as it is to the Italian countryside.

Others in the film who have gone on to receive wide acclaim and appear in such movies as Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth, Swept From the Sea, and The Mummy are the two British actors Joseph Fiennes and Rachael Weisz.

gorgeous at every turn
If you watch this film for nothing else, soak in the beauty of the setting.
While I enjoy this film for both its plot and its artistic/aesthetic qualities, I have to admit that it is at its most stunning best when it comes to its cinematography. what a gorgeous backdrop for a virgin coming-of-age story! the plot may be a bit tired, and the characters too well known, but the twists that are supplied are enough to make it engaging. Liv Tyler is, of course, gorgeous and mesmorizing. The Italian and British actors that flank her almost eclipse her, but as her debut film, she does truly shine.
There are several scenes that are physically intriguing, but I most enjoyed the entire "party" sequence.... some odd, yet stunning filming.
Let's face it, everyone in this film is beautiful to look at (even Jeremy Irons as a dying man). You begin to lose interest in Lucy's (Tyler) quest at some point, but once the answer is revealed it is still somewhat satisfying.
I can highly reccommend this film to anyone that is into gorgeous scenery, lovely and easy story lines, and has and eye for the pleasing aesthetic so many films lack these days. Nothing earth-moving... but a VERY pleasant movie experience!

it's my favorite, but not for everyone
you may not, but i love this movie. the characters are solidly interesting and well-played, the storyline is simple but itriguing, and it has simply beautiful scenery.

Good movie but needs subtitles in parts
I really like this movie. The scenery is beautiful and the movie's focus on the interactions between a variety of characters in the Italian countryside is interesting. I would rate it higher except for one thing- quite a bit of the movie is in Italian and there are no subtitles for this dialogue. This really doesn't make sense, especially considering the vhs copy that I use to own did have them. The parts in Italian aren't just snippets of dialogue either- some are entire conversations. If you've seen this many times with subtitles (and know what they're saying in Italian) I would definitely buy it. If not, it's still a good purchase but be aware that you're missing quite a bit of the movie.

What about "no stars"?
As an Italian (who teaches Italian in HS and college in the U.S.) I really looked forward to a good film after one of my students recommended this one to me.

As a professor, I can sit through a lot of boring stuff, but this movie was so awful I couldn't even finish it. The scenery is nice but after watching this film for over an hour I found it to be pointless. ... Read more

Reviews (73)

A Beautiful Vacation
In this 1996 film, Liv Tyler makes her stunning debut. Set to a soundtrack that is a good mix of quintessentially '90's music (a la Portishead and Liz Phair) and retro classics (like "My Baby Just Cares For Me" and "I'll Be Seeing You,"), this film takes both Liv's character, Lucy, as well as the viewer, on a journey into mystery and enchantment. Lucy embarks on her journey to Italy after the death of her mother, a famous poet and artist. She travels there in search of greater knowledge about her mother, who spent a brief few weeks there one summer. But what Lucy really uncovers in Tuscany are the answers to secrets in her past. And, as the film goes on, she discovers more and more about herself, and the woman she is to become. This film is a great, slowly paced meditation on sex, love, art and self-awareness. When Lucy finds out that she was "conceived" in the olive groves of the artists' villa there, her curiosity deepens and the search for her birth father becomes one of the main goals in her journey. Faced with the loss of a future with her mother, Lucy is looking towards the past for information about those she loves, for knowledge about herself and where she came from, and for hints about where this might lead her as she takes on the life of an adult.

The film begins with shots of Lucy sleeping on the train on her way to Tuscany. There is even one devilish strategic close-up shot of her jeans which is perhaps explained later in the film when it is revealed in a comical exchange between Lucy and Jeremy Irons' character that the beautiful 19 year old Lucy is a virgin. Unbeknownst to Lucy, she was being taped on her journey by a fellow passenger on the train. But he gives her "beauty" back to her in the form of the videotape. Her fate is still in her hands. From there, the film follows several slow, melodic plot lines, one of which is the attempt to find the perfect first sexual partner for the young and much-loved Lucy.

Liv plays a perfect beauty here. She is innocent, touching, bright, curious, and passionate, and as the film goes on, she takes a cue from the artists at the villa and becomes and more free in her expression, more comfortable in her own skin. But she is also careful. She wants her passion to be shared with someone worthy of it, someone who gives as well as takes. It takes a while for her to find out who that perfect catch is, but as in life, the story is what happens while she is waiting for the "pay-off."

Her curious habit of striking a match to each finished poem and burning it up seems to say that she is not yet confident in her artistic abilities, that she wants to keep some things sacred, private. She is cautiously awaiting sharing herself on a deeper level with those whom she grows to love.

Jeremy Irons' character, a man struck by illness in the most beautiful of places, is a nice offset to the virginal beauty of Tyler. Together, they bring the film full circle from youth and glowing health to the natural course of death and dying. The attention they pay to one another is mutual. Lucy in this way is wise as well as youthful.

The countryside in this film is magical. The vineyards of Tuscany, with the glowing sun above, are lovingly captured by Bertolucci. The film is as much an ode to youth and innocence, and the inevitable loss of it (which I think Bertolucci is saying can also be beautiful) as it is to the Italian countryside.

Others in the film who have gone on to receive wide acclaim and appear in such movies as Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth, Swept From the Sea, and The Mummy are the two British actors Joseph Fiennes and Rachael Weisz.

gorgeous at every turn
If you watch this film for nothing else, soak in the beauty of the setting.
While I enjoy this film for both its plot and its artistic/aesthetic qualities, I have to admit that it is at its most stunning best when it comes to its cinematography. what a gorgeous backdrop for a virgin coming-of-age story! the plot may be a bit tired, and the characters too well known, but the twists that are supplied are enough to make it engaging. Liv Tyler is, of course, gorgeous and mesmorizing. The Italian and British actors that flank her almost eclipse her, but as her debut film, she does truly shine.
There are several scenes that are physically intriguing, but I most enjoyed the entire "party" sequence.... some odd, yet stunning filming.
Let's face it, everyone in this film is beautiful to look at (even Jeremy Irons as a dying man). You begin to lose interest in Lucy's (Tyler) quest at some point, but once the answer is revealed it is still somewhat satisfying.
I can highly reccommend this film to anyone that is into gorgeous scenery, lovely and easy story lines, and has and eye for the pleasing aesthetic so many films lack these days. Nothing earth-moving... but a VERY pleasant movie experience!

it's my favorite, but not for everyone
you may not, but i love this movie. the characters are solidly interesting and well-played, the storyline is simple but itriguing, and it has simply beautiful scenery.

Good movie but needs subtitles in parts
I really like this movie. The scenery is beautiful and the movie's focus on the interactions between a variety of characters in the Italian countryside is interesting. I would rate it higher except for one thing- quite a bit of the movie is in Italian and there are no subtitles for this dialogue. This really doesn't make sense, especially considering the vhs copy that I use to own did have them. The parts in Italian aren't just snippets of dialogue either- some are entire conversations. If you've seen this many times with subtitles (and know what they're saying in Italian) I would definitely buy it. If not, it's still a good purchase but be aware that you're missing quite a bit of the movie.

What about "no stars"?
As an Italian (who teaches Italian in HS and college in the U.S.) I really looked forward to a good film after one of my students recommended this one to me.

As a professor, I can sit through a lot of boring stuff, but this movie was so awful I couldn't even finish it. The scenery is nice but after watching this film for over an hour I found it to be pointless. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

this is by far the most superior movie i've ever seen
this movie has it all. drama, an edge of your seat - psychcological - story-line, handsome lead. partner is an adaptation of the classic book "the double" by dostoyevsky. this is the only movie made from a book i've read and loved that has so captured the feel and integrity of the written work. if you are looking to see a great movie and have the patience to sit through one with subtitles then this is your movie. ... Read more

Reviews (73)

A Beautiful Vacation
In this 1996 film, Liv Tyler makes her stunning debut. Set to a soundtrack that is a good mix of quintessentially '90's music (a la Portishead and Liz Phair) and retro classics (like "My Baby Just Cares For Me" and "I'll Be Seeing You,"), this film takes both Liv's character, Lucy, as well as the viewer, on a journey into mystery and enchantment. Lucy embarks on her journey to Italy after the death of her mother, a famous poet and artist. She travels there in search of greater knowledge about her mother, who spent a brief few weeks there one summer. But what Lucy really uncovers in Tuscany are the answers to secrets in her past. And, as the film goes on, she discovers more and more about herself, and the woman she is to become. This film is a great, slowly paced meditation on sex, love, art and self-awareness. When Lucy finds out that she was "conceived" in the olive groves of the artists' villa there, her curiosity deepens and the search for her birth father becomes one of the main goals in her journey. Faced with the loss of a future with her mother, Lucy is looking towards the past for information about those she loves, for knowledge about herself and where she came from, and for hints about where this might lead her as she takes on the life of an adult.

The film begins with shots of Lucy sleeping on the train on her way to Tuscany. There is even one devilish strategic close-up shot of her jeans which is perhaps explained later in the film when it is revealed in a comical exchange between Lucy and Jeremy Irons' character that the beautiful 19 year old Lucy is a virgin. Unbeknownst to Lucy, she was being taped on her journey by a fellow passenger on the train. But he gives her "beauty" back to her in the form of the videotape. Her fate is still in her hands. From there, the film follows several slow, melodic plot lines, one of which is the attempt to find the perfect first sexual partner for the young and much-loved Lucy.

Liv plays a perfect beauty here. She is innocent, touching, bright, curious, and passionate, and as the film goes on, she takes a cue from the artists at the villa and becomes and more free in her expression, more comfortable in her own skin. But she is also careful. She wants her passion to be shared with someone worthy of it, someone who gives as well as takes. It takes a while for her to find out who that perfect catch is, but as in life, the story is what happens while she is waiting for the "pay-off."

Her curious habit of striking a match to each finished poem and burning it up seems to say that she is not yet confident in her artistic abilities, that she wants to keep some things sacred, private. She is cautiously awaiting sharing herself on a deeper level with those whom she grows to love.

Jeremy Irons' character, a man struck by illness in the most beautiful of places, is a nice offset to the virginal beauty of Tyler. Together, they bring the film full circle from youth and glowing health to the natural course of death and dying. The attention they pay to one another is mutual. Lucy in this way is wise as well as youthful.

The countryside in this film is magical. The vineyards of Tuscany, with the glowing sun above, are lovingly captured by Bertolucci. The film is as much an ode to youth and innocence, and the inevitable loss of it (which I think Bertolucci is saying can also be beautiful) as it is to the Italian countryside.

Others in the film who have gone on to receive wide acclaim and appear in such movies as Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth, Swept From the Sea, and The Mummy are the two British actors Joseph Fiennes and Rachael Weisz.

gorgeous at every turn
If you watch this film for nothing else, soak in the beauty of the setting.
While I enjoy this film for both its plot and its artistic/aesthetic qualities, I have to admit that it is at its most stunning best when it comes to its cinematography. what a gorgeous backdrop for a virgin coming-of-age story! the plot may be a bit tired, and the characters too well known, but the twists that are supplied are enough to make it engaging. Liv Tyler is, of course, gorgeous and mesmorizing. The Italian and British actors that flank her almost eclipse her, but as her debut film, she does truly shine.
There are several scenes that are physically intriguing, but I most enjoyed the entire "party" sequence.... some odd, yet stunning filming.
Let's face it, everyone in this film is beautiful to look at (even Jeremy Irons as a dying man). You begin to lose interest in Lucy's (Tyler) quest at some point, but once the answer is revealed it is still somewhat satisfying.
I can highly reccommend this film to anyone that is into gorgeous scenery, lovely and easy story lines, and has and eye for the pleasing aesthetic so many films lack these days. Nothing earth-moving... but a VERY pleasant movie experience!

it's my favorite, but not for everyone
you may not, but i love this movie. the characters are solidly interesting and well-played, the storyline is simple but itriguing, and it has simply beautiful scenery.

Good movie but needs subtitles in parts
I really like this movie. The scenery is beautiful and the movie's focus on the interactions between a variety of characters in the Italian countryside is interesting. I would rate it higher except for one thing- quite a bit of the movie is in Italian and there are no subtitles for this dialogue. This really doesn't make sense, especially considering the vhs copy that I use to own did have them. The parts in Italian aren't just snippets of dialogue either- some are entire conversations. If you've seen this many times with subtitles (and know what they're saying in Italian) I would definitely buy it. If not, it's still a good purchase but be aware that you're missing quite a bit of the movie.

What about "no stars"?
As an Italian (who teaches Italian in HS and college in the U.S.) I really looked forward to a good film after one of my students recommended this one to me.

As a professor, I can sit through a lot of boring stuff, but this movie was so awful I couldn't even finish it. The scenery is nice but after watching this film for over an hour I found it to be pointless. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

HOFFMAN'S PRE-GRADUATE PAYCHECK
This is a superficial yet amusing comedy about an Italian man who marries despite his better judgement. Before Dustin Hoffman became a star in "The Graduate" he starred in this Italian subtitled film speaking his dialogue in English while dubbed by an Italian actor. Even with these cinematic barriers he displays his understated genius flair for comedy in quirky mannersims and facial misgivings as the hapless husband watching his Italian divorce-less marriage explode before his eyes. The premise here, an Italian wife too difficult to live with (think Sophia Loren throwing dinner plates) is shallow but the cast including Stefania Sanderelli as the wild bride is full of spirited conviction. ... Read more

Reviews (73)

A Beautiful Vacation
In this 1996 film, Liv Tyler makes her stunning debut. Set to a soundtrack that is a good mix of quintessentially '90's music (a la Portishead and Liz Phair) and retro classics (like "My Baby Just Cares For Me" and "I'll Be Seeing You,"), this film takes both Liv's character, Lucy, as well as the viewer, on a journey into mystery and enchantment. Lucy embarks on her journey to Italy after the death of her mother, a famous poet and artist. She travels there in search of greater knowledge about her mother, who spent a brief few weeks there one summer. But what Lucy really uncovers in Tuscany are the answers to secrets in her past. And, as the film goes on, she discovers more and more about herself, and the woman she is to become. This film is a great, slowly paced meditation on sex, love, art and self-awareness. When Lucy finds out that she was "conceived" in the olive groves of the artists' villa there, her curiosity deepens and the search for her birth father becomes one of the main goals in her journey. Faced with the loss of a future with her mother, Lucy is looking towards the past for information about those she loves, for knowledge about herself and where she came from, and for hints about where this might lead her as she takes on the life of an adult.

The film begins with shots of Lucy sleeping on the train on her way to Tuscany. There is even one devilish strategic close-up shot of her jeans which is perhaps explained later in the film when it is revealed in a comical exchange between Lucy and Jeremy Irons' character that the beautiful 19 year old Lucy is a virgin. Unbeknownst to Lucy, she was being taped on her journey by a fellow passenger on the train. But he gives her "beauty" back to her in the form of the videotape. Her fate is still in her hands. From there, the film follows several slow, melodic plot lines, one of which is the attempt to find the perfect first sexual partner for the young and much-loved Lucy.

Liv plays a perfect beauty here. She is innocent, touching, bright, curious, and passionate, and as the film goes on, she takes a cue from the artists at the villa and becomes and more free in her expression, more comfortable in her own skin. But she is also careful. She wants her passion to be shared with someone worthy of it, someone who gives as well as takes. It takes a while for her to find out who that perfect catch is, but as in life, the story is what happens while she is waiting for the "pay-off."

Her curious habit of striking a match to each finished poem and burning it up seems to say that she is not yet confident in her artistic abilities, that she wants to keep some things sacred, private. She is cautiously awaiting sharing herself on a deeper level with those whom she grows to love.

Jeremy Irons' character, a man struck by illness in the most beautiful of places, is a nice offset to the virginal beauty of Tyler. Together, they bring the film full circle from youth and glowing health to the natural course of death and dying. The attention they pay to one another is mutual. Lucy in this way is wise as well as youthful.

The countryside in this film is magical. The vineyards of Tuscany, with the glowing sun above, are lovingly captured by Bertolucci. The film is as much an ode to youth and innocence, and the inevitable loss of it (which I think Bertolucci is saying can also be beautiful) as it is to the Italian countryside.

Others in the film who have gone on to receive wide acclaim and appear in such movies as Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth, Swept From the Sea, and The Mummy are the two British actors Joseph Fiennes and Rachael Weisz.

gorgeous at every turn
If you watch this film for nothing else, soak in the beauty of the setting.
While I enjoy this film for both its plot and its artistic/aesthetic qualities, I have to admit that it is at its most stunning best when it comes to its cinematography. what a gorgeous backdrop for a virgin coming-of-age story! the plot may be a bit tired, and the characters too well known, but the twists that are supplied are enough to make it engaging. Liv Tyler is, of course, gorgeous and mesmorizing. The Italian and British actors that flank her almost eclipse her, but as her debut film, she does truly shine.
There are several scenes that are physically intriguing, but I most enjoyed the entire "party" sequence.... some odd, yet stunning filming.
Let's face it, everyone in this film is beautiful to look at (even Jeremy Irons as a dying man). You begin to lose interest in Lucy's (Tyler) quest at some point, but once the answer is revealed it is still somewhat satisfying.
I can highly reccommend this film to anyone that is into gorgeous scenery, lovely and easy story lines, and has and eye for the pleasing aesthetic so many films lack these days. Nothing earth-moving... but a VERY pleasant movie experience!

it's my favorite, but not for everyone
you may not, but i love this movie. the characters are solidly interesting and well-played, the storyline is simple but itriguing, and it has simply beautiful scenery.

Good movie but needs subtitles in parts
I really like this movie. The scenery is beautiful and the movie's focus on the interactions between a variety of characters in the Italian countryside is interesting. I would rate it higher except for one thing- quite a bit of the movie is in Italian and there are no subtitles for this dialogue. This really doesn't make sense, especially considering the vhs copy that I use to own did have them. The parts in Italian aren't just snippets of dialogue either- some are entire conversations. If you've seen this many times with subtitles (and know what they're saying in Italian) I would definitely buy it. If not, it's still a good purchase but be aware that you're missing quite a bit of the movie.

What about "no stars"?
As an Italian (who teaches Italian in HS and college in the U.S.) I really looked forward to a good film after one of my students recommended this one to me.

As a professor, I can sit through a lot of boring stuff, but this movie was so awful I couldn't even finish it. The scenery is nice but after watching this film for over an hour I found it to be pointless. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A movie that delivers
The key is a great movie a classic and a must buy for your collection. Lots of great sexy scenes without bordering onto hardcore.A good story and good acting. Big budget sex movie from director Tinto Brass. I rate it in my top 10 ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Warning: The disc goes to menu after every chapter!
This is a great movie, which I first saw at the Museum of Modern Art on the evening they held in honor of Nino Manfredi. I wasn't aware of anything by director Ettore Scola out on DVD, so I was surprised when I saw this movie was available at Amazon. According to the reviews I read here, it was supposed to have a so so picture quality and was also made for the purposes of learning Italian, but no one mentioned that the disc automatically went to the chapter menu after every scene. It is definitely annoying for anyone with intentions of enjoying the movie rather than learning Italian. Even if you bought this DVD to learn Italian, at one point you would like to watch the movie as a whole, I think, and the people at Brigham Young University, who produced this DVD, should have taken that into consideration and given the viewer this option as well. (I played this DVD on two different players, and tried to change some player settings too, but couldn't find a way to watch the movie without jumping to the menu every few minutes. If I am wrong and there is a way to watch the movie without interruption, please let me and all others interested know). I still don't regret that I have bought the DVD since there is no other way of owning this movie now, and it is worth putting into your collection even with the flaws of it. One thing I wish to say to whichever company owns the rights to this movie is to put this out as a regular DVD release. Looking at the director, the cast and the cameos by Fellini, De Sica, and Mastroianni, I know fans of foreign films will jump on it even if they haven't seen it and don't know what great a movie this is. Speaking of Ettore Scola and releasing great movies on DVD, his movie 'A Special Day' with Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni is one of the greatest movies of all time according to many interested in film. I don't think it has been out on video since early 80s, and it is very difficult to find it anywhere to watch. So Criterion, Image, Kino, Fox Lorber, New Yorker or anyone from any other video company, who is reading this; somebody please pick this masterpiece up and release it on DVD. I am 24 and I hope I can wait for some time, but I am sure there are also older people who are dying to get this, please let them get it before they do!

Fantastic movie with great fringe benefits
This is a great classic of Italian cinema, and anyone who enjoys a well made movie should see this film. This DVD was particularly helpful because it includes essays on the actors and the director, along with many different versions of subtitles that vary in length. You can watch the movie with comprehensive word by word subtitles, or with ones that just summarize what's going on, and they're in Italian or English, which is helpful for students of Italian.

Even with the extra content of the film aside, it is a fantastic show that portrays the life of three friends and the woman that they all fall in love with during Italy's post World War II era. It is a highly allegorical film, using the main characters as a topos of the nation Italy itself.

Fellini, De Sica, ... who cares.
I opened this DVD with some trepidation, because of all the controversy surrounding its original release. To my relief, the full theatrical version was there, uninterrupted and without cuts. The print quality is good enough, better than the one I saw recently at Vittorio Gassman retrospect. The controls are not particularly versatile, for example, I couldn't change the choice of subtitles during the play, but regardless of the flaws, we should be grateful to those, who made this wonderful film available to us. There is nothing like it!

An ode to friendship
This film is one of the most sincere and haunting films you'll watch in you life. A careful sight into the affective world of three friends, his adventures and livings, until they find casually twenty years later; and the changes produced by the life in what they are, and their useless efforts for trying 'to freeze' the time. Beautifully filmed with surrealistic rapture images.
Manfredi and Gassman were two of the major actors in the italian cinema in any age Watch also for that legendary seductive beauty who was Stephania Sandrelli.
The dazzling script and delightful sequences are feed by a clever sense of humor. It's about the nosthalgical reflections of those years that they'll never come.
A cult movie. One of my favorites italian films.

Clarification !
The Second edition of this DVD has been available since 2001. The first edition, which went to the menu after every scene, is no longer available. Neither version cut any scenes. The DVD now being sold at this site and others is the complete, uncut movie and can be viewed without interruption. I apologize for the confusion caused by my earlier explanation. ... Read more