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| Syd |
 Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 10:41 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Divorce Italian Style and Marriage Italian Style, two 1960s farce/dramas starring Marcello Mastroianni, both of which pleasantly surprised me. ("Marriage" is not a sequel despite the titles.) "Divorce" reminded me strongly of Kind Hearts and Coronets in that we are identifying with the villain in his devious scheme, which in this case is finding a lover for his wife so he can kill her in the heat of passion (and in the process, establishing himself as a cuckold--and he doesn't see the problem with this). It's fun, with great scenery, and ultimately as insubstantial as "Kind Hearts." Still pretty funny. (I love the sister and her lover who keep getting caught and insist that nothing has happened.)
I adore Marriage Italian Style, in which Mastroianni is not only better, but Sophia Loren is brilliant. Her role requires her to play a whole series of roles over a 23 year period, from a young prostitute overwhelmed by the still youthful "Dummi"(short for Dominico), to the perpetual mistress who is not good enough to present to society (though she's plenty good enough to run his business and change his mother's bed pans), to the dying invalid who Dummi marries, to the vengeful harridan who insists on her rights, to the devoted mother who can't tell the children who she is (and eventually does, in a moving scene). You may not always sympathize with her, since she's also devious, but she totally dominates the screen. A fine movie, directed by Vittorio di Sica, which gives it a gritty touch that works spectacularly. This, amazingly, is not only my first di Sica film, but my first Sophia Loren film, and I'll be seeking out many more.
"Divorce" 7.5 of 10. "Marriage," 9.0 of 10," and I'm tempted to give it 9.5. Loren was up for an Oscar against Julie Andrews, and I'm not entirely sure they gave it to the right person. (Something I never thought I'd say.) |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 3:43 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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I liked Marriage but found Divorce kind of labored.
You've got a lot of catching up to do with De Sica, including the spelling of his name.
If you liked Sophia Loren directed by De Sica, the logical next film is La Ciociara aka Two Women, for which Loren did win the Best Actress Oscar. Can't be too many foreign films that resulted in a Best Actor/Actress Oscar. A real masterpiece, imo.
And you've never seen the much-lauded neo-realist Bicycle Thieves?
Shoeshine is a classic early neo-realist film, but a little more basic than Bicycle Thieves.
While Umberto D is another great De Sica film.
Miracle in Milan is also charming and you might enjoy its magic realist approach a bit more than the neo-realist De Sicas (just a guess). |
Last edited by gromit on Tue Sep 22, 2015 4:18 am; edited 1 time in total
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| bartist |
| Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 9:45 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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| De Sica fan. Syd has many happy viewings ahead. De Sica made the only bike theft film that outranks L'Avventura Grande di PeeWee. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 12:01 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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gromit wrote: I liked Marriage but found Divorce kind of labored. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2015 12:42 pm |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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Location: Shanghai
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Pietro Germi's follow-up to Divorce Italian Style was Seduced and Abandoned. It's absolutely in the same mold, but in S&A everything really works and it's great fun. I'd really rec that. It's like he had the formula down, so this time was able to nail the details and characters. Plus, it packs a social critique, skewering the sexist society and oppressive religion. Great film.
Try
Seduced and Abandoned
&
Two Women
you'll thank me. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2015 12:18 am |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12944
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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gromit wrote: Pietro Germi's follow-up to Divorce Italian Style was Seduced and Abandoned. It's absolutely in the same mold, but in S&A everything really works and it's great fun. I'd really rec that. It's like he had the formula down, so this time was able to nail the details and characters. Plus, it packs a social critique, skewering the sexist society and oppressive religion. Great film.
Try
Seduced and Abandoned
&
Two Women
you'll thank me.
Trying to find "Seduced and Abanoned." I'm sure I'll see "Two Women" eventually when I'm in the mood for it, which may be the same night I finally watch "Boys Don't Cry." |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 10:39 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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| It took me 69 years from its release date, but I finally saw "Notorious," which I think I saw part of when much younger (I remembered the racetrack scene, which seems to have been borrowed in later films about 17 pazillion times, and that tracking-in-from-Pluto shot of the key in Ingrid's hand, but that was about all I remembered....). Anyway, it goes on my nonexistent top 50 list, and perhaps even a nonexistent top 25 list. It showcases a lot of what's great about Hitchcock and adroitly sneaks around the 3-second kiss rule in effect at that time, to the tune of over 2 minutes of 2.95 second kisses interspersed with lots of nuzzling and face-sniffing. I don't buy the uranium ore in wine bottles gimmick for one second, but it's still a great movie. Also, an outstanding final shot in the you-are-so-screwed mode. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 11:36 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Bart--Totally agree about Notorious, which for some reason I keep forgetting is one of my favorite Hitchcocks. There are so many FHs that I can't keep track of them. |
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| whiskeypriest |
| Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 6:48 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 6916
Location: "It's a Dry Heat."
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| Notorious is in my Top 5 Hitchcock, along with Vertigo, Rear Window, Rebecca, Shadow of a Doubt, North by Northwest and Psycho. Is that more than five? Shit. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 7:04 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
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| Strangers on a Train defo my fave Hitch. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 8:41 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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gromit wrote: Strangers on a Train defo my fave Hitch.
It's in my top five, but so are several others. 
Rear Window
Psycho
Vertigo
North by Northwest
Rebecca
Notorious
The Lady Vanishes |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 9:09 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| My favorite is NxNW, for so many reasons. Cary Grant and James Mason really should have been paired more often. Such style, for good and for evil. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 9:48 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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carrobin wrote: My favorite is NxNW, for so many reasons. Cary Grant and James Mason really should have been paired more often. Such style, for good and for evil.
NxNW is not my absolute favorite, but it has my favorite opening credits. The way the intersecting lines seamlessly become the UN Building is genius. Oh, and never forget Martin Landau! |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 10:34 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
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Location: NYC
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| I never forget Martin Landau. (Even when he was on "Mission Impossible," I never quite trusted him. But I mistrust him in a good way.) |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2015 11:16 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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My top "five" is very close to Whiskey's, except for Rebecca, which I can't remember if I've seen, not exactly resounding praise for any film. On my list, now. NXNW is popular here in the Black Hills, for obvious reasons. If they could get away with a sign on Mt. Rushmore, "These are the heads that Cary Grant pretended to clamber around on, on a set in Hollywood," they would. Speaking of the outer limits of taste, we were passing through the Badlands one time, and a lonely filling station had an enormous wooden horse near the pumps - on its side was painted Mt. Rushmore, with the four presidential faces replaced with Beatles.
So, just curious, I popped "Secret Agent," a 1936 Hitch film, into the Blew Ray last night, wondering where Hitch was ten years before Notorious, in his growth as a director. Maybe I didn't give it a fair shake, but I had to bail after a scene where Peter Lorre gives a grotesque ethnic stereotype (Italian? Spanish? Hungarian? It was hard to tell....) of the Emotionally Volatile Southern or Central European, chewing up all the scenery and angrily unrolling an entire roll of toilet paper. The dialog was hard to follow before that and the other characters were tedious and chipper in a way only the British can achieve. IMO, simply unwatchable. So, move over Topaz, there is other Bad Hitchcock out there. |
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