Malèna (2000)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Giuseppe Tornatore

Writers:

Giuseppe Tornatore (writer)
Luciano Vincenzoni (story)

Release Date:

27 October 2000 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

An intimate portrait and an epic story of the courage we discover, the innocence we surrender, and the memories we cherish.....forever.

Plot:

A woman provokes sensual awakenings in a group of adolescent boys.

Plot Keywords:

1940s | Grief | Italy | Affair | Trousers

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Monica Bellucci	...	Malèna Scordia
Giuseppe Sulfaro	...	Renato Amoroso
Luciano Federico	...	Renato's Father
Matilde Piana	...	Renato's Mother
Pietro Notarianni	...	Professor Bonsignore
Gaetano Aronica	...	Nino Scordia
Gilberto Idonea	...	Avvocato Centorbi (as Gilberto Idone)
Angelo Pellegrino	...	Segretario politico
Gabriella Di Luzio	...	Mantenuta del Barone
Pippo Provvidenti	...	Dott. Cusimano
Maria Terranova	...	Moglie Dott. Cusimano
Marcello Catalano	...	Lieutenant Cadel
Elisa Morucci	...	Lupetta
Domenico Gennaro	...	Farmacista
Vitalba Andrea	...	Moglie farmacista

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality/nudity, language and some violence.

Runtime:

109 min | USA:92 min (heavily cut) | Turkey:84 min (TV version)

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

Italian | Sicilian | English | Latin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:18SX | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:T | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 (re-rating) | Portugal:M/16 (original rating) | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Messina, Sicily, Italy

Company:

Medusa Produzione

Goofs:

Continuity: The bike that Renato rides, suddenly has a modern derailleur-type chain tensioner at the rear at about 20-21 minutes into the film. At all other times, his bike has a fixed rear gear without the chain tensioner.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Renato Amoroso: I pedaled as fast as I could... as if I were escaping from longing, from innocence, from her. Time has passed, and I have loved many women. And as they've held me close... and asked if I will remember them I've said, "Yes, I will remember you." But the only one I've never forgotten is the one who never asked... Malena.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Ma l'amore no

The girl in the villa

In a way, "Malena" kept reminding us of a famous photograph by Ruth Orkin, in which a young American woman is seen walking alone in an Italian street where there must be about forty men that are ogling this beautiful young creature in different degrees of desire shouting things about what they would love to do with her. In Giuseppe Tornatore's "Malena", the young woman at the center of the story, suffers that kind of sexual predatory practice from all the men in the little town in Sicily where she lives. It appears Italian men, then, as well as now, can express anything at all, especially for their big friends' benefit, about their opinions of how they feel about a girl. Even the town's women have no qualms in shouting nasty things as Malena passes them by.

If you haven't seen the film, perhaps you would like to stop reading.

The film takes place during the last days of WWII. Malena's husband has gone to war, but he never returns. She is left to fend for herself under the most extreme circumstances. In order to make ends meet, all the men in town offer Malena anything so they can get favors from her in return.

Watching all this is Renato, a young man who has reached puberty and is completely taken by Malena's beauty. Renato follows this woman all over the town. Whenever Malena is coming into view, Renato abandons his bicycle and makes a point to pass near this gorgeous creature almost breathing her aura.

A lot of people in this forum have expressed their views in making "Malena" a coming of age film. But contrary to what they might take, Mr. Tornatore, its director, like most film makers in Europe are influenced by the politics and the history of their country. In here, it appears that Malena stands for the way Italy was manipulated by Mussolini in transforming the country into a fascist paradise. Also Malena, like Italy, is turned into a prostitute in the eyes of many Italians, who watched their beloved country invaded by the Germans, who were supposed to be their allies.

"Malena" is a film that is blessed by the presence of that amazingly beautiful actress Monica Belucci. Ms. Belucci is perfect for the title role and runs away with the film. In one of the most hear wrenching scenes in this movie, we watch in horror as the other women in town have their revenge in punishing Malena for what they perceive are her sins and her collaboration with the enemy.

Young Giuseppe Sulfaro is seen as the appealing Renato Amoroso, the young man awakening to his own sexuality. He lives just to spy on the woman that has captured his imagination, and even in his solitary gratification she plays a large role in his vivid imagination.

"Malena" owes a lot to Giuseppe Tornatore for what he has been able to accomplish.