Films
Sarah's Spot
Buona Fortuna Signora Malèna
21:24:00 |
| Malèna (2000 dir. Giuseppe Tornatore) |
(warning: potential spoilers)
I was going through some old piles of papers in my room and I happened to stumble upon the poster for the film Malèna. I was quite surprised; not at the fact that I found this poster but the fact that I had completely forgotten about this film. I mean, I was completely obsessed with it for god knows how long and here it was, in a pile of papers. Forgotten about. I left that pile alone, forgetting why I was even looking through it, and went on to watch Malèna.
When I first stumbled upon Malèna (2000 dir. Giuseppe Tornatore), I was watching the television with my dad. We were just skipping through the channels to find something to watch to kill time, when we suddenly saw it playing. (Now I should add, the version we saw was censored so please don't sit down and watch it with your families. Really don't. ) Almost a quarter of the film had played, but it was still entertaining. I fell in love with the storyline, it was so warm and inviting. There were however a lot of seeming continuity errors, but I convinced myself that perhaps it was a none-narrative. I watched this film until my mother and brother were fully dressed, until Signora Malèna was in court.
Excited, I came home to try and find that movie. I searched and searched and searched to try and find this with english subtitles. I eventually found it and sat down to watch it; there was so much going on in my head I didn't know why. The opening was brilliant. It set the scene. The streets of the small town of Castelcuto filling up with cars and people to hear Il Duce Mussolini's declaration of war against Britain and France, followed by our first glimpse of our narrator, the twelve year old Renato. (I will argue for years that this is a postmodern film. Fight me.)
"I was twelve and a half when I saw her for the first time."
And the story begins. We see Renato in a small bicycle shop, where he gets his first bicycle. We follow him to a secluded area by the ocean, where a group of young boys are trying to burn an ant with a magnifying glass. This is where Signora Malèna lives. The wonderful Monica Bellucci is presented slyly in a montage of her getting dressed. We get a glimpse of her personality with this montage; showing how naturally seductive she is. (That's a very important point which will come in handy later one)
Renato approaches the boys and asks to join what seems to be a mafia-esque club. The aim of the club? To bask in the beauty of Malèna.
The scene (which is captured in the above screenshot) I find it the second iconic shot in the entire film. This little scene also explained the reason for the continuity errors: censorship. When Malèna is walking pas the group of boys a close-up shot shows how um..."excited"...Renato gets when he sees Malèna for the first time. They chase her around the small Sicilian town on their bikes, stopping ahead of her to watch her walk past.
How is this sequence amazing?
And that's just the start of the film.
The story follows Renato's sexually-frustrated-over-the-top-in-love boyish innocence of seeing Malèna Scordia as she really is, and not what all the jealous towns gossip says about her.
In a nutshell, that's what Malèna is about.
I've been bugged so many times about how much I love this film. Most of peoples comments were in regards to the censored scenes, which was only supported by me saying I liked it when it was censored. Everyone used to laugh and make sarcastic remarks until I sat one of my friends down and showed it to her. By the end of the film, she said it was one of the most beautiful films she had seen.
It's very true. You can't overlook those scenes. They are the film. They explain everything, they are the entire narrative. Well maybe not the entire narrative but they are the most important. You see things from the eyes of a young boy who couldn't help fall in love with the quiet and innocent Malèna, whose beauty had left the whole town in gossip. Malèna's husband was sent to war shortly after their marriage, so they type of gossip spreading was very obvious.
Renato approaches the boys and asks to join what seems to be a mafia-esque club. The aim of the club? To bask in the beauty of Malèna.
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| Malèna (2000 dir. Giuseppe Tornatore) |
How is this sequence amazing?
Renato: "What's her name?"
Don Agostino: "What a wonderful a**!"
And that's just the start of the film.
The story follows Renato's sexually-frustrated-over-the-top-in-love boyish innocence of seeing Malèna Scordia as she really is, and not what all the jealous towns gossip says about her.
In a nutshell, that's what Malèna is about.
I've been bugged so many times about how much I love this film. Most of peoples comments were in regards to the censored scenes, which was only supported by me saying I liked it when it was censored. Everyone used to laugh and make sarcastic remarks until I sat one of my friends down and showed it to her. By the end of the film, she said it was one of the most beautiful films she had seen.
It's very true. You can't overlook those scenes. They are the film. They explain everything, they are the entire narrative. Well maybe not the entire narrative but they are the most important. You see things from the eyes of a young boy who couldn't help fall in love with the quiet and innocent Malèna, whose beauty had left the whole town in gossip. Malèna's husband was sent to war shortly after their marriage, so they type of gossip spreading was very obvious.
So why should you watch this movie?
Here's a few reasons:
- The amazing use of long-shots. The stunning landscape of the Sicilian town by the sea, and rustic Italian architecture, pouring with people. Seriously, what more could you want?
- It's hilarious.A sexually/romantically frustrated twelve year old boy, who goes out of his way to become a man and win the heart of Malèna Scordia and shush all those who spread blatant lies. Not to mention his incredible overactive imagination, which Tornatore captures...very explicitly.
- It captures the setting amazingly. The soundtrack really adds to the atmosphere. A classic up tempo Italian mandolin, with the bustling busy city are an incredible mix.
- It's heart warming. You feel for Renato, which makes you feel sympathetic for Malèna. (spoiler alert) Malèna becomes a prostitute. After none of the women in the town giver her good food or cloths, she has to resort to other ways to get some edible bread at the least. She is beaten by all the women in the town once the Americans overthrow the Fascist dictator that is Mussolini, with Renato suffering helplessly as he watches the woman he fell in love with screaming in pain.
- It was nominated for an oscar. It really was an amazing film. The direction, the acting the story. Everything was so well composed and balanced. You grew up with Renato and followed his heart everywhere it went.
- Monica Bellucci. I don't think I need more of an explanation.
- The ending. I won't ruin this part but I'll just use my favorite quote:
"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... Malèna."
Renato Amoroso
What're some of your favorite films?
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