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11 reviews in total

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15 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Luchino Visconti dresses Romy Schnaider plus other stories., 14 November 2007

Author: Ubaldo Martinez from United States

The one thing I remembered about "Bocaccio70" was Romy Schnaider getting dressed in front of a mirror, in front of us. The film in his 4 segments has much more, but nothing better than Romy Schnaider in the Visconti segment. She is exquisite of course but in Visconti's hands she is superlative. Visconti, like George Cukor, knew how to guide actresses to their best. In the Monicelli episode Renzo and Lucia search for their privacy and Monicelli, a remarkable director, today 92 and still at work, manages to give the most straight forward, no frills segment. Fellini goes overboard with a 50 feet tall Anita Eckberg and a rather clumsy indictment at middle class morality. The De Sica episode has Sophia Loren, virgin and whore. When Sophia Loren was in De Sica's hands she was at her best. Her sympathy here takes over the episode and it becomes a joyful tale of nonsensical innocence. But, just as I remembered Romy Schnaider and Visconti are responsible for making this lightweight oddity really worth while.

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9 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Strong women according to Boccacio, 12 October 2006

Author: jotix100 from New York

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

The idea behind "Boccacio '70" was to update some of the stories in Boccacio's Decameron into short segments directed by some of the top Italian directors, showcasing four actresses at the center of each story. The end result was not as interesting as the concept behind the idea. Thus, the resulting stories are not what could have been expected of directors like Federico Fellini, Vittorio DeSica, Luchino Visconti and Mario Monicelli.

The first story "Luciana e Renzo" is directed by Mario Monicelli. Some of the contributors to the screen play included Italo Calvino, one of Italy's best writers. The story is simple. Luciana, a young woman working in the accounting department of a large firm, is going to get married to Renzo, who also happens to work for the company. The only problem is no marriage between employees is allowed.

The film follows them as they use their lunch time to go to a remote church and get married. The newlyweds must share her parent's small apartment. The head of the department, who obviously likes the lovely Luciana, decides to hit on her when he sees her at a public swimming pool. Things go from bad to worse until the boss finds Luciana embracing Renzo. An idea comes to Luciana's mind: If they both get fired, the separation bonus will let them put a down payment for an apartment of their own.

Beautiful Marisa Solinas is Luciana and Germano Gilioli plays Renzo.

The next story, "Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio" was conceived by Federico Fellini, who also wrote the screen play with Tullio Pinelli, a frequent collaborator, and others. The story is about Antonio a prudish man who is shocked when an enormous advertising ad is erected in a space facing his apartment. In it, a blown up figure of the actress Anita Ekberg is shown in a suggestive pose holding a glass of milk.

No matter what Dr. Antonio does, he is unable to get a friendly ear to help his cause. He becomes so obsessed that one day the gigantic figure in the billboard comes to haunt him. Anita Ekberg, towers over him and teases him mercilessly. What to do? In spite of his protestations Dr. Antonio, who perhaps has not seen a woman this close in his life, is rendered impotent to do anything against a goddess like Anita Ekberg.

The great Peppino DiFilippo appears as Dr. Antonio and the real Anita Ekberg, who made a splash in Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" (no pun intended), have some fine moments in the movie.

The third story "Il Lavoro", directed by Luchino Visconti, presents us with Conte Ottavio, an impoverished nobleman married to the rich Pupe, the daughter of an extremely rich man. Ottavio, who has been surprised by paparazzi with a high class prostitute, has been shown in all of the tabloids in compromising positions. Pupe, who at the start of the film seems to be missing, appears in her own room. She obviously loves the lecherous husband and has made up her mind to begin earning her own living in a regular job. Ottavio, who pleads with her not to do it, realizes his financial dependence on Pupe will suffer. Pupe demands the same kind of payment he made to the call girl. At the end, we see as Ottavio is writing a check as he comes over to Pupe.

The fabulous Romy Schneider was excellent as Pupe and Tomas Millian makes a great appearance.

The last story, "La riffa", directed by Vittorio DeSica and written by Cesare Zavattini, takes us to a small town where Zoe, a beautiful woman who has a shooting gallery in a carnival must make ends meet. Her sister, who is having a baby, needs money that she doesn't have, so she ideates a raffle in which she will be the prize. Needless to say, all the men in town buy all the chances. The meek sacristan is the winner, but when he comes to claim his prize, Gaetano, who is secretly in love with Zoe, will not let the sacristan get the lovely Zoe.

Sophia Loren is marvelous as the tart-tongued Zoe. She had worked with Mr. DeSica before and she gives a wonderful reading. Luigi Giuliani is Gaetano and Alfio Vita plays the sacristan.

"Boccacio '70", the film, and the writer Boccacio showed they were ahead of its times in presenting strong women taking charge of their destinies.

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9 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Enjoyable trio of comedy/dramas with famous femme fatales, 2 January 2000
Author: Len Helfgott (lhelfgott@carroll.com) from USA

I remember seeing this as a teenager when it was in the movies. An entertaining trio with a sexual theme but no nudity in the 60's. The best was 'The Censor' with a hyper-voluptuous Anita Ekberg as a 100 foot long billboard ad (for milk) that comes to life to torment the local censor -- absolutely hilarious. Then the magnificent Sophia Loren in "The Lottery" where the winner of the drawing wins her for the night. Last is with the late Romy Schneider in a bittersweet tale about a philandering husband who uses their wealth on prostitutes. At least that's what I remember after well over 30 years. If anyone knows where I can rent this again, please let me know.

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11 out of 18 people found the following review useful:
Finally out on DVD !!!! But..., 12 November 2003

Author: eric wobma from amsterdam

Words are not enough for this wonderful quadruple satire. Yes, in the beginning there were FOUR, but the Mario Monicelli story got cut to economize on time. It is the least funny but very compelling tale of two newlyweds finding no space or time to be alone together. A beautiful story.

On the DVD distributed by the Dutch label Homescreen all 4 stories are included. Very odd though, it is a widescreen version, but from the top & bottom there are layers missing. So all the players standing up, get there heads chopped of. Astonishing, and very irritating. The sound every now and then echos, which is bad too. And the only subtitles available are in Dutch...

But to see these wonderful tales again, of Fellini, Visconti, De Sica & Monicelli, and to see Romy Schneider, Sophia Loren & Anita Ekberg play so majestically, might be well worth it to forget about the technical problems of this DVD. And let's simply hope CRITERION can obtain the rights shortly, for they will surely do this fourfold little miracle justice...

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7 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
temptations and taboos, 7 October 2001
Author: rogierr from Amsterdam, Netherlands

These three directors definitely distinguish themselves here from each other without being cocky. Well, Fellini and Ekberg may be VERY audacious, but that just adds positively to his work in my opinion. In his segment 'The temptations of Dr. Antonio' is enough material to fill an entire feature. It brings big fun and surrealism in a story about a very BIG billboard with a picture of Anita Ekberg on it holding a glass of milk. A moralistic guy (censor?) who lives right in front of the billboard (and BTW gets a very funny introduction in the film) can't accept the supposedly scandalous picture and takes action. After seeing it, I couldn't get this tune out of my head: 'Bevete piu latte' (you must drink milk) which is a commercial tune for the billboard. It is all very carnavalesque, versatile and entertaining. It's a pity Giuseppe Rotunno (Amarcord, Città delle donne, il Gattopardo, Carnal Knowledge) didn't dignify this segment with his cinematography (as he DID with Visconti's poetic segment which has a much more distinct atmosphere and has less special effects).

The common factor between the three segments is a (light) moral discussion about what sexual borders people can have and what must occur to make them actually think about it. Where exactly lies the border of your taboos? The film is also watchable as plain entertainment, for the three starring ladies are captivating and intense here (though in general I don't like Ekberg that much). Romy Scheider played a girl in the silly 'Sissy' (1955-57), but is already glorious with her subtle impression in this segment of a mature lady who gets double-crossed by her fiancee and takes revenge.

I didn't see the segment 'Renzo e Luciana' unfortunately, because it was unavailable :(, but I guess I liked Fellini's part best and De Sica's least (as most of his work): De Sica had some better short films in 'Ieri, oggi, domani' (1963, all starring Sophia Loren). Or it could be that I liked the first two segments best, because there was Nino Rota's (Godfather, Amarcord) score under them. De Sica's segment is just not interesting in any way. Nevertheless this is a triptych of the highest order: underrated.

9/10

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10 out of 17 people found the following review useful:
Quality in this Italian film!, 30 July 2001

Author: (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net) from Tyler, TX USA

What superlatives can really be added to the directors of this film that haven't already been used! Certainly, too, the acting is top rate. Loosely "based upon the 'Tales of the Decameron' written by Boccaccio," this film "updates" (from 14th century!)and brings alive the passion, the tragedy, the humor that Boccaccio and friends sought to "while away their time as the Plague ravaged Florence below"! Certainly any film that features Signorina Loren can't be all bad; ditto with Eckberg and Schneider--what a lovely trinity! Alas, seeing this film today is very, very difficult, as it hasn't been released for general consumption (as far as I know). Pity. It's a great film, even after 39 years!

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Good all the way through, 26 June 2011

Author: zetes from Saint Paul, MN

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

An Italian portmanteau film supposedly inspired by Boccaccio's Decameron (though I don't see a connection, honestly). The film was released in a truncated version in most places, with Monicelli's opening segment cut. The other three directors protested by refusing to promote the film when it debuted at Cannes.

Titled "Renzo e Luciana," it's probably my second favorite of the four films. It's just a very simple love story, a slice-of-life sort of thing. It may be a tad slight, but it's sweet and utterly charming. Marisa Solinas and Germano Gilioli play a young couple. As the film opens, they're secretly getting married, as Solinas' job as a secretary demands that she be single (probably so her boss can hit on her constantly). Gilioli moves in with Solinas and her family in a crowded little apartment. There is no privacy there. And it's nearly impossible to find it anywhere else, either. The short doesn't really have an ending, but it's so enjoyable it doesn't matter. Solinas is an incredibly beautiful woman (the women of Boccaccio '70 are definitely the major selling point).

Fellini's "Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio" is the highlight of the film. Peppino De Filippo stars as Dr. Antonio Mazzuolo, an upstanding citizen who wishes to protect Rome from temptations of the flesh. This proves especially difficult when a gigantic billboard of a scandalously dressed Anita Ekberg, with bare legs and heaving bosoms, declaring loudly "DRINK MORE MILK!" is erected outside of his apartment building one day. It attracts people from all over the city to visit and ogle and create an Ace in the Hole-like carnival right in front of it (not blocking Dr. Antonio's view, of course). After much protestation, though, the good doctor succeeds in getting the billboard's salacious elements covered. This has consequences, however, as Ekberg exits the billboard, giant-sized, to torment the man. This one is nearly as good as the other famous Fellini portmanteau segment, "Toby Dammit" from Spirits of the Dead.

Luchino Visconti directs the third segment, "Il lavoro," another more simple, slice-of-life film where a count, Tomas Milian, having been accused in the newspaper of visiting prostitutes, is tormented by his wife, Romy Schneider. It all takes place within a few rooms in their mansion, as Schneider threatens to leave Milian (and leave him poor, as the money comes from her father) and get a real job. She also insists that he pay her a prostitute's fee for all the sex she's given him for free during their marriage. This was probably my least favorite segment, but I still liked it a lot. It may be the most emotionally complex of the four.

Vittorio De Sica presides over the final segment, "La riffa." This one features the memorable image of Sophia Loren, at the height of her beauty, in a luminous red dress (and, when she takes it off a couple of times, a black bra). She runs a carnival booth, and all the men of the town are obsessed with her, frequently bothering her with their provincial horniness. She's entered in a lottery where she will go out on a date with whoever wins. Her admirers all lose the drawing to the meek, dorky sacristan of the local church and they desperately try to bribe him for the ticket. Meanwhile, the whole deal upsets the young man whom she's been seeing in her free time, and he attempts to sabotage their supposed sexual encounter. I've never been a fan of Loren, mostly because I felt she was almost too beautiful (that's definitely the reason that she bothers me so much in De Sica's Two Women), but she's wonderful here. I also really loved the performance of the sacristan (I don't see the actor's name listed on IMDb), an innocent little man who could never imagine getting within a hundred yards of a woman like Loren. His final encounter with her is genuinely touching.

The four segments together run nearly three and a half hours, but, since they have nothing to do with each other, it's easy to watch one at a time. Portmanteau films can often vary a lot in quality, and most (even this one) are forgotten pretty quickly. This one is definitely a must-see for fans of Italian cinema, or any of the individual directors. The print by NoShame is gorgeous. Unfortunately, it is out of print, but Kino is re-releasing it (apparently on Blu-Ray, too, which should look even more outstanding) in September.

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2 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
do not miss!, 20 July 2008
Author: indy-39 from United States

Specifically for film lovers,like myself, who only ever got to watch this collection (minus the first segment) on late-late night commercial TV- run out and get a copy of this remastered version. To watch this as it was originally intended- the work of some of Italy's finest directors- is a joy. As for which segment is the best... it's hard to say...Fellini's segment is better than I remembered it...and who could ever forget Anita Ekberg...in truth I have a fondness for all these Italian films I saw in my youth that makes objectivity hard.P.S.: Of course, the same must be said for Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow-also reissued- I nearly cried at how good the print was.

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3 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
Worth seeing just for the Fellini segment!!!, 15 March 2007

Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I assume the title "BOCCACCIO '70" was picked as a reference to the famous Renaissance work THE DECAMERON, though instead of ten stories, this film is made up of only 4 (3 in the international release). Why "'70"? Perhaps it was meant as a film for the 70s and a new era of sensual films--I don't know. Regardless, it debuted in 1962, so I am confused about the title.

The first film (the one that was dropped when released internationally) is a pretty cute little film about a couple whose experiences as newlyweds are just awful. The segment is directed by Monicelli and I heard it was dropped partly due to the excessive length of the overall film and because his is the only portion without a big name international star. The poor couple are forced by finances to live with the bride's family (who won't give them a second of privacy--with a glass door to their bedroom and a noisy meddlesome house), but for some odd reason the lady was told she would lose her job if she got married! This is all very strange and I can't imagine any job enforcing this in this day and age. So, they can't tell anyone other than her family that they are married and it creates many complications--particularly when her boss makes advances on her! The film is cute and very watchable but suffers some from being a bit too long (it probably would have been better to end it a few minutes sooner--right after they moved out of her parents' home). Also, for the faint of heart, you get to see the boss in a very skimpy bathing suit--he was so unattractive and yechy in it, my eyes are still burning! I'd give this segment a 6 or 7.

The second segment, and by far the best, is the Fellini film. Now I am NOT a fan of most of his work--I truly believe some of his films are overrated and too indulgent. This time, however, his film, while not perfect, is not to be missed. It's a very silly and rather surreal piece about a nasty little man who spends all of his energy trying to enforce his crazy views about sexuality on EVERYONE. Practically everything he sees he thinks is dirty and even the most innocent things are attacked by this self-appointed crusader for virtue. The old prudes in town like him but most others think (correctly so) that he's a nut. The last straw for this guy is a giant billboard featuring the voluptuous Anita Ekberg for a milk commercial. I goes up right outside his apartment window and he practically becomes unhinged and tries in vain to get it removed. Later he even resorts to tossing paint on the 80 food image! Eventually, the man becomes so wrapped up in the fight over the advertisement that he begins hallucinating! At first he sees or hears her--such as an arm here and a voice there. Then later, the film gets REALLY weird as Ms. Ekberg walks off the billboard and chases the man because she apparently finds him irresistible! It's a lot like ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN but much, much funnier! The only negative at all is the billboard--it sings and sings and sings the same jingle again and again and might drive some of you crazy! Still, this one deserves a 10!

The next segment by director Visconti I frankly found pretty dull. It's about a young couple who have two problems--their marriage is in trouble and they are young, attractive and rich! This is a rather familiar theme in many of Visconti's films--rich bored folks. I really felt no connection to them and people whining about their lives when they have SO MUCH made me frustrated that I almost skipped ahead on the DVD to the next segment--it was THAT dull and irritating. Despite having a very sexy Romy Schneider dressing and undressing (again and again), there was nothing memorable about it. This one, at best, gets a 5 or 6--and that's just for Schneider.

The final was a cute short by director DeSica--my favorite Italian director. It was the second best segment but just couldn't keep up with the Fellini piece--and you really can't blame DeSica for this, the Fellini was definitely at his best. In this odd piece, an illegal lottery is being conducted but instead of the usual prize, sex with Sophia Loren is the prize!! All the ugly old guys in town are pushing and shoving, scrimping and saving to sign up! Despite being a very sexy segment, it really isn't all that explicit and ends very well. It's very good and quite cute. It's deserving of an 8.

Overall, it's a very interesting but inconsistent film. Some portions are must-see segments but others are not--but the overall effect is excellent.

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0 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Fellini's "The Temptation of Dr. Antonio" unbearable..., 27 September 2011

Author: Frances Farmer from United States

I have not seen all of the components of this multi-director opus, but saw the Fellini bit and it was quite weak, in my opinion. Fellini's short film, "The Temptation of Dr. Antonio," revolves around the prudery of a middle-aged man, played by Peppino De Filippo. Dr. Antonio's rigid morality cannot abide a billboard of Anita Ekberg advertising milk because Ekberg is showing a bit of cleavage. Perhaps in 1962 this "comic device" was conceivable but in 2011 it is absurd and painful to watch. On top of the extremely dated and un-funny antics of Peppino vis-a-vis Ekberg, there is a young child (a putti, actually) narrating the film... perhaps this narrator is the "glue" holding all the films within this film together. The singing of this little kid about milk and her various other sundry contributions is super annoying and another reason to avoid this short Fellini movie.

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