Reviews & Ratings for
The Fiances More at IMDbPro »I fidanzati (original title)

22 out of 22 people found the following review useful:
Perfection, 17 July 2004
Author: tangoviudo from Philippines

This was Olmi's 3rd feature and was shown briefly in New York (audiences failed to turn out even when they were giving tickets away). It's a step forward in Olmi's artistry, after the straightforward but delightful realism of "Il Posto." Olmi uses temporal devices to elaborate the circumstances of the hero's lonely life - his long engagement, his decision to take a job offer in faraway Sicily, his longing for Liliana - and succeeds brilliantly, achieving a more artful and truly poetic style. And anyone who has spent some time far away from a loved one will feel acutely Giovanni's isolation and how his feelings for Liliana become clearer and sharper as the days that separate them accumulate. I unhesitatingly recommend this beautiful little film.

6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
The separation, 17 November 2006

Author: jotix100 from New York

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

We are taken to what appears a neighborhood dance hall, as the film begins. The lights are out, the people are seated, awaiting the start of the music. The musicians arrive and begin playing. Two women of a certain age take to the floor, followed by the other couples. It's at this point that Giovanni and Liliana, who are serious about one another, enter and sit at one of the tables. Hardly a word is spoken, yet, watching Lilliana's face, we realize something is wrong.

We figure the problem lies in the fact that Giovanni has accepted a position in a new industrial complex his company has set up in Sicily. The job means he will be away for a whole year with better pay and a promotion. This doesn't sit well with Lilianna, and her attitude at the dance hall explains the way she feels the separation will take Giovanni away from her forever.

As Giovanni gets settled into the job, we watch him roaming the streets of the little town. He is clearly a loner since he prefers his own company. Giovanni has to struggle with the fact his elderly father has stayed behind and must deal with the idea of living in a nursing home. Toward the end of the story he receives a letter from Lilianna where she gives him news of home. Giovanni, who obviously misses her sees a way for resuming their relationship.

Ermanno Olmi was a documentary maker before his magnificent screen debut with "Il Posto". In a way, "I Fidanzati" feels like a continuation of the other film. The ballroom sequence brings to mind the New Year's ball of the former movie. This idea is arrived at because the bored expressions of the couples at the neighborhood dance hall. No one seems to be having fun. Lilianna, whose face betrays her, shows a woman at the border of despair as she figures that Giovanni's departure means the end of her chances of marrying Giovanni.

The director was wise to employ Lamberto Caimi to photograph this film. The music score of Gianni Ferrio plays well with the action on the screen. Mr. Olmi guided his unknown cast to give excellent performances. Carlo Cabrini and Anna Canzi seem to have been naturals for the screen, yet, neither actor went to have a career in the Italian cinema. Mr. Cabrini, whose presence is deeply felt in the film does an amazing job in his portrayal of Giovanni.

Ermanno Olmi, a director's director, showed that his early promise with "Il Posto" was not a fluke, as he continued to create human comedies about the way he saw his country at this time of his career.

8 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Beautiful, elegant modernism, but too short on story and character., 10 February 2006
Author: eyeseehot from Amherst, Massachusetts

This is elegant sixties modernism with a subtle socialist thrust. With a bit too much technique, concentration on beautiful, striking shots and fragmented narration studded with flashbacks, the story and characters, though interesting, don't have quite enough weight to involve the viewer. The modernist love of the cryptic goes a little overboard, though in an intriguing way, as for example in the long opening sequence in a dance hall as people gather for the dance and you take a while to figure out what's going on. The man takes a career opportunity to move up from welding by going to work at a distant, isolated plant. The plant and its environs represent industrial capitalism and the city overspreading the countryside. Arresting moments, like the dog straying into the church, or the young boy working very fast in the restaurant, as well as the individuality of a variety of people glimpsed in passing, give the movie a mysterious and moving charm. Yet telling so much of the story without dialog weakens our sense of the characters. It draws you in slowly but a bit too much is withheld. Il Posto stays closer to the characters and feels warmer, though the ending of Fidanzati has magic.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder?, 1 December 2011

Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This is a film directed by Ermanno Olmi and although well made, I also found it a bit dull.

Giovanni and Liliana are engaged and live in Northern Italy. Despite their engagement, however, they seem very blasé about their relationship--particularly Giovanni. Will they eventually get married or won't they--it's hard to tell. When his company wants to transfer him to a plant in Southern Italy, he accepts--but also finds the new location very lonely. And, for the first time, he seems to need Liliana. Believe it or not, there really is no more to the film than this! There are LOTS of longing looks, quiet moments and little dialog. It's the sort of film artsy folks will probably love but the average person will find dull. I appreciated the film...but also found it too slow and dull. Perhaps this was deliberate--to make the viewers also feel pained, bored and alienated.

2 out of 31 people found the following review useful:
The perfect couple, 16 April 2001
Author: lionel.willoquet (lionel.willoquet@wanadoo.fr) from Nevers, France

The love of a worker for his fiancée is rekindled after a long separation. The poor state of the economy in Sicily and the upheaval of its industry provides the backdrop to this touching love story. Somewhat drawn out and clumsy, however.

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