Summer Night, with Greek Profile, Almond Eyes and Scent of Basil (1986) Notte d'estate con profilo greco, occhi a mandorla e odore di basilico (original title)

Director:

Lina Wertmüller

Writer:

Lina Wertmüller

Release Date:

31 October 1986 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

the director of "Swept Away" will sweep you away once more.

Plot Keywords:

Title Directed By Female | Female Nudity

Cast

Mariangela Melato	...	Fulvia Bolk
Michele Placido	...	Giuseppe Catania aka Beppe
Roberto Herlitzka	...	Salvatore Cantalamessa aka Turi
Massimo Wertmüller	...	Miki, Turi's assistant
John Steiner	...	Frederick, Fulvia's lover
Arnaldo Ninchi	...	Fulvia's secretary
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alessandro Bertoletti	...	Stockholder at party
Livia De Stefani	...	Stockholder at party
Marta Marzotto
Giorgio Pavone	...	Stockholder at party
Roby Ruberti	...	Stockholder at party
Piero Vivarelli	...	Stockholder at party

Directed by
Lina Wertmüller

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Lina Wertmüller

Produced by
Gianni Minervini	....	producer
Elio Scardamaglia	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Pino D'Angiò
Greco

Cinematography by
Camillo Bazzoni

Film Editing by
Luigi Zitta

Production Design by
Enrico Job

Production Management
Gino Millozza	....	production manager

Sound Department
Mario Bramonti	....	sound recordist
Danilo Moroni	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Franco Ragusa	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Christian Gazzi	....	digital mastering colorist

Camera and Electrical Department
Maurizio Piano	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Benito Persico	....	costume coordinator

Production Companies

• A.M.A. Film
• Leone Film
• Medusa Distribuzione
• Reteitalia (associate production)

Distributors

• Koch Lorber Films (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Koch Lorber Films (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Medusa Distribuzione (1987) (Italy) (theatrical)
• New Line Cinema (1987) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• América Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Highlight Video (????) (West Germany) (VHS)
• International Video Entertainment (IVE) (1988) (USA) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Corridori G & A Cinematografica S.r.l.

Other Companies

• Valentino  costumes

Also Known As:

"Notte d'estate con profilo greco, occhi a mandorla e odore di basilico" - Italy (original title)

Runtime:

USA:94 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Hong Kong:III | USA:Not Rated

Company:

A.M.A. Film

I waited but nothing new or unexpected occurred

The film is a very convoluted tale of a strange rich woman who kidnaps a Sicilian mobster and holds him for ransom. Again and again, what occurred in the film made very little sense and the plot gave me a headache.

First, why she exactly kidnapped this pig of a man is uncertain. Supposedly a syndicate of rich folks backed her efforts because they wanted revenge for all this the kidnappings this mobster did to them. This made sense. However, on the DVD case, it mentioned that the lady was interested in "ecological preservation", and although she briefly mentioned something about this in the film, it was as if this HAD been part of the film but most of it had been excised--leaving a lot of loose ends. Was it about revenge or punishing an eco-terrorist? I think it was just about revenge and the other aspect was barely mentioned.

Second, while the plan made sense at first, having the man taken from a secure cell where he was chained and putting him in a giant luxury tent made my head hurt. Why, why, why???!!! And for the good plan to suddenly be tossed aside so this seemingly smart lady can talk, talk, talk to her "victim" made no sense. Was she smart or an idiot--the film didn't seem sure.

Third, you kidnap an evil man and feed him caviar and get him prostitutes--even after he shows no submission and most kidnappers would have just worked him over with a rubber hose or applied some electric shocks to various and sundry parts of his body. Hmmmm...now the caviar and whores--THAT'S a clever plan.

Fourth, and this is the worst part for me, is that the film just seemed like a rehash and reworking of director Wertmüller's previous success, SWEPT AWAY. While Giancarlo Giannini was not in the film, the man filling this role looked a heck of a lot like him--complete with the beard and pig-like manners. And, of course, Mariangela Melato (who was in SWEPT AWAY) is back playing much the same role--a spoiled rich idiot who is eventually conquered by the power of lower class animalistic sex. It's supposed to be a metaphor for the struggle between the rich and the proletariat, though the comparison is stupid--the "worker" is a mafioso--hardly a man of the people. And, if the rich were all like Melato, then it's impossible to imagine how they all came to power, given they are idiots. As a result, her message was certainly not subtle nor was it particularly convincing.

If you insist on watching a Wertmüller film, try SWEPT AWAY--it was much more original and seemed to have an excellent message. Oh, and by the way, this is an EXTREMELY sexual movie--don't let the kiddies see it!