The Station (1990) User Reviews

Rainy night , a small town train station and two lonely people.

[davidtraversa-1 · 7/10 · 1 March 2009]

When I first read the synopsis for this film, I thought it was an Italian remake of "Brief Encounter" (One of my favorite films ever) and was very curious to see what they have done, specially because of Margherita Buy (one of my favorite actresses) in the leading rôle.

As in the English classic we have a train station as the only setting, the two main characters, the staged feeling, etc. But as it starts one sees that the train station is the only resemblance to the old British classic. It's not a superb production, as a matter of fact, it lags in many scenes, but all in all, specially because of the loveliness of Margherita Buy (at the peak of her delicate blonde beauty) it's a very watchable film.

When it needs it, at its most noticeable braking point, appears the villain (Ennio Fantastichini, a magnificent actor) giving the story an electric shock. What a performance! one really hates the man. And Sergio Rubini, the director and main male character, is excellent in his portrayal of a humble, ungainly and low brow station manager (seeing him for the first time on the screen, his plain looks and hesitant demeanor makes one believe that he was there as a real train station manager asked to be part of the ensemble). Very good.

The heavy rain outside, the trains coming and going through the night, the banal dialog among those two lonely characters, gives one a cozy feeling of real interest for their lives and destiny. The only thing one needs when watching this movie is a box of Swiss chocolates to really have a superb time.

The railway station on a rainy night

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 10 August 2009]

Flavia, a gorgeous creature is seen quarreling with her boyfriend, Danilo, as the story opens. She wants to get away from the house where the feast is being held as soon as possible. At the same time, Domenico, the midnight station master, is seen arriving for his shift. He is a working man with his own problems. These two opposite characters are thrown together by an incredible force and will spend the night getting to know one another in ways they didn't bargain for.

It appears that Danilo, Flavia's boyfriend, has capitalized on getting on board a business where her name and prestige will be the key for concluding the deal. Unfortunately, because their disagreement, Danilo stands to lose it all. What does he do? He comes to claim at the station, what he thought was rightly his, Flavia. The beautiful woman, in the meantime, gets to meet a kind soul that is generous to a fault and who will do everything to satisfy her. Flavia and Domenico will discover their encounter will make each other a much better person in spite of all the bad things Danilo tries to punish them.

"La stazione" was a surprise when it showed on cable recently. Co-written, directed, and acted by Sergio Rubini, the film was a revelation. The film doesn't mask the fact that it's filmed theater. It was based on a play by Umberto Marino. The excellent Margherita Buy appears as Flavia. This actress, who was starting her career in the Italian cinema, shows in this work why she was earmarked for greater things that came later. Ms. Buy has such a presence in all her films, like she does in this one, that it's hard to keep ones' eyes away from her throughout the movie.

Sergio Rubini shows a talent for comedy, even a dramatic turn, as he does here. Mr. Rubini is another asset in the film. His Domenico is a good man, incapable of harming anyone. His encounter with Flavia was like a dream come true. He is taken away from his every day worries with his sickly mother, into a reality and cruelty, he has not known first hand. Ennio Fantastichini, who is seen as Danilo, gives a good performance as the egotistical man that has used Flavia to gain his entry into a business where he wouldn't have been accepted, were it not by her status and wealth.

Enjoy "La stazione", which in less than 90 minutes delivers a good story and will delight everyone for the good acting Mr. Rubini got from his cast. See it specially for Margherita Buy doing a great turn on the screen.

For lovers of romance, stormy nights and Italian railroad stations.

[Solan · 9/10 · 9 June 1999]

This is a great movie for atmosphere, the story unfolding during a single night in a desolate Italian railroad station. The timid and lonely manager settles in for his night watch, when a beautiful woman enters, enquiring about a train connection... It sounds like a stage play, which it originally was. But it works beautifully on screen. The isolated station building in the rainstorm, the romantic undercurrents between the two leads - and the sudden turn to suspense two-thirds in the plot. Rubini does an impressive job as both director and actor, and the rest of the cast is also good. But the atmosphere and "train romanticism" (as seen in Runaway Train) is the truly great thing here.

Good,arise the vote David traversa shame!

[robertofuiano · 10/10 · 2 May 2009]

If this movie was Spielberg would have had more. Since these strontium on the assumption that a film must be beautiful to be directed by big names like Spielberg, Lucas, Jackson, Cameron. .. All these assessments are wrong you understand the level of bad opinion of this site. Only films for intellectuals can be saved. This film was produced with many dollars and the optimal use of special effects make the place as among the best science fiction film Americans. Finitela of using double standards when judged as a movie, try to be objective because they give 3.8 a film of its kind and reward a crap how terrible sin city with 8.2 is really a 'offense. Vote 8.0