Baarìa (2009)

Baaria is Sicilian slang for Bagheria where Tornatore was born and this is an autobiographic epic of three generations in the Sicilian village where he was born.

Director:

Giuseppe Tornatore

Writer:

Giuseppe Tornatore (story)

Stars:

Francesco Scianna, Margareth Madè, Raoul Bova

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 12 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Francesco Scianna	...	Peppino Torrenuova
Margareth Madè	...	Mannina
Raoul Bova	...	Roman journalist
Giorgio Faletti	...	Corteccia
Leo Gullotta	...	Liborio
Nicole Grimaudo	...	Sarina as a girl
Gabriele Lavia	...	Teacher
Ángela Molina	...	Sarina
Enrico Lo Verso	...	Minicu
Nino Frassica	...	Giacomo Bartolotta
Aldo	...	Speculator (as Aldo Baglio)
Ficarra	...	Nino (as Salvatore Ficarra)
Picone	...	Luigi (as Valentino Picone)
Marcello Mazzarella	...	Podestà
Luigi Lo Cascio	...	Beggard's son

Storyline

The film begins in the 1920's, in the Sicilian town of Bagheria (a.k.a. Baaria) where Giuseppe "Peppino" Torrenuova works as a shepherd to financially help his poor family. Over the next 50 years Giuseppe's life, as well as the life of the village, is observed. Giuseppe grows up, joins the Communist Party, marries a local girl (Mannina), has children and forges a political career for himself.

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Plot Keywords:

children | epic | communist party | 1920s | farm | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [fr]

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Sicilian Italian English

Release Date:

25 September 2009 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Baaria

Filming Locations:

Bagheria, Palermo, Sicily, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

€28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$4,900 (USA) (28 January 2011)

Gross:

$4,900 (USA) (28 January 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Medusa Film, Quinta Communications, Regione Siciliana

Technical Specs

Runtime:

150 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Opening film at the 2009 Venice Film Festival.

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Connections

References Fellini Satyricon (1969)

User Reviews

Tornatore's Amarcord

Looking back with a sentimental eye and a generous budget doesn't guarantee a masterpiece and in fact "Baaria" is not a masterpiece, but it manages to be a lot of other things and when I say a lot a mean an awful lot, too much perhaps. The ambition of the enterprise clashes with its clarity, its accomplishment even with its honesty. I've spent 10 critical years of my childhood in Sicily and the Sicily depicted here, beauty an all, felt like the work of a foreigner. This is a Sicily for exportation or, the Sicily of a dreamer with a very acute cinematic eye. Not the Sicily of Visconti's "La Terra Trema" to be sure but perhaps Tornatore's way is a cleverer way to go about it. This is a exemplary crafted "product". It doesn't have the depth of real art nor its purity. It has, however, a great show of confidence in itself. Beautiful images, beautiful protagonists, beautiful score. The toothless smiles of the under proletarians the color coordinated attire of the rich, everything in place just the way we imagine. To say that I was disappointed wouldn't be quite true, in fact, I enjoyed it much more that I thought I would, but now, twenty four hours later, very little of it remains in my mind or in my heart.