A beautiful looking film which I read about once that it cost only 700 million Lira to make in 1969. According to Yahoo's currency conversion, 700M Lira is $334K today and I believe that would make it about what, $50K (give or take a few Ks) in 1969? It's amazing what talented people can do with just a little money. There are movies made today that probably cost a hundred times what this one cost in 1969 and don't look anywhere near as good.
Even though this film was made in 1969, I still consider it a 1970s film and one of the best of the '70s. This movie has been referred to as a Marxist "Gone with the Wind" (1939) and it is without a doubt one of the nicest looking films ever made. Especially its first half, and I believe its first half outshines the rest of it. Let's also give the most credit not to the director but to the talented Cinematographer of this film, Vittorio Storaro.
The only draw back in this film is its story line -- it's extremely heavy handed. Well at least to me. I found it somewhat irritating, but then what do you expect from a film made at the time by dedicated Marxists.
As for a detailed analysis of this film's story I suggest you read its other reviews at this Web page or buy the book "Italian Cinema : From Neorealism to the Present" by Peter Bondanella.
The music in this movie is also very good and it's a perfect example of the proper use of music in a movie: It's used when needed and to enhance a scene, not simply to reinforce the emotions being displayed on the screen or as endless background sound. There aren't many films made today that know how to properly blend music within a film. If you can think of other good examples then let the rest of us know.
Favorite scenes in this film: About in the middle, right after Anna Quadri (Dominique Sanda) confronts Marcello (Jean-Louis Trintignant) about why he must murder her father (Marcello's old anti-Fascist university professor). It's just a simple scene of them (Marcello, his wife, and Anna) beginning to shop in Paris but it's a beautiful mix of great cinematography, editing and music. Or how about the scene in a compartment of a moving train with Marcello and his new wife. Again very effective and very impressive.
If you like the way this film looks then I recommend another Italian film you may want to see: "C'eravamo tanto amati" or "We All Loved Each Other So Much" (1974). This is another extremely nice looking film and some text book examples of clever film making.
Even though this film was made in 1969, I still consider it a 1970s film and one of the best of the '70s. This movie has been referred to as a Marxist "Gone with the Wind" (1939) and it is without a doubt one of the nicest looking films ever made. Especially its first half, and I believe its first half outshines the rest of it. Let's also give the most credit not to the director but to the talented Cinematographer of this film, Vittorio Storaro.
The only draw back in this film is its story line -- it's extremely heavy handed. Well at least to me. I found it somewhat irritating, but then what do you expect from a film made at the time by dedicated Marxists.
As for a detailed analysis of this film's story I suggest you read its other reviews at this Web page or buy the book "Italian Cinema : From Neorealism to the Present" by Peter Bondanella.
The music in this movie is also very good and it's a perfect example of the proper use of music in a movie: It's used when needed and to enhance a scene, not simply to reinforce the emotions being displayed on the screen or as endless background sound. There aren't many films made today that know how to properly blend music within a film. If you can think of other good examples then let the rest of us know.
Favorite scenes in this film: About in the middle, right after Anna Quadri (Dominique Sanda) confronts Marcello (Jean-Louis Trintignant) about why he must murder her father (Marcello's old anti-Fascist university professor). It's just a simple scene of them (Marcello, his wife, and Anna) beginning to shop in Paris but it's a beautiful mix of great cinematography, editing and music. Or how about the scene in a compartment of a moving train with Marcello and his new wife. Again very effective and very impressive.
If you like the way this film looks then I recommend another Italian film you may want to see: "C'eravamo tanto amati" or "We All Loved Each Other So Much" (1974). This is another extremely nice looking film and some text book examples of clever film making.