Dark Eyes (1987)

An Italian tells his story of love to a Russian. In a series of flashbacks, Romano Patroni leaves his wife to visit a spa where he falls in love with a Russian woman. He returns to Italy resolved to leave his wife and marry his love.

Director:

Nikita Mikhalkov (as Nikita Michalkov)

Writers:

Aleksandr Adabashyan (story and screenplay) (as Alexandre Adabascian), Nikita Mikhalkov (story and screenplay) (as Nikita Michalkov)

Stars:

Marcello Mastroianni, Silvana Mangano, Marthe Keller

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marcello Mastroianni	...	Romano
Marthe Keller	...	Tina, Romano's Mistress
Elena Safonova	...	Anna Sergeyevna, Governor's Wife (as Elena Sofonova)
Pina Cei	...	Elisa's Mother
Vsevolod Larionov	...	Pavel (Russian Ship Passenger)
Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy	...	Il Governarore di Sisoev (as Innochentij Smoktunovskj)
Roberto Herlitzka	...	L'Avvocato
Paolo Baroni	...	Manlio
Oleg Tabakov	...	Sua Grazia
Yuriy Bogatyryov	...	Il Maresciallo (as Jury Bogatiriov)
Dmitriy Zolotukhin	...	Konstantin (as Dimitri Zolothuchin)
Silvana Mangano	...	Elisa (Romano's Wife)
Jean-Pierre Bardos	...	Ospite sdraiato (as J. Pierre Bardos)
Nino Bignamini	...	L'acquirente
Maria Grazia Bon	...	Sua moglie

Storyline

Aboard a ship early in the 20th-century, a middle-aged Italian tells his story of love to a Russian. In a series of flashbacks filmed almost entirely in creams, whites, and ochers, the clownish and superfluous Romano Patroni leaves his wife's opulent home to visit a spa where he falls in love with a Russian woman whose marriage is a horror. He pursues her into the Russian heartland and returns to Italy resolved to leave his wife and marry his love. His amazed and appreciative Russian listener then narrates a shorter story.

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Plot Keywords:

love | husband wife relationship | buffoon | betrayal | entirely told in flashback | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of Silvana Mangano.

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Quotes

Romano: Hey Gypsies! It's me. I'm leaving soon, but I'll be back soon.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Fatal Beauty/The Hidden/Cry Freedom/Dark Eyes (1987)

User Reviews

handsome European period piece has charm to spare

A Russian/Italian co-production sounds like an uneasy marriage of mismatched temperaments, but 'Dark Eyes' is a remarkably cohesive mutual effort offering the best of both worlds: a wonderfully romantic story, a healthy love of laughter and high spirits, and a lingering air of Slavic melancholy. It's being sold as a showcase for the perennial charm of Marcello Mastroianni, but the film has more than just his performance to recommend it. The script, condensed from several tales by Anton Chekhov, has the elegant simplicity of a classic short story, following a charming but buffoonish husband in his pursuit of an attractive young Russian back to her native country, where he discovers a nation of people even crazier than he is. Some of the smaller roles have been drawn for the broadest effect, but under Nikita Mikhalkov's meticulous direction every character emerges as a full blooded human being, with Mastroianni himself offering a sensitive portrait of a man too in love with life to take it seriously. A nagging reservation: the final irony revealed in the epilogue adds one coincidence too many, and comes close to spoiling the already poignant mood. Just pretend it never happened.

Details

Country:

Italy Soviet Union

Language:

Italian Russian French

Release Date:

6 November 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gypsy Lover

Filming Locations:

Montecatini Terme, Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,201,428

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,201,428

Company Credits

Production Co:

Excelsior Film-TV, RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana, Sovinfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1