Malena (2000)

Amidst the war climate, a teenage boy discovering himself becomes love-stricken by Malèna, a sensual woman living in a small, narrow-minded Italian town.

Director:

Giuseppe Tornatore

Writers:

Giuseppe Tornatore (screenplay), Luciano Vincenzoni (original story)

Stars:

Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro, Luciano Federico

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Monica Bellucci	...	Malèna Scordia
Giuseppe Sulfaro	...	Renato Amoroso
Luciano Federico	...	Renato's Father
Matilde Piana	...	Renato's Mother
Pietro Notarianni	...	Professor Bonsignore
Gaetano Aronica	...	Nino Scordia
Gilberto Idonea	...	Avvocato Centorbi (as Gilberto Idone)
Angelo Pellegrino	...	Segretario politico
Gabriella Di Luzio	...	Mantenuta del Barone
Pippo Provvidenti	...	Dott. Cusimano
Maria Terranova	...	Moglie Dott. Cusimano
Marcello Catalano	...	Lieutenant Cadei
Elisa Morucci	...	Lupetta
Domenico Gennaro	...	Farmacista
Vitalba Andrea	...	Moglie farmacista

Storyline

Malèna is about the peril of a beauty through the eyes of a 12 year old kid named Renato. He experiences three things on the same day, beginning of war, getting a bike and sees the arrival of Malèna in town. Through his eyes, we see the curse of beauty and loneliness of Malena, whose husband is presumed to be dead, and through his soul we see his love for her.

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Plot Keywords:

female removes her clothes | female pubic hair | masturbation | italy | poverty | 

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Taglines:

She was too young to be a widow, and too beautiful to be alone. Every man wanted to have her. One boy risked everything to protect her.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality/nudity, language and some violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Giuseppe Sulfaro stated in a interview that he had never seen a live naked woman and that Monica Bellucci was the first.

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Goofs

When Malèna is hit by the local women after becoming a whore and her hair is cut, she doesn't have any marks or cuts on her head. But later there are sometimes two spots or cuts on her head.

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Quotes

Renato Amoroso: From now on, I'll be at your side. Forever, I promise. Just give me time to grow up.

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Crazy Credits

The movie is dedicated to Tornatore's Father

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Alternate Versions

Among the scenes cut from the American version of the film include several of Renato's sexual fantasies, including a scene where he undresses Malena, and another in which Malena strips naked in front of him in a fantasy and then in reality a lookalike prostitute climbs sensuously on top of him in bed.

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Connections

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

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Soundtracks

Ma l'amore no
Written by Giovanni D'Anzi and Michele Galdieri
Performed by Lina Termini

User Reviews

What a beautiful surprise.

What a beautiful surprise. I loved Malena for its honesty, simplicity and the way it portrayed the life of the young boy in the early 40's. It reminded my of a lot of good movies I have seen throughout my life. Malena is one of those movies that gets stuck in your mind. I enjoyed the movie very much and recommend it to all.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Italy USA

Language:

Italian English Latin Greek, Ancient (to 1453)

Release Date:

2 February 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Malena

Filming Locations:

Messina, Sicily, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$62,282, 25 December 2000

Gross USA:

$3,448,233

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,493,284

Company Credits

Production Co:

Medusa Film, Miramax, Pacific Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 92 min (heavily cut) 84 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1