Malèna (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 & 17 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

female removes her clothes | female pubic hair | masturbation | female removes her dress | female nudity | 

---

Taglines:

A world at war. A young man coming of age. And the woman who changed his life forever

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | War

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality/nudity, language and some violence

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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,429,045, 1 April 2001

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:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Giuseppe Sulfaro was actually naked in the sex scene between Renato and Lupeta the prostitute and no body double was used.

---

Goofs

Nino's position changes when he falls to the ground after he is hit. He is first on his left, then more on his back. His position relative to the steps also appears to change.

---

Quotes

Renato's Father: [regarding Renato's incessant and loud masturbation sessions at night] You are going to go blind!

---

Crazy Credits

The movie is dedicated to Tornatore's Father

---

Alternate Versions

Original Italian version (rated T, suitable for all ages) runs 109 minutes. Miramax cut the film down to a running time of around 92 minutes, in order to obtain an R rating. Gone or shortened were many of Renato's dream sequences with Malena which involve a lot more nudity than in the cut version.

---

Connections

Remade as Monsoon (2015)

---

Soundtracks

The Tango Dancer
Written by Malcolm Lockyer (as Howard Shaw)

User Reviews

Viva Tornatore!

I found the film to be visually hypnotic and very moving. I was also impressed with the film maker's story telling technique. The film brought me into the bustling street life of the Sicilian village by eye-level camera work and the comments of the people in crowded scenes, through which I was taken with the characters. Just like walking down a busy urban street anywhere with your ears and eyes open. The film made me wake up to the fact that so much American film, perhaps all contemporary film, is composed mainly of close ups with two or a few people. Not this film. There is a sequence with airplanes overhead that is absolutely dizzying without any fancy 3-D or pyrotechnic effects. Mr. Tornatore brilliantly uses silent stares, pairs of eyes and silly dream sequences with amazing effect. The male lead, an adolescent boy, is portrayed with great empathy by Giuseppe Sulfaro without schmaltz or sanitizing, so typical in American films about puberty. The title role, played well by a dazzling Monica Bellucci, could have been written for a young Sophia Loren. (My dream sequence, I guess) My favorite character was Renato's father, hilariously played by Luciano Federico. A must see.