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 and screenplay)

Stars:

Francesco Scianna, Margareth Madè, Lina Sastri

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 14 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Francesco Scianna	...	Peppino Torrenuova
Margareth Madè	...	Mannina
Lina Sastri	...	Tana / Beggard
Ángela Molina	...	Sarina
Nicole Grimaudo	...	Sarina as a young woman
Ficarra	...	Nino (as Salvo Ficarra)
Picone	...	Luigi (as Valentino Picone)
Gaetano Aronica	...	Cicco
Alfio Sorbello	...	Cicco as a young man
Lollo Franco	...	Don Giacinto
Giovanni Gambino	...	Peppino as a child
Giuseppe Garufì	...	Pietro as a child
Aldo Baglio	...	Speculator
Raoul Bova	...	Roman journalist
Paolo Briguglia	...	Catechist

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:

child | movie theatre | test of physical strength | bagheria sicily | five generations | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [France]

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 USA:

$4,900, 30 January 2011, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,900, 30 January 2011

Company Credits

Production Co:

Medusa Film,Quinta Communications,Regione Siciliana

Technical Specs

Runtime:

163 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film exists in two versions: the original, shown at the Venice Film Festival and spoken almost entirely in Sicilian dialect, and a dubbed version for general theatrical release in Italy.

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Connections

Features A View from the Bridge (1962)

User Reviews

The Eye Of The Beholder

I wanted to like this film more than any other. The Italian cinema needs a shot in the arm and who better than Giuseppe Tornatore to be the one who does it. I've waited three days to see if anything Tornatore presented to his audience would stick. An image, a thought, an idea. Not such luck. The film is an epidermic recount of the 1900's without getting in very deep and with a great deal of Morricone music. "Baaria" turns out to be a pretty succession of images, too pretty and too many, that hide, while you're watching it, a total emptiness. A tired, didactic trifle built into an epic. Maybe Tornatore, the business man knew what he was doing. Not to alienate an audience with new thoughts or ideas but provide instead a long video clip full of pretty people acting up a storm. We'll see, maybe this a formula to get into the Oscar nominations and the fact that the gorgeous male lead is a communist makes him appear, today as today, like a true romantic hero. As beauty is, was and always will be in the eye of the beholder, audiences may be taken but what is shown on the screen and stop there. Unfortunately I can't do that. I prefer a scene out of focus but that gives me something I can take with me forever.