The Taviani brothers worked together throughout their directorial career and produced many outstanding films but to my mind this one tops the lot. It is little known and I would not have seen it had I not turned up for a "Promote tourism in Tuscany" event and this was the chosen film. And I've never managed to see it again since.
If a great film is defined as a film that achieves some moments of pure magic (as some critics believe), then this film has more than its fair share of great moments. It has two great moments (99.99% of films have zero to put that into context).
The first magic moment is when the character played by Isabella Rossellini is viewed for the first time (I will not spoil it by describing her first appearance). The second magic moment is achieved when the character played by Michele Placido savours a moment of unexpected success, against his negative expectations. You can feel what he is feeling, that moment of exhilaration when you achieve something unexpected against all odds. This transmission of feeling from character to audience is indeed rare in cinema.
Il Prato deserves re-evaluation.
