I Am Love

 

Directed by Luca Guadagnino and screenplay by Guadagnino, Barbara Alberti, Ivan Cotroneo, and Walter Fasano from a story by Guadagnino, Io sono l’amore (I Am Love) is the story of an industrialist’s wife who begins an affair with a chef that would bring trouble to her family during a crucial period in their life and their future. The first film in a thematic trilogy on desire where a woman seeks to find love in her rich and aristocratic environment. Starring Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti, Edoardo Gabbriellini, Alba Rohrwacher, Pippo Delbono, Maria Paiato, Diane Fleri, Waris Ahluwalia, Marisa Berenson, and Gabriele Ferzetti. Io sono l’amore is a ravishing and mesmerizing film from Luca Guadagnino.

The film is the story of an aristocratic family whose lives begin to change through some changing times relating to their textile business while its Russian-born wife falls for her son’s new friend in a chef. It is a film that play into this life of a family in Milan as they deal with their patriarch’s decision to retire and his choices for his successors as they deal with a new business world with his grandson introducing his family to a new friend whom his mother falls in love with. The film’s screenplay isn’t just this exploration of desire for one person but also the desire of a family just trying to find themselves as they embark on a new chapter. Notably as the film opens with a birthday dinner during the Christmas holidays for its patriarch in Edoardo Recchi Sr. (Gabriele Ferzetti) who announces his retirement from the textile business where he names his son Tancredi (Pippo Delbono) and grandson Edoardo Jr. (Flavio Parenti) as his successors as the latter brought in his new girlfriend Eva (Diane Fleri) while a man he lost to in a race in Antonio (Edoardo Gabbriellini) is a chef who came late to the party with a present for Edoardo Sr. where he is seen by Edoardo Jr.’s mother Emma (Tilda Swinton).

The film’s first act is about the dinner and Edoardo Jr. wanting to help Antonio create his own restaurant in his home near San Remo while there is family drama where Edoardo Jr.’s sister Elisabetta (Alba Rohrwacher) goes to London to study as she also has fallen in love with another woman and wanting to break-up with her boyfriend as it was discovered by Emma. The film’s second act that takes place months later where Emma goes to the restaurant run by Antonio’s father with Eva and her mother-in-law in Rori (Marisa Berenson) as Emma eats a plate by Antonio that she loves as she becomes fascinated with him where she later runs into him in San Remo where they begin their affair. The third act doesn’t just play into Emma and Antonio’s affair intensifying but with Edoardo Jr. dealing with the world of business as he becomes overwhelmed with his father’s decision and other things as it lead to some revelations for the family.

Guadagnino’s direction definitely has some stylistic compositions and such yet keeps the film grounded in its exploration of aristocracy in this family. Shot largely on location in Milan as well as San Remo and parts of London for a few scenes in the film’s third act. Guadagnino’s usage of tracking shots for the way characters walk into a room through the Recchi estate as well as close-ups and medium shots to play into the intimate moments in a room as Guadanino also uses wide shots to get a scope of the dining hall or the front lobby at the estate. The film also play into this struggle of tradition with the modern ethics of business as the former is something Edoardo Jr. wants to do as he learned a lot from his grandfather in understanding the business but also the workers so that they can maintain a sense of trust. Edoardo Jr. also wants to help out Antonio knowing how good he is as a chef but also as a way for Edoardo Jr. to make his own mark and prove that he can be a good businessman.

The scenes in the second act that include these sequences of Emma and Antonio longing for one another has this element of fantasy until they actually meet again as Guadagnino use the locations of San Remo as a character as this place that reminds Emma of her old life in Russia where she recounts how she met Tancredi. The film’s third act is about Edoardo Jr.’s resistance on what his father wants to do with the family business as it culminates with this dinner that has Antonio as the cook who creates a special dish that is a favorite of Edoardo Jr. as it leads to some revelations and chaos. Notably as it relates to these ideas of change in the whole family and their lifestyle with Emma also coming to terms with who she is and what she wants. Overall, Guadanino crafts a rapturous and entrancing film about a woman whose affair with a young chef would unknowingly create chaos within the world of her aristocratic family.

Cinematographer Yorick Le Saux does brilliant work with the film’s luscious cinematography with its naturalistic photography from the look of the snowy exterior in the film’s first scenes as well as what Milan looks like on a summer day to the usage of low-key and stylish lighting for some of the interior scenes at night. Editor Walter Fasano does excellent work with the editing with its stylish usage of transitional dissolves, jump-cuts, and other stylish cuts to play into some of the drama and this mixture of fantasy and reality. Production designer Francesca di Mottola and set decorator Monica Sironi do amazing work with the look of the Recchi family estate in its many rooms and interiors as well as Antonio’s own home and some of the exteriors at the estate which is actually the Villa Necchi Campiglio that is at the center of Milan. Costume designer Antonella Cannarozzi does fantastic work with the costumes from the stylish clothing that Emma and many of the women in the family wear including some of the casual look of Elisabetta in London as well as some of the designer suits the men wear.

Visual effects supervisor Stefano Marinoni does terrific work with some of the film’s minimal visual effects as it play into a few bits of fantasy including a brief flashback of Emma as a child. Sound editor/mixer Francesco Liotard does superb work with the sound as it does play into natural elements along with a few bits that play into the elements of fantasy. Music supervisor Jen Moss does incredible work in cultivating the music’s soundtrack that largely consists of classical pieces by John Adams that feature some unique orchestral piano bits as well as other lush music pieces while other contributions include a piece from Gustav Mahler as well as original pieces from editor/co-writer Walter Fasano with Nathalie Tanner, Elliot Smith, Tony Esposito, Arto Lindsay, and Marco Armani.

The casting by Jorgelina Depetris Pochintesta and Francesco Vedovati is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Honor Swinton Byrne in a brief bit as Emma as a child, Waris Ahluwalia as an Indian-American businessman who wants to by the Recchi family business, Maria Paiato as the Recchi family’s main housekeeper Ida whom the kids see as a second mother while is also someone very loyal to Emma, Diane Fleri as Edoardo Jr.’s new girlfriend Eva whom much of the family seem to neglect despite Edoardo Jr. and Emma welcoming her, Mattia Zaccaro as the youngest of the Recchi children in Gianluca who doesn’t do much with his family business as he’s still a student, Emanuele Cito Filomarino as Elisabetta’s boyfriend Gregorio whom she dumps for another woman, Marisa Berenson as the Recchi matriarch Allegra aka Rori who loves her lifestyle but also tries to distract herself from some of the chaotic elements of her family, and Gabriele Ferzetti in a superb small role as the Recchi matriarch Edoardo Sr. as an old man who is celebrating his birthday as well as make announcements for his retirement and the people who will succeed him.

Pippo Delbono is excellent as Tancredi Recchi as Edoardo Sr.’s son who is given the chance to succeed his father as he becomes concerned with the future while also having an idea of doing things that he knows his father and son wouldn’t approve. Alba Rohrwacher is fantastic as Elisabetta “Betta” Recchi as Emma’s daughter who is known for her drawing but is switching to photography where she studies in London and falls in love with another woman where she would guide her mother to follow her heart. Edoardo Gabbriellini is amazing as Antonio as a chef whom Edoardo Jr. befriended following a race that wants to create his own restaurant while he falls for Emma unaware of the chaos they create as he is a man that brings an air of simplicity that Emma had forgotten. Flavio Parenti is brilliant as Edoardo Jr. as Emma and Tancredi’s son who is also named as his grandfather’s successor where he tries to instill ideas into the business while wanting to maintain its integrity as he also deals with new things in his life such as a new friend and a new lover but also contends with the ways of a new world that overwhelms him.

Finally, there’s Tilda Swinton in a phenomenal performance as Emma Recchi as the Russian-born wife of Tancredi who falls for her son’s new friend as she becomes the centerpiece of this conflict between doing what she feels and doing what she needs to do for her family. It is a performance that has Swinton speaking Italian for the entirety of the film with a bit of Russian as she brings an air of radiance into her performance as someone that is in love with not just Antonio’s cooking but also what he offers in life instead of this aristocratic world that she’s in where she has to play a certain role that doesn’t really allow her to express herself only to find inspiration through two of her children instead of her husband.

Io sono l’amore is a magnificent film from Luca Guadagnino that features a tremendous leading performance from Tilda Swinton. Along with its ensemble cast, ravishing visuals, luscious locations, its theme of tradition vs. feeling and tradition vs. modernism, and its incredible music soundtrack. It is a film that doesn’t play into the conventions of a romantic drama as it is a study of a woman and her role in an aristocratic family. In the end, Io sono l’amore is a tremendous film from Luca Guadagnino.

Luca Guadagnino Films: (The Protagonists) - (Tilda Swinton: The Love Factory) - (Mundo civilzado) - (Cuoco contadino) - (Melissa P.) - (The Love Factory No. 3 Pippo Delbono - Bisogna morire) - (Bertolucci on Bertolucci) – A Bigger Splash - Call Me By Your Name - Suspiria (2018 film) - The Staggering Girl – (Fiori, Fiori, Fiori) – (Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams) – (We Are Who We Are (2020 TV series)) – Bones & All – Challengers (2024 film) - (Queer) - (After the Hunt)

© thevoid99 2022

Le Amiche

Based on the novella Tra donne sole by Cesare Pavese, Le Amiche is the story of a woman who goes to Turin to start a new shop as she meets with a group of wealthy women as they all cope with the troubles of a friend amidst the turmoil in their own lives and in the world around them. Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni and written by Antonioni and Susu Cecchi D’Amico with contributions from Alba De Cespedes, the film is an exploration of five women dealing with their own identities in Turin as they deal with their own world and growing changing times around them. Starring Eleonora Rossi Drago, Gabriele Ferzetti, Franco Fabrizi, Valentina Cortese, Yvonne Furneaux, Madeleine Fischer, Anna Maria Pancani, Luciano Volpato, Maria Gambarelli, and Ettore Manni. Le Amiche is a riveting and somber film from Michelangelo Antonioni.

The film revolves a group of upper class women in the city of Turin as they deal with the suicide attempt of one of their friends just as a woman who is part of the social circle returns to the city from Rome to open a fashion salon. It’s a film that is more of a study of a group of women who live in the posh world of fashion and posh surroundings as one of them becomes despondent over her existence while another returns to her hometown as she ponders if she really fits in with this social circle. The film’s screenplay by Michelangelo Antonioni and Susu Cecchi D’Amico features a straightforward narrative that does focus on these five women that are part of this social circle of upper-class women living in Turin wearing expensive clothing and such. For Clelia (Eleonora Rossi Drago), returning to her hometown to open and manage a fashion salon from Rome allows her to look back at the town but also see the chaos in the social circle that she’s in as it relates to Rosetta (Madeleine Fischer) whose suicide attempt has disrupted a lot of the social activities in these women.

The script does feature a lot of dialogue that play into Rosetta’s despair and her need to find meaning in her life as it play into the faults of the upper-class world. Even as she find herself attracted to the artist Lorenzo (Gabriele Ferzetti) who is married to another artist in Nene (Valentine Cortese) who is also part the social circle of women with Momina De Stefani (Yvonne Furneaux) and the shallow and flaky Mariella (Anna Maria Pancani). Clelia is aware of Rosetta’s troubled emotional state as she finds herself at odds with Momina and Mariella with Nene becoming suspicious of Rosetta’s attraction towards Lorenzo. The film also showcases Clelia beginning a relationship with the architect’s assistant Carlo (Ettore Manni) who is an outsider due to his working class background yet Clelia is still fascinated by him since she doesn’t care about his social standing while Momina gets involved with Carlo’s boss Cesare Pedoni (Franco Fabrizi) who is building Clelia’s salon for this major event to occur that would attract Turin’s upper-class.

Antonioni’s direction is filled with striking and evocative compositions and settings that would play into the visual style that he would hone in later films as it play into the theme of alienation and loneliness that revolves around these characters. Shot on location in and around Turin, Antonioni uses the city as a character as a place that is changing where there a lot of these posh places emerging and such while there are places that the middle and working class go to but also the lower class as it play into Clelia’s return as she looks back at this place that was once her home. A scene where she and Carlo walk to find furniture where they walk to a street that she used to live is key to who she is as it was a place she knew she had to leave but has a fondness to it while knowing it’s different now and can’t fully return. Especially as she’s already in a world that has a lot to offer and has so many things but she does maintain a sense of reality in comparison to the likes of Momina and Mariella.

Antonioni’s usage of wide and medium shots not only play to the locations but also in the air of disconnect as it relates to these women and reality though Nene is someone who is given an immense opportunity that only a fool would turn down. Yet, she is troubled by Lorenzo’s failings as an artist as well as his attraction to Rosetta where there is a scene where she confronts Rosetta but not in a heavy dramatic way since Nene is aware of Rosetta’s mood swings. The confrontation takes place in its third act where it is about Clelia’s presentation that is followed by a troubling aftermath where all five women and a few of their dates go to eat dinner and things unravel. Especially at it all relates to Rosetta who is yearning to be fulfilled as its ending revolves more around Clelia and her own pursuits as she is aware of the faults of the posh world she lives in. Antonioni maintains that air of conflict in Clelia as well as her own feelings about Rosetta’s despair in a world that has so much but offer little salvation. Overall, Antonioni crafts a compelling yet heart-wrenching film about a group of posh women in Turin who deal with their world and the suicide attempt of one of their own.

Cinematographer Gianni Di Venanzo does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography in the way many of the daytime exteriors are presented from the natural look of the scene on the beach to the greyer look of the city while the exterior scenes at night feature some unique lighting to maintain its atmosphere. Editor Eraldo Da Roma does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward to play into the drama as well as the conversation between characters with some rhythmic cuts for dramatic effect. Production designer Gianni Polidori does amazing work with the look of the salon that Clelia is overseeing as well as a few of the homes of the women to play into their posh environment.

Costume designer Enzo Bulgarelli does fantastic work with the costumes in the design of the many dressed the women wear as it represents their unique personalities as it has a lot of life as well as the world that they represent. The sound work of Giulio Canavero, Emilio Rosa, and Ennio Sensi is terrific for its natural approach to the sound in many of the film’s locations as well as capturing the atmosphere of some of the gatherings including the fashion salon presentation. The film’s music by Giovanni Fusco is wonderful for its mixture of somber guitar-based pieces as well as heavy piano themes that play into the drama.

The film’s superb cast feature a couple of notable small roles from Maria Gambarelli as Clelia’s boss who appears late in the film and Luciano Volpato as Mariella’s boyfriend in the film’s third act. Franco Fabrizi is terrific as the architect Cesare as a man whom Momina becomes attracted to as she tries to start a relationship with him while Gabriele Ferzetti is fantastic as Lorenzo as Nene’s husband who is trying to make it as an artist while is becoming attracted towards Rosetta leading to some major trouble for everyone. Ettore Manni is excellent as Carlo as Cesare’s assistant who is a working class man that befriends Clelia as he would fall for her but is aware of their social class differences despite their fondness for one another. Anna Maria Pancani is amazing as Mariella who is this shallow woman that seems to care more about herself and whatever man she can get with little regard for people’s feelings as well as just getting everyone to join her in some gathering.

Yvonne Furneaux is brilliant as the pessimistic Momina as a woman who often says the wrong things and prefers to be the one to run things as if she maintains this air of importance unaware of the things she says about Rosetta. Madeleine Fischer is incredible as Rosetta as a young woman who is recovering from a suicide attempt as she questions about her own existence in the upper class world as well as her feelings for Lorenzo along with all sorts of things as it is a dramatic-heavy performance from Fischer. Valentina Cortese is phenomenal as Nene as Lorenzo’s artist wife who is given an opportunity to have a show in New York City where she also watches from afar in what is going on with Rosetta as she delivers a low-key yet effective performance as a woman who knows what is going on but prefers to not cause trouble nor create a scene. Finally, there’s Eleonora Rossi Drago in a sensational performance as Clelia as a woman who returns to Turin from Rome to open a fashion salon who finds herself in a posh circle of friends where she copes with trying to get a business started as well as Rosetta’s own issues where she tries to help her as it is a tender and engaging performance from Drago.

The 2016 Region 1/Region A DVD/Blu-Ray release from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a new 2K digital restoration in its original 1:33:1 aspect ratio and a remastered Italian mono soundtrack (uncompressed in its Blu-Ray release) as well as improved English subtitles. The DVD/Blu-Ray set also feature two featurettes that relates to the film as the first of which is a 27-minute conversation piece from scholars David Forgacs and Karen Pinkus on the film and its themes. Especially in what Antonioni changed from the novella, which had a more post-war environment, as well as what he wanted to say about the women in those times. Even in a place like Turin which was this city that was modern and attracted people from the south of Italy going north because there’s job opportunities there. Forgacs and Pinkus also talk about the importance of women in the film and all of those characters with the latter revealing that the film in some respects was ahead of its time in its exploration on a group of women being friends as it relates to shows like Sex & the City and Girls yet it’s a more cynical film set in a crueler environment.

The twenty-two and a half-minute interview with film scholar Eugenia Paulicelli on the film’s usage of fashion where Paulicelli discusses the importance of fashion in post-war Italy. Even as it helped create a new identity for the country following the aftermath of World War II where a new group of costume and fashion designers emerged as Antonioni was aware of this growing wave as he would use it in his films. Especially where Paulicelli talks about how the clothes play up the personality of the women in the film as well as analyze the women in who they are.

The DVD/Blu-Ray set also features an essay from film scholar Tony Pipolo entitled Friends-Italian Style that discusses the film and how it would serve as a preview of the films Antonioni would do in the 1960s that would garner him a lot of fame. Pipolo talks about how the film version differs from Cesare Pavese’s novella which was set a few years after the war where Turin was rebuilding itself whereas Antonioni chooses to set the film on Turin as it was becoming a thriving city that attracted the upper class. Pipolo also talks about Clelia’s return to the city that she used to live in and how much it changed but also what hasn’t changed as well as how fashion is used as a façade to the world that Clelia’s friends are in. Particularly a world that is disconnected from the real world that has the middle and working class wanting to be part of this new Italy whereas the rich begins to see this façade in this amazingly-written essay.

Le Amiche is a sensational film from Michelangelo Antonioni. Featuring a great ensemble cast, ravishing visuals, themes of alienation and identity in an upper class world, and a rich music score. The film is definitely an enthralling and evocative film that doesn’t just showcase a woman returning to her home city where she becomes part of a troubled social circle of friends but also watch as a young woman in that circle falling apart in a world that demands so much. In the end, Le Amiche is a phenomenal film from Michelangelo Antonioni.

Michelangelo Antonioni Films: (Story of a Love Affair) – (I Vinti) – (The Lady Without Camelia) – (Il Grido) – L'Avventura - La Notte - L'Eclisse - Red Desert - Blow-Up - Zabriskie Point - (Chung Kuo, Cina) – The Passenger - (The Mystery of the Oberwald) – Identification of a Woman - (Beyond the Clouds) – Eros-The Dangerous Thread of Things

© thevoid99 2020

The Confession (1970 film)

Based on the book by Artur London and Lise London, L’aveu (The Confession) is the real-life story of Artur London who had been abducted, interrogated, and imprisoned during a series of trials by the Soviet Union. Directed by Costa-Gavras and screenplay by Jean Semprun, the film is a political thriller that explore the Soviet Eastern bloc show trials and the troubled journey that London took as he is played by Yves Montand. Also starring Simone Signoret, Gabriele Ferzetti, Michel Vitold, and Jean Bouise. L’aveu is an eerie yet gripping film from Costa-Gavras.

Set from 1951 Czechoslovakia to the day the Soviet Union invaded Prague on August 21, 1968, the film is about Artur London’s arrest for claims that he had betrayed the communist party in his country where he would be abused and interrogated forcing him to confess his actions. Told largely as a flashback where London is telling his story to a couple of journalists in France in 1965, the film’s screenplay by Jean Semprun doesn’t reveal this twist until the beginning of the second act as it’s more about the events that lead to London’s arrest and his time in prison where he is given unconventional methods of torture to confess as he would reveal things where some of it featured some truth as well as time with a man who is revealed to be an American spy. It’s a script that is presented in a very unconventional manner as there’s flashbacks and voice-over dialogue present throughout London’s interrogations and torture as he would tell them to journalists.

The film’s second half would also introduce to the man who would be London’s interrogator in Kohoutek (Gabriele Ferzetti) as he would get answers as it is all part of big public trial for London and several others accused of betrayal. Even as London’s wife Lise (Simone Signoret) is trying to get him out of prison but is conflicted due to wanting to not get in trouble with the communist party as she ends up making a decision that would impact her greatly. The film’s third act is about the trial and its aftermath as well as the 11 who would be executed including the man that gave London and 12 other colleagues in trouble with the Soviet Union.

Costa-Gavras’ direction is definitely engaging for the way he opens the film with London noticing he’s being followed and watch as he does his usual day-to-day activities as it builds up the suspense very slowly. Shot mainly in France as Czechoslovakia for some of the exteriors, the film spends much of its time inside the prisons where London has no clue where he’s at or what time it is as he’s often blindfolded or wearing glasses that block his vision. While there’s a few wide shots in the film, much of Costa-Gavras’ direction involve more intimate shots with the usage of medium shots to capture the space of the jail cells, the interrogation rooms, and other rooms in the prison where it can be claustrophobic at times. Still, Costa-Gavras maintains an air of intrigue throughout the course of the film during these interrogations where the methods are torturous as it’s not just physical but also mental. By the time Kohoutek enters the film, it definitely become a game of wits with Kohoutek trying to gather everything he can from London as there is a sense of repetition in what London has to say for the public trials.

There are some wide shots in the trial sequence as it include a moment of humor to play into the grandness of what is happening. The scenes set in 1965 at the South of France are much simpler as well as the scenes in the aftermath as it’s more about what London had been through and what he would see happen to his home country. Especially when he’s forced to see the fallacy of what the communist movement was all about and the accusations he had been given over his loyalty to the party. Overall, Costa-Gavras creates a very captivating and unsettling film about a man being forced to confess for crimes and such he probably didn’t commit.

Cinematographer Raoul Coutard does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as its usage of low-key lights for the scenes in the prisons as well as the lack of sunlight for some of the exteriors, with the exception of the scenes at the south of France, to play into the grimy world of Czechoslovakia. Editor Francoise Bonnot does excellent work with the editing as it’s very stylized with its jump-cuts, slow-motion cuts, and some montages to play into the drama and suspense. Production designer Bernard Evein does amazing work with the look of the prison cells, the courtroom, and other places that play into this cold world of Communist Czechoslovakia. The sound work of William Robert Sivel is superb for capturing the atmosphere of the prisons as well as the way some of the sounds of the torture devices are presented. The film’s music by Giovanni Fusco is fantastic for its sparse yet eerie score filled with dissonant strings and keyboards to play into the melancholic elements of the film.

The film’s terrific cast features a large ensemble that include Jean Bouise as a factory boss and Michel Vitold as a communist party official. Gabriele Ferzetti is incredible as Kohoutek as an interrogator for the Soviets who would use unconventional methods to get London to sign documents and reveal things as it is a very restrained performance from Ferzetti who doesn’t get mad but knows what to do when he’s pushed. Simone Signoret is amazing as Lise London as London’s French wife who is concerned about her husband but is also aware of what she has to do to avoid prison time as she is forced to make some serious sacrifices. Finally, there’s Yves Montand in a tremendous performance as Artur London as a vice-minister of foreign affairs for Czechoslovakia who is accused of treason as he wonders what he’s done as it’s a very demanding performance that require a lot of physicality as it’s one of Montand’s finest performances.

L’aveu is a phenomenal film from Costa-Gavras that features top-notch performances from Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, and Gabriele Ferzetti. Along with its eerie visuals and intense look into the Soviet show trials, it’s a political thriller that showcases what a man would endure to answer questions he has no answers for as well as a look into a dark period of time in Eastern Europe where the Soviets would question its most die-hard loyalists. In the end, L’aveu is a sensational film from Costa-Gavras.

Costa-Gavras Films: (The Sleeping Car Murders) – (Shock Troops) – Z - (State of Siege) – (Special Section) – (Womanlight) – Missing (1982 film) - (Hanna K.) – (Family Business) – (Betrayed (1988 film)) – (Music Box) – (The Little Apocalypse) – (Mad City) – (Amen.) – (Le Couperet) – (Eden is West)

© thevoid99 2017

Once Upon a Time in the West

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/8/06 w/ Additional Edits & Extensive Revisions.

Directed by Sergio Leone and screenplay by Leone and Sergio Donati, with English translation by Mickey Knox, from a story by Leone, Dario Argento, and Bernardo Bertolucci, Once Upon a Time in The West is the story about an outlaw and a mysterious man protecting a woman from hired killer who is trying to attain a piece of land for a railroad baron. The film serves as Leone's first part of a trilogy about the changes of American life as well as an exploration into revenge and gain. Starring Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, and Gabriele Ferzetti. Once Upon a Time in the West is a grand yet operatic western from Sergio Leone.

At a desert far from the town of Flagstone, Brett McBain (Frank Wolff) prepares for a feast as he's set to pick up his new wife Jill (Claudia Cardinale). Suddenly, a gang of gunslingers arrive to kill the McBain family as its led by its leader in Frank (Henry Fonda). Jill arrives at the town of Flagstone via train from New Orleans as she waits for the arrival of McBain as she ends up taking a ride from a local named Sam (Paola Stoppa) where they stop at a bar where she hears a mysterious man (Charles Bronson) playing the harmonica as another man named Cheyenne (Jason Robards) arrives with his gang. Jill watches Cheyenne confront the mysterious man known as Harmonica as she continues to ride with Sam to the McBain home where she learns about what happened. After the local sheriff finds evidence believing that Cheyenne is the killer, Jill decides to stay at the McBain home.

After news spread about the McBain massacre, Harmonica tortures a man named Wobbles (Marco Zuanelli) who reveals information about who killed the McBain family as it relates to the involvement of a paralyzed railroad baron named Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti). Morton isn't happy about what Frank and his gang did as they conspire to own the entire railroad system so that Morton can have a legacy to hold on to as they learn that Jill has arrived. After hearing Harmonica's playing, Jill attempts to leave only for Cheyenne to arrive at his home with his gang where they talk about her life in New Orleans as Jill realizes that Cheyenne isn't the killer. Harmonica later arrives after Cheyenne's departure as he reveals some information about what happened to McBain. Harmonica and Cheyenne decide to work together to figure out what Frank and Morton are up to while Jill makes a discovery of her own about the land her late husband had bought.

Frank kidnaps Jill for his own reasons as he tries to convince her to sell the McBain land at an auction that is held until Harmonica arrives with a tied-up Cheyenne to get the reward money so he can buy the McBain land. Jill realizes there is a connection between Frank and Harmonica as Frank's alliance with Morton falters as Frank discovers about the plans McBain had fro the land. This would eventually lead to a showdown between Frank and Harmonica as Cheyenne watches from afar realizing that the days of the West is about to end.

In Leone's past trilogy of Westerns with Clint Eastwood, he wanted to reveal what was great about the genre while giving it a fresh coat of European sensibility in terms of its violence. For this particular film, Leone clearly wanted it to be not just his best Western but a tribute to the genre itself. Leone aimed for an operatic end of the genre by making the film play as a background where it's the time where the railroad starts to emerge where it's the start of modernization and the end of the West. In some ways, the film is considered to be a political film by Leone since the railroad is where the power is. In many ways, it's Leone's most complex film among his Westerns while the structure and plot is a bit more simple.

The script's structure and timing might seem slow to some viewers but its pacing and observation is deliberate to the way Leone tells his story. The credit for hashing out Leone's script is his co-writers in Sergio Donati and Mickey Knox plus contributions from Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento. What the script reveals is Leone's transition from action-driven, stylized Westerns to more dramatic elements that helped evolve his unique ability as a storyteller. While there's only a few main characters of the film, they're all wonderfully developed and fully realized in their intentions and in the presence they bring. Particularly the way heroes and villains are portrayed as multi-dimensional characters. Cheyenne and Harmonica aren't true good guys since Cheyenne is a fugitive who does bad things but at least has his own morals while Harmonica is a bit more vicious since he's here for far more personal reasons in a vendetta.

Part of Harmonica's story is told in flashback since his objective is to find Frank where it eventually reveals itself in a flashback and how he got the name. The main villain of Frank is truly one of the most chilling villains in the history of cinema. Notably for his lack of remorse as he is willing to kill anyone including women and children without no pretenses and morals. He is a sadist and he doesn't have a care in the world except for money and pride. While another villainous character in Morton is in the story, he's not that much of a villain since he has his own morals and his desire to dream of a legacy. Plus, he’s the brunt of abuse in his already tumultuous business relationship with Frank where all Frank cares for is money and power. The real hero of the film is the most unlikely hero of any of Leone's film and that is in the part of a woman.

In the films prior to this one, the women Leone had were often portrayed as hookers or mothers trying to take care of their children. For this film, his main protagonist is a woman where she ends up becoming an unlikely heroine. Not with shooting or playing cowboy but a woman who isn't playing a just a former hooker, but someone who ends up helping create a lost dream while maintaining her dignity. It's in not just the script of Leone but his wandering direction that allows the characters to connect while making them their own as characters that audiences can care about or totally dislike. In his epic vision, Leone aims for a scope where all the tricks he used in previous films work for him where he goes from a close-up of a house and then have the camera move to show an entire town in one long shot.

Leone's love for conventional Western cliches, notably the shootouts are done with great style while making them unconventional at the same time. He starts off with a near-ten minute opening where for a while, nothing happens until Harmonica arrives playing this haunting, harmonica melody. Then, the film immediately opens with a shootout. Even the final shootout between Harmonica and Frank is done with great complexity about the history that reveals a key point to the film's plot in Harmonica's hatred for Frank. Its his presentation that gives voice to the Western while declaring it dead at the same time. While his love for many Westerns including the ones by John Ford are mentioned, he also breaks them to give the genre a great send-off where we understand some of Frank's motives for not wanting the McBain dream to stay alive. In many ways, what Leone would do for ending the West with Once Upon a Time in the West. Sam Peckinpah would confirm it even more in its ideology a year later for his 1969 film, The Wild Bunch.

Helping Leone out in his epic, visual-scope is his longtime cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli. Colli's widescreen photography is not very good when its shown on a fullscreen format but on widescreen, the presentation is beautiful. Taking advantage of the light from the sun in many of the film's exterior settings and giving the interior a grungy yet true atmosphere to the genre. The photography in the film is wonderfully authentic in every frame. Two more of Leone's longtime collaborators also do great work in their respective trade. Longtime art director/costume designer Carlo Simi whose presentation of the Western towns and bars is wonderful in its detail while his creation of the Flagstaff town is rumored to be worth more than the entire budget of Leone's first Western in A Fistful of Dollars. Simi's costume work is great while giving Henry Fonda a great look to his villainous persona and doing great work on the clothing of Claudia Cardinale.

Editor Nino Baragli whose iconic cutting style in The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly is used to great form as he does great work in dissolves and transitional cuts to create a wonderful atmosphere and pacing to the film. Helping with the film's sound work are Fausto Ancillai and Claudio Maielli who help create the atmosphere of the West. Notably, the film's first scene where the sound is amazing from its windmills, creaking chairs, and the noise of a fly. The makeup team of Alberto and Giannetto de Rossi do great work in getting the tanning look to help create the heat of the West along with the red sand of the American West.

The final key collaborator of all of Leone's great films is the work of music composer Ennio Morricone. The score of Morricone is divided into four themes to be played for its main characters. The first is a sweeping, operatic arrangement of strings for the character of Jill while Cheyenne gets a rhythmic, banjo-like guitar accompaniment that plays to the film's humor. The character of Harmonica has a theme to the tune of a haunting harmonica melody while Frank gets a droning, dorbo-like guitar riff when his character arrives. Each arrangement and note Morricone would put would often mix into some of the greatest score work ever assembled which he wrote just before the film was even made. Morricone aims for the same tone of opera and tension, notably in the film's final shootout where the arrangements are sweeping to convey the sense of momentum. In the end, it's one of the best film scores ever composed by the always brilliant Ennio Morricone.

Now we come to the film's amazing, large ensemble cast. While there's some nice, memorable roles from Claudio Mancini as Harmonica's brother and Dino Mele as the young Harmonica in a flashback sequence along with Marilu Carteny and Enzo Santaniello as the McBain children. There's some great performances from veteran Western character actors Jack Elam, Woody Strode, and Al Mulock in the film's opening sequence. Notable small roles like Paola Stoppa, Keenan Wynn, Lionel Stander, and Marco Zuanelli are memorable as is Frank Wolff as the ill-fated McBain. The most memorable supporting role is the role of Morton by Gabriele Ferzetti. Playing a cripple, Ferzetti brings a complexity to his role of a villain who wants to hold on to a final dream as he keeps on hearing and looking at images of the sea. Ferzetti holds his own in many scenes, especially with Henry Fonda as its really two actors just acting with each other while being very comfortable. While he may not be known to Americans, Ferzetti holds a lasting impression.

Claudia Cardinale gives an amazing performance as the hooker with dignity known as Jill. While most of her dialogue was dubbed to cover up her heavy Italian accent, Cardinale still maintains a presence that is matched by her beauty while most of her performance is in reaction shots and observance. It's truly one of the best performances in any Western while she becomes an unlikely heroine despite her past as a hooker. Cardinale has great chemistry with her co-stars but its with Jason Robards that has the greatest impact of sensitivity. The late Jason Robards gives a great performance as the sensitive but dirty Cheyenne whose knowledge of morals and codes of the West brings a man with a lot of integrity despite his criminal background. Robards also plays the moral conscience in the film of sorts despite his deeds while he is the only one to calm someone like Harmonica and bring some good company to Jill. It's a great role from the late actor who also had a great performance in another Western, the often-underrated Sam Peckinpah film, The Ballad of Cable Hogue.

The late Charles Bronson is great in his role as the mysterious Harmonica. Bronson brings a dark, quiet presence to the film where the audience is aware that he's dangerous and he's got something up on his sleeve. His face also carries a sense of pain and mystery as he uses his body language to maintain a performance that is minimalist in its lack of emotions. It's truly an iconic performance from the late actor, who has been an icon in being a badass. The film's most shocking performance goes to none other than the late but legendary Henry Fonda. Throughout his career, especially in films like The Grapes of Wrath and 12 Angry Men, Fonda has played men of struggle and men who just wants to do and do the right thing. In this film, he does the exact opposite. Fonda uses the right look and tone to play a character that is pure evil from every of his intentions for his own gain. Fonda truly captures everything that a villain is needed to the point that he's a villain some can like despite his actions. It's truly one of his many iconic performances.

The 2003, 2-disc Special Edition Region 1 DVD from Paramount is truly one of the best packages of any DVD. Particularly since it's the uncut version of the film where the American release cut 25 minutes from the film in 1968 where in later releases, the scenes that got cut were restored. Presenting the film in the preferred widescreen format that is the only true way to watch a Leone epic. The film looks wonderful in all of its glory while its 16x9 aspect ratio is perfect for TV. With 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound plus restored mono audio in English and French along with English subtitles. The 2-disc set features the first disc presenting the entire film in all of its glory with its only special feature is a huge audio commentary track. The second disc is filled with several documentary shorts plus cast profiles, theatrical trailers, and photo galleries.

The first disc features a full-on audio commentary track with excerpts recorded separately from different places. On the commentary are film historians Sir Christopher Frayling and Dr. Sheldon Hall, film directors John Carpenter, Alex Cox, and John Milius, and from the actual movie, co-writer Bernardo Bertolucci and the film's star Claudia Cardinale. While John Milius and Claudia Cardinale had brief commentary tracks, they're wonderfully informative as Milius talks about his friendship with Sergio Leone. Claudia Cardinale comments on her love scene with Henry Fonda which she thought was a terrible day since she and Fonda were shooting the scene in front of journalists and Fonda's wife at the time. The shooting made things tense as Cardinale recalled though she had a good time with the legendary actor. She also talks about how Leone is compared to the great directors she worked with like Federico Fellini in 8 1/2 and Luchino Visconti.

Alex Cox and John Carpenter provide the more enjoyable commentaries as Cox talks about some of the scenes that got cut in the heavily-edited American version. Carpenter talks in a couple of scenes from a technical standpoint and his enjoyment of Leone's tracking and crane shots along with the editing and pacing style that was inspired the Japanese films of Kurosawa and Ozu. Bernardo Bertolucci also had a couple of cuts where he talked about the writing of the film and how pleased he was with the film's final cut while talking about his love for the Western genre as a kid and how Leone got him to regain his love for the genre after being enamored with the French New Wave. The more informative commentaries come from Dr. Sheldon Hall and most of all, Sir Christopher Frayling where they talk about the scenes that got cut while Frayling describes a lot of the mythology of the film. Plus, the noted references into the many movies of John Ford whom Leone loved among all Western directors while the harmonica playing is a reference to Nicholas Ray's Johnny Guitar.

The second disc of the DVD features several little documentaries relating to the movie. Three of them is about the film with interviews from Cardinale, Bertolucci, Cox, Carpenter, Milius, and Frayling along with late cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli and Gabriele Ferzetti. The first of the three-part documentary is a 30-minute segment called An Opera of Violence where Frayling discusses Leone's film background where his father was a silent film director and mother was an actress that did the first ever Italian Western. Leone would eventually become an assistant director for Mario Soldati in many Roman-like epics while doing some camera work in other movies like Cleopatra and Ben-Hur where Leone was part of the crew shooting the chariot scene. When Soldati died during production of a film, Leone took over to finish where he got to do his first ever film entitled Colossus of Rhodes in 1961.

Then in the early 60s, the Italian film industry went bust after the era of Roman epics were gone, Cleopatra just bombed while Luchino Visconti's Il Gatopardo also failed commercially. Frayling discusses that the Italian industry was at the time, an industry that will go on one trend and then make films of that same style. While there were films by Visconti, Federico Fellini, Michaelangelo Antonioni, Roberto Rosellini and Vittorio de Sica at the time, they weren't big commercial films. Then came Leone with the trilogy of A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly. The Italian industry went up and running again while Leone was becoming a hero. During the premiere for The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly in December 1966, Leone met with a then-new filmmaker named Bernardo Bertolucci and a local film critic from Rome named Dario Argento. Though Leone had planned to do an epic mob movie that would eventually become Once Upon a Time in America, he didn't want to do another Western.

Paramount from the U.S. convinced Leone thanks to the international buzz of his Western trilogy as he decided to do one more Western with help from Bertolucci and Argento. Bertolucci talked about how he came up with the idea of getting a female protagonist for the film which Leone resisted at first only to be won over by the idea. Claudia Cardinale discusses how she got contacted and how she wanted the part to be more complex and it helped the writing more. The documentary also features rare interview clips from Leone in 1984 when he was finishing Once Upon a Time in America and an old 1975 interview with Henry Fonda talking about taking the role for Once Upon a Time in the West. Part of a trilogy of the events that touched America, Leone wanted to pay homage to the West but also attack the American ideology while Alex Cox talked about the opening scene where there's a legendary story about the stars of The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly playing the part of the three men only to be killed in the first five minutes.

The second doc short for The Wages of Sin is a 20-minute segment where the discussion is on Leone's working style. John Carpenter, Cox, and Delli Colli discusses his precise detail for everything right. They discuss the photography style of Delli Colli as well as the work of the late art director/costume designer Carlo Simi. Frayling talks about while most of the film was shot in Spain with some interiors in Cinecetta studios in Rome. The famous shot of Jill with Sam riding through Monument Valley was one of the few scenes in America. Before shooting, Leone and Delli Colli went to America for a tour group to look at Monument Valley where Leone acted like a kid in a candy store since that's where John Ford shot some of his Westerns. Leone and his crew even went up to get the red sand from Monument Valley to use for the film. The segment also discusses the Leone close-ups and his canvas where Carpenter, Cardinale, and Frayling all feel it's the key to being a great storyteller.

The third and final part of the documentary is an 18-minute segment called Something to Do with Death where they discuss the music of Morricone where in this film, it was the first time he wrote an entire score just before the film was even shot. They discuss the themes he wrote and how Leone got inspired by them. The opening scene of the film originally was supposed to have music but the themes Morricone and Leone tried to use didn't work until Morricone went to a performance art show about a guy making sounds with ladders. There, it gave the idea for the film's opening scene with its array of amplified sounds. This leads to the discussion of the film's release where in Europe, it was a success but in the U.K. and U.S., it wasn't. Especially in America where they cut 20 minutes of the film for length reason, which would be the case for the remainder of his films in the years to come where they would get chopped up in the editing room.

The short six-minute featurette entitled Railroad-Revolutionizing the West is a short doc about the evolution of the railroad and its impact that it had on the West. Especially in its influence on the cinema where Alex Cox reveals that it talks about the process of industrialization where machines came and the beginning of the end of man. Two galleries appear for the DVD. First is a locations gallery to compare and contrast the locations of the film where many of the railway locations from Spain show no railroad but more grass. The McBain house looks more colorful while keeping the wood that was actually taken from a film by Orson Welles. The look of Monument Valley remains insatiable in its red look while the trail don't exist only as a path of sorts. The film photo gallery features black-and-white stills of the cast and crew working including a deleted scene that never made the final cut of Harmonica being assaulted by the town's sheriff.

Also included are the cast bios of the five main actors, French and English subtitles, and the original theatrical trailer for the film. Overall, this is a fantastic DVD though the only flaw is its packaging where both discs are on top of another and if anyone is trying to get the second disc. Get the first one out or you'll cause some scratches.

Once Upon a Time in the West is a majestic and outstanding film from Sergio Leone. Featuring incredible performances from Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, and Gabriele Ferzetti. It is truly one of the great films that transcends the western genre as it also serves as a worthy introduction for anyone new to the western. The film also features amazing technical work as well as an awesome score by Ennio Morricone that is truly one of the great film scores ever composed. In the end, Once Upon a Time in the West is a remarkable film from Sergio Leone.

Sergio Leone Films: The Last Days of Pompeii (1959 film) - The Colossus of Rhodes - A Fistful of Dollars - For a Few Dollars More - The Good, The Bad, & the Ugly - Duck, You Sucker! - Once Upon a Time in America

Related: Once Upon a Time: Sergio Leone - The Auteurs #16: Sergio Leone

(C) thevoid99 2012

007 James Bond Marathon: On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Based on Ian Fleming’s novel, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the story of James Bond trying to stop Blofeld from sterilizing the world’s food supply in retaliation for everything that he had lost. During his mission, Bond falls for a countess who would have him re-think his womanizing ways. Directed by Peter R. Hunt and screenplay by Richard Maimbaum with additional dialogue by Hunt and Simon Raven. The film marks a change of pace in the Bond franchise as Sean Connery retires the Bond role as the part went to a then-newcomer in George Lazenby in his only appearance as Bond. Also starring Diana Rigg, Gabriele Ferzetti, Telly Savalas, Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell, and Bernard Lee as M. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a majestic and thrilling film from Peter R. Hunt.

While on holiday, James Bond comes across an adventurous woman by the name of Countess Teresa “Tracy” di Vincenzo (Diana Rigg) who was nearly captured by thugs in a beach. After meeting her again at a hotel he’s staying at, Bond learns she’s the daughter of a European crime syndicate head in Marc-Ange Draco (Gabriele Ferzetti) who is concerned for his daughter’s wild streak. Draco offers Bond money to marry Tracy while he’ll help Bond find the whereabouts of Ernst Stavros Blofeld (Telly Savalas) whom Bond has been searching for. After being rejected by M for an assignment to find Blofeld, Bond goes to Portugal for Draco’s birthday where he meets Tracy as the two begin a courtship.

Still on a leave from his work, Draco and Bond’s aide Shaun Campbell (Bernard Horsfall) help Bond get into the offices of a Swiss lawyer named Gumbold (James Bree) who had letters to find out that Blofeld has been corresponding with a genealogist in Hilary Bray (George Baker) as Bond decides to pose as Bray for a meeting with Blofeld. Going to Switzerland in Blofeld’s secret institute, Bond as Bray learns what Blofeld is planning to do as it involves 10 women under hypnosis to release dangerous bacteria on the world. Bond is eventually caught by Blofeld and his henchwoman Irma Bunt (Ilse Steppat) have him imprisoned to get their plans going. Yet, Bond manages to escape where he gets some help from Tracy who is at Switzerland for some fun.

With the relationship between he and Tracy becoming serious, Bond still has to evade Blofeld and his henchmen where things go wrong forcing Tracy to be captured. After M reveals what his superiors plan to do with Blofeld in his desire for a title, Bond decides to go on a rogue mission to save Tracy with help from Draco to stop Blofeld from harming the world.

The film is another story of James Bond trying to stop SPECTRE’s chief Blofeld from harming the world with bacterial warfare to sterilize the world’s food supply in hopes to attain a hefty ransom and a title. Bond also has to aid a crime head whose daughter falls for Bond as she would make Bond re-think about his womanizing ways. It’s a story that has simple plot but its presentation is far grander than what is expected in Bond. Notably as he has to face off against Blofeld for the second time whose deeds are ambitious in its planning as all he wants isn’t just money but a whole lot more than that. This prompts Bond to stop him as the stakes are much bigger as well as the fact that he’s got a lot against him including the British Secret Service who feels he’s gone far enough in this mission to stop Blofeld.

The screenplay by Richard Maimbaum is incredible for the massive scale of the story and the way the characters are presented. Notably Tracy di Vincenzo as she is this woman with a wild streak who can drive very fast, ski with great skill, and isn’t willing to be a damsel in distress as she is a Bond girl that is very complex but also flawed as she is also a character lost in her spoiled lifestyle. Still, she becomes an ally for Bond when she arrives in Switzerland unexpectedly proving herself to be quite tough as well as charming. Then there’s Blofeld who is given more to do as he’s a man that is truly extravagant in his lifestyle and his schemes. Under the guise of a fake count, it adds to the larger-than-life persona that is Blofeld who serves as a formidable opponent for Bond.

Peter R. Hunt’s direction is definitely vast in scope from the locations set in Portugal and Switzerland to the scale of the production that he’s created. Hunt’s direction definitely plays to the ambitious take on the story with wide location shots as well as creating suspense for key scenes such as Bond in Piz Gloria on the Swiss Alps. Though parts of that section do go on a bit long since there’s not much action that occurs in order for Bond to investigate and deal with Blofeld’s Angels of Death. It’s part of Hunt’s idea to create a Bond film that can live up to the epic though it succeeds mostly in terms of what Hunt wanted to tell.

Part of the film’s success in balancing the action and suspense is the romantic element as it’s the one of the few films where Bond gets to fall for a woman whom he might be able to spend the rest of his life with. Through these gorgeous montages, Hunt is able to build up the romance while establishing what Bond has to do for this crime syndicate head who is helping him find Blofeld. Though Tracy knows what her father is doing, she eventually grows to love Bond and helps him as their relationship adds a new dynamic to the story. Notably the film’s often talked-about ending that is one of the greatest in how the Bond story continues. It’s an ending that is heartbreaking to watch because of what Bond could’ve gained but ends up losing as the result is a truly emotional moment that is presented with great care. The overall work that Hunt creates is a spectacular but also mesmerizing for making James Bond more human in terms of the things he is facing.

Cinematographer Michael Reed does excellent work with the photography for some of the film‘s stylized lighting colors in some of its interior settings while playing up to the beauty of the locations with more naturalistic lighting in their daytime scenes. Editor John Glen does great work with the editing by utilizing rhythmic jump-cuts for the fight and action scenes including the famous stock car sequence as well as a wonderful montage for the romantic scenes. Production designer Syd Cain, with set decorator Peter Lamont and art director Robert W. Laing, does amazing work with the set pieces such as Draco‘s home base as well as the institute that Blofeld runs filled with lots of lavish decorations to play up his extravagant personality. Costume designer Marjory Cornelius does wonderful work with the costumes from the clothes that Blofeld wears to the lavish clothes his Angels of Death wear along with the more posh clothing of Tracy.

Special effects work by John Stears is superb for the few effects-driven scenes such as the ski chases and other scenes set in the Alps. Sound recorders Gordon K. McCallum and John W. Mitchell do nice work with the sound such as the way Blofeld‘s voice is recorded in a hypnotic trance for his Angels of Death to hear at night. The film’s score by John Barry is brilliant for its thrilling orchestral themes to play up the action that occurs in the film as well as somber pieces for the romance. The song We Have All The Time In the World written by Barry with lyricist Hal David and sung by Louis Armstrong is among one of the best songs of the James Bond catalog as it serves as an effective piece for Bond and Tracy’s love for each other.

The film’s cast is phenomenal for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable appearances from James Bree as the Swiss layer Gumbold, Virginia North as Draco’s aide Olympe, Bernard Horsfall as Bond’s assistant Shaun Campbell, George Baker as genealogist Hilary Bray, Ilse Steppat as Blofeld’s cunning henchwoman Irma Bunt, and as a few members of the Angels of Death, Joanna Lumley, Catherina von Schell, and Angela Scoular. Bond regulars Desmond Llewelyn and Lois Maxwell are very good in their respective roles as the witty Q and the humorous Miss Moneypenny while Bernard Lee is excellent in his role as Bond’s superior M.

Gabriele Ferzetti is wonderful as Tracy’s father Marc-Ange Draco who helps Bond in finding Blofeld as well as coming to him to tame his daughter Tracy. Telly Savalas is great as Blofeld by displaying a sense of charm to the character as well as a physicality to make him more of a force for Bond to face. Diana Rigg is incredible as Countess Teresa “Tracy” di Vincenzo by displaying a sense of grace and vulnerability to a woman lost in her lifestyle as she finds comfort in a man like James Bond. Finally there’s George Lazenby as James Bond where Lazenby brings a bit of wit and charm to his role as well as a physicality where he can be the badass and a lover. While there’s parts of Lazenby’s performance that isn’t perfect such as his attempt to be Bray, Lazenby does enough to create a compelling performance of Agent 007.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a marvelous film from Peter R. Hunt that features strong performances from George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, and Gabriele Ferzetti. The film is definitely one of the great Bond films in terms of its ambition and a story that is engaging for the way Bond is portrayed. Though it may not live up to some of the great films that starred Sean Connery, it is still a film that has enough adventure and suspense for fans to enjoy. In the end, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a superb film from Peter R. Hunt.

James Bond Files: The EON Films: Dr. No - From Russia with Love - Goldfinger - Thunderball - You Only Live Twice - Diamonds Are Forever - Live & Let Die - The Man with the Golden Gun - The Spy Who Loved Me - Moonraker - For Your Eyes Only - Octopussy - A View to a Kill - The Living Daylights - Licence to Kill - GoldenEye - Tomorrow Never Dies - The World is Not Enough - Die Another Day - Casino Royale (2006 film) - Quantum of Solace - Skyfall - SPECTRE - No Time to Die

Non-EON Films: Casino Royale (Climax! TV Episode) - Casino Royale (1967 film) - Never Say Never Again

Bond Documentaries: Bond Girls Are Forever - True Bond - Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007

© thevoid99 2012

L'Avventura

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 8/28/07 w/ Additional Edits & New Content.

When Italy emerged from the post-war era following the fall of Fascism, a new wave of Italian films emerged. One of those directors from this new wave known as neorealism was Michelangelo Antonioni. Working in the industry since the 40s with other iconic directors like Roberto Rossellini, he finally emerged with his feature film debut as a director in 1950 with Cronoca di un Amore (Chronicle of a Love). He would make four more feature-length films for the entire decade despite not getting any attention internationally. That would all change in 1960 where he would make a film that to this day, divide critics and film buffs over its narrative approach and filmmaking style. Yet, it would be the film that would give him the international attention and prestige he deserved that was entitled L'Avventura (The Adventure).

Written with Elio Bartolini and Tonino Guerra, L'Avventura tells the story of a boat trip with rich couples gone wrong when a passenger disappears. The disappearance of this young woman leads to a search as her lover and her best friend cope with the loss as well as the world that surrounds them. Directed by Antonioni that is also a study of alienation that would become part of a trilogy that would follow his next two features. It is the film that remains one of his great achievements, depending on the audience. Starring Monica Vitti, Gabriele Ferzetti, and Lea Massari. L'Avventura is a powerful, hypnotic, yet very haunting film from the late Italian film legend.

Going on a yachting trip, Anna (Lea Massari) joins her friend Claudia (Monica Vitti) to go to town where they would meet Anna's fiancee Sandro (Gabriele Ferzetti). While wandering around into the town including a museum, Claudia would try to look to see Anna and Sandro making love. The trio then leaves for a port to join the rest of the party in their yachting trip. They're joined by Corrado (James Addams), Guilia (Dominique Blanchar), Raimundo (Lelio Luttazzi), and Patrizia (Esmerelda Ruspoli). On their way to the volcano islands near Sicily, Anna decides to go for a swim as she's joined by members of the party. During a claim of a shark, they’re picked up as Anna talks with Claudia about her relationship with Sandro that’s become rocky lately.

Landing on a rocky island, the party minus Patrizia and Raimundo go exploring while Sandro wants to talk to Anna about their relationship. An argument ensues as Anna wants to be alone with Sandro deciding to leave her alone. Time passes by when the sea starts to get rough as the party decides to go home. Suddenly, Anna has disappeared where Corrado, Guilia, Claudia, and Sandro scour the island for a search. Things don't get better, even as Sandro finds a rocky hut as the sea is becoming more dangerous. With Corrado, Claudia, and Sandro deciding to stay, the party leaves as they go for help. Staying in the hut, they find that it's the home of a hermit (Jack O'Connell) who also hasn't seen Anna. Claudia is emotionally despondent as she wonders what Sandro has said to her.

The search continues with a coast guard helping along with Anna's father (Renzo Ricci) who asks Claudia what happened while showing him the books she had in the trip. Hoping that she's alive, they continue for a search of the island when one of coast guards arrives with a report about a boat. With Claudia choosing to stay on the island more to continue her search, Sandro decides to go to an interrogation concerning fisherman. The rest of the party decides to go to the home of a princess (Angela Tomasi di Lampedusa) for their holiday. Sandro watches the interrogation which leads to nothing as he finds Claudia at a train station on her way to rejoin the party. Despondent over what happened to Anna, Sandro takes the train with Claudia as they try to come to term with their own feelings.

Sandro stops at a station as he hopes to find more clues leading himself to both a journalist and a beautiful tourist writer named Gloria (Dorothy de Poliolo). Claudia meanwhile, feels more alone by the people around her as Guilia flirts with a 17-year old nephew (Giovanni Petrucci) of the princess as they all hope to go to another party. Claudia sees that Sandro has arrived with some ideas of Anna's whereabouts. Claudia joins Sandro as they take a trip into towns to find some clues. During this trip, the two begin to fall for each other as often ponder their own existence and the newfound loneliness they're suffering. During a stop at another town, things get stranger when Claudia, is suddenly the center of attention in a town surrounded by men.

During this stop, Claudia and Sandro stop to look at towers in the town as their emotions almost get the best of them when they're surrounded by bells. When Claudia receives word that Anna might've been in another town at a hostel, she and Sandro go where they stop at a hotel. They find that Patrizia is there as another party is held. Sandro reluctantly joins as emotions start to run high in a climax that questions the ongoing alienation between both Claudia and Sandro.

The obvious theme of alienation and isolation is definitely prominent throughout the entire film. Not just the emotional and mental isolation the protagonists are going through but also a physical and social alienation. There's a scene where Sandro and Claudia look at buildings where Sandro wonders what's going to happen to them in the next 20-30 years and will they still be there. That's an idea of what the film is about yet Antonioni is more about the human condition rather than the locations. In reality, the film is really about these two people who become connected by the disappearance of a person who has felt her own isolation.

The script isn't very plot-driven yet the way Antonioni and his writers approach the story as if the audience is part of this search and trying to figure out what has happened. The result though is something not everyone will take part of and understandably of course. The film's pacing, through its long-takes and observational shots, is definitely something that will antagonize general audiences. It's not because it's slow and at times, very pretentious but rather deliberate to emphasize what the characters are doing and responding to this horrible incident. The first act is about Anna her own disappearance leading to the on-going search. The second act is about Sandro and Claudia coming to terms and the third act being about their own alienation, their attempts to become a couple, and eventually, dealing with everything that's happened to them.

The direction of Antonioni is very hypnotic though not for everyone, particularly a general audience who will feel bored by his compositions and staging of his scenes. Yet, there's something very arty to Antonioni's direction. The compositions he makes are wonderfully shot, even through the locations he's in. The one scene where Claudia is being watched by all of those men around is truly one of the best moments in Antonioni's direction.

The film's final shot is also just as powerful into how he captures the emotions of the protagonists in this final moment. Antonioni, definitely has an eye for the locations and situations he's capturing as it's all important to the story. Even through the drama that's going on, he doesn't overplay it or dramatize it as much. He's rather playing the role as a third party observer who is trying to understand all that is going on. The end result is a powerful yet haunting film from Michelangelo Antonioni.

Cinematographer Aldo Scavarda creates wonderful imagery with the film's black-and-white photography, notably the compositions and coverage of the scenes the film is in. Scavarda’s work on the exterior settings is exquisite to convey the arty look of the film, notably the black dress that Claudia is wearing with the gray suit of Sandro. Production designer Piero Poletto creates some wonderful settings in home of the princess that included a variety of nude paintings by the prince. Costume designer Adriana Berselli also creates a distinctive look to the film that conveys its mood with the black dress of Claudia to the gray-white suit of Sandro.

Editor Eraldo De Roma brings some nice, stylized cuts to the film though its slow rhythm was deliberate to the film's tone. The sound by Claudio Maielli is also haunting with the sounds of wind in the island. Music composer Giovanni Fusco brings a suspenseful opening theme to the film while the rest of the score, which is barely heard throughout the entire film, is a soft, serene flute piece that underscores the film's melancholia.

The film's cast is wonderfully assembled that features some memorable, minor performances from Professor Cucco as Sandro's boss Ettore, Angela Tomasi Di Lampedusa, Giovanni Petrucci, Jack O'Connell, and Renzo Ricci as Anna's father. James Addams is good as the geologist-buff Corrado while Dominique Blanchar is lively as the flirtatious Guilia with Isa Bellini providing the voice for her character. Dorothy De Poliolo brings a nice, beautiful presence as writer Gloria Perkins while Lelio Luttazzi is good as Raimundo.

Esmerelda Ruspoli is good as the posh though uninteresting Patrizia who is what is expected of rich, posh women while giving Claudia some bad advice. Lea Massari is excellent as the haunting, despondent Anna who could be interpreted as a selfish bitch who toyed with the emotions of her companions. Yet, her performance is memorable though she's only in the film for the first 30 minutes but she did fulfill what was needed for her character.

Gabriele Ferzetti, probably known to American audiences as a railroad baron in Sergio Leone's classic epic-western Once Upon a Time in the West, gives an amazingly charming yet melancholic performance as Sandro. Ferzetti is a man who has redeeming qualities despite his flaws in how he treated Anna at times, and how he tries to seduce Claudia. Instead, Ferzetti chooses to mix his charm with sadness as a man who is becoming aware of his own alienation of the world around him as well as the world of upper-class Italy.

Monica Vitti is wonderful in her role as Claudia with her enchanting beauty and the presence she brings to this film. Vitti starts off as this playful friend who is then the protagonist as she is desperate to find her friend. Vitti manages to bring a mix of humor, melodrama, and intelligence to the film as it's really her film. Vitti manages to show her character's vulnerability and the ability to cope with not just loss but also her own newfound alienation as she becomes aware of the world that she lived in for all of her life is now something she couldn't relate to. Both Ferzetti and Vitti have wonderful chemistry as they give performances that are truly memorable.

***Additional DVD Content Written from 1/10/11-1/12/11***

The 2001 Region 1 2-disc DVD of L’Avventura from the Criterion Collection presents the film in a new digital transfer with restored picture and sound for widescreen televisions.  Presented in its original 1:77:1 theatrical aspect ratio for widescreen as well as Dolby Digital Mono in Italian.  With a new English subtitle translation, the film is given a look that is truly electrifying as the black-and-white cinematography of Aldo Scavarda is stunning.

The only special feature in the first disc is a full-length audio commentary track from film historian Gene Youngblood that was recorded in 1989 for the laserdisc release of the film.  Youngblood discusses Antonioni’s early career up to Red Desert, the last of which he feels is part of Antonioni’s alienation trilogy of L’Avventura, La Notte, and L’Eclisse.  Youngblood reveals that the film is really a mystery in reverse since the solution is the disappearance of Anna and the mystery more revolves around Sandro and Claudia in their own development individually and as a couple.

Youngblood also talks about why the film was so revolutionary at the time because of the long takes and importance of scenery without dialogue.  It was that approach to filmmaking that really annoyed audiences when it premiered at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.  Yet, to film buffs, critics, and filmmakers, it was a film that was unlike anything at the time.  Even as Youngblood talks about a lot of the visual ideas that would become prominent in not just Antonioni’s work but also the way it defined European cinema in the 1960s.  Though at times, Youngblood’s commentary can be dull.  It is definitely informative to many of the ideas and themes of the film.

The second disc of the DVD includes a few special features relating to the film.  The first is a 58-minute documentary called Antonioni:  Documents and Testimonials.  The 1966 documentary produced in collaboration with a Canadian TV production company explores many of Antonioni’s themes and ideas along with his career up to the filming and release of Red Desert.  The documentary features interviews with a lot of Antonioni’s friends and collaborators.  Among them are Monica Vitti and fellow Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini who worked with Antonioni when they were making Fellini’s first film The White Sheik with Antonioni as a screenwriter.  

While it features some great insight into his work from authors and artists, at times it comes off as a bit tedious.  Though there are some great clips including a deleted scene in L’Avventura where Claudia and Sandro meet a man on their way to a town.  Other clips include Monica Vitti at the Cannes Film Festival where she talked about its harsh reception at its premiere.  Finally, there’s a great scene in which Fellini is being interviewed as he’s making Juliet of the Spirits where he talks about Antonioni.  Despite its flaws, it’s a very good documentary that profiled Antonioni at the apex of his career before he would make Blow-Up in 1966.

The second featurette in the second disc involves essays by Antonioni that is read by Jack Nicholson, who starred in Antonioni’s 1975 film The Passenger.  Also featured in the section is an interview with Nicholson about Antonioni.  The first essay entitled L’Avventura:  A Moral Adventure has Nicholson narrating Antonioni’s words about his experience making the film.  The 10-minute audio featurette has Antonioni discuss his feelings about the film and his approach as he doesn’t give any answers.  Even as he reveals that the ways of the world then is becoming old though he still has a certain amount of respect for it.

The second essay entitled Reflections on the Film Actor is about Antonioni’s views on actors.  Antonioni discusses the collaboration between actor and director as well as how to get a performance from the actor.  Yet, the director has to let the actor interpret themselves as Nicholson narrates in the six-minute audio clip.  The third audio feature is Nicholson talking about Antonioni.  Nicholson talks about the idea of working with Antonioni as he reflects about the production of The Passenger.  Even as Nicholson talks a bit about Red Desert as the overall five-minute piece is a fun story to hear.

Two other minor special futurities includes the film’s theatrical trailer and a three-and-a-half minute restoration demo about the film’s digital restoration since it took five months to restore each frame of the film that was filled with dirt and scratches.  Even as it wanted to make the images sharper and with more contrast to the colors.

Three essays appear in the booklet for the Criterion DVD set.  The first is by English film professor Geoffrey Nowell-Smith about the film, its themes, and its legacy.  Even as he talks about the characters and their motivations.  With the exception of Claudia, every character are enamored with their rich lifestyle as they live with no sense of true direction.  Nowell-Smith’s essay is definitely a great read as it gives new viewers an idea of the film and how Antonioni redefined cinema in the 1960s.  The second essay is Antonioni’s statement about the film following its notorious premiere at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.

Antonioni talks about his film and the reaction he received from Cannes as he believes that the film is about what is going on with the world at that time.  It’s definitely a wonderful statement from a director defending his film to an audience that was unable to comprehend in what they saw.  The third and final essay is a statement about the film’s reaction at Cannes from a group of film critics, filmmakers, and members of the jury at the festival.  The brief statement praises the film as among those who signed the statement include another famed Italian filmmaker in Roberto Rossellini.  The overall work on the Criterion DVD is definitely outstanding as it is definitely given a definitive release for the great Michelangelo Antonioni.

***End of DVD Tidbits***

Released in 1960 at the Cannes Film Festival, the film won Antonioni a special jury prize despite the hostile reaction from its audience. The film would eventually be considered a landmark film for the director as well as Italian cinema. Antonioni would later follow the film with two more movies about alienation with La Notte and L'Eclisse in the next two years before making his mark as an auteur. While Antonioni would continue to make films throughout the 60s with other films Il deserto rosso and Blow-Up and later in the 70s for Zabriskie Point and The Passenger with Jack Nicholson. Antonioni was still considered an icon for international cinema until late July 2007 when he died at age 94, the same day another iconic international auteur in Ingmar Bergman had also passed away at 89.

L'Avventura is a magnificent film from the late Michelangelo Antonioni. While some might not enjoy the film's lack of plot, slow-pacing, or even the characterization of a few characters. The film is still brilliant for its eerie take on alienation and coping with loss. Those new to Antonioni will find this film as a nice place to start though his 1966 film Blow-Up is more accessible and better for its take on mid-60s Britain. Though the director is now gone, this along with his other landmark films will live on as L'Avventura still endures for its haunting imagery and eerie storytelling that couldn't come from someone as brilliant as the late Michelangelo Antonioni.

Michelangelo Antonioni Films: (Cronaca di un Amore) - (I Vinti) - (The Lady Without Camelias) - Le Amiche - (Il grido) - La Notte - L’Eclisse - Red Desert - Blow-Up - Zabriskie Point - (Chung Kuo, Cina) - The Passenger - (The Mystery of Oberwald) - Identification of a Woman)- (Beyond the Clouds) - Eros-The Dangerous Thread of Things

© thevoid99 2011