Set in late 19th Century Italy, the film revolves around a philandering aristocrat who openly spends time with his mistress towards his wife whom he neglects until he learns that she had slept with someone as he devotes his full attention towards her. It is a film that explores a man who is married yet treats his wife terribly as he often engages in affairs as he tries to win over his mistress away from a rival. Yet, the news that his wife did have an affair only upsets him as he would try to devote his fullest attention to her until he learns more about the affair and its outcome. The film’s screenplay has a straightforward narrative as it showcases the life that Tullio Hermil (Giancarlo Giannini) has where he lives a rich life as he is married to a beautiful woman in Giuliana (Laura Antonelli) but he is also in love with his mistress in another aristocrat in Teresa Raffo (Jennifer O’Neill) whom he sees at an intimate concert. Giuliana suspects that something is going on when Tullio leaves the concert to talk with Teresa where he later confesses his relationship with Teresa but wants the marriage to continue as a way to maintain his social status.
When Tullio is out of town to pursue Teresa away from another aristocrat in Count Stefano Egano (Massimo Girotti), Tullio’s younger brother Federico (Didier Haudepin) is asked to watch over Giuliana as he invites some friends including an author in Filippo d’Arborio (Marc Porel) for dinner when Giuliana falls ill only to enjoy Filippo’s company. Tullio’s pursuit for Teresa would have issues as she is just as cruel as he is in the way he treats Giuliana until he wonders where Giuliana goes to when he’s not home as he also learns she goes to see his mother whom he would later visit with Giuliana. Giuliana’s affair would force Tullio to focus on her as he would be enamored with her until he brings her news that changes everything. The news would be exciting for Tullio’s family yet Federico becomes suspicious into Tullio’s behavior as Tullio becomes confused in his love for his wife but also wanting to be with his mistress.
Luchino Visconti’s direction definitely plays into a world that is set entirely in aristocratic society as it is shot at the Villa Mirafiori in Rome and two villas at the town of Luca with the Villa Butori being a main setting. Much of Visconti’s direction has this element of intrigue in the way he follows Tullio in this world of the privileged as well as being a man who feels like he could do whatever he wants and he can get anything he wants. Much of Visconti’s direction utilizes a lot of wide and medium shots to get a scope of the rooms that the characters walk into as well as this world where it is disconnected from the world of the working class and the poor as they’re never shown. Even as there are these rare moments of the rich walking into the streets such as a Christmas mass scene in the third act where everyone but Tullio attends. There is also an intimacy into Visconti’s direction in the medium shots and close-ups in the way he films Tullio’s reaction or the way he gazes into Giuliana’s face as she laments over her actions as well as Tullio’s response.
Visconti also plays into this air of masculinity that Tullio takes pride of as the revelations over who Giuliana had an affair with as he gets a look into the man as there is this air of humiliation and him being a cuckold. The film’s second act which takes place at the home of Tullio’s mother where Federico makes a visit showcases this sense of immorality that Federico notices in his brother’s behavior as he becomes concerned for Giuliana as the two would have a fencing duel that gets a little aggressive at one point. The third act relates to the film’s title where Giuliana starts to realize the emotional and mental toll her affair had yet more revelations occur following Tullio’s actions as Visconti reveals the many faults of Tullio’s masculinity and his inability to accept defeat. Even as the film’s final scene relates to result of his actions as well as the revelation of not having it all as it also relates to Teresa. Overall, Visconti crafts a chilling and intoxicating film about a philandering aristocrat trying to win back his wife after learning about her affair.
Cinematographer Pasqualino De Santis does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its approach to natural lighting as well as its usage of light for many of the nighttime interior/exterior scenes. Editor Ruggero Mastroianni does excellent work with editing as it is largely straightforward in terms of its dramatic reactions as well as in some of the suspenseful moments in the film. Production designer Mario Garbuglia and set decorator Carlo Gervasi do amazing work with the look of the homes that the characters live in as well as a villa that Tullio decides to make as his home as plays into his lavish personality. Costume designer Piero Tosi does fantastic work with the costumes from the design of the dresses and gowns the women wear as well as some of the looser clothing that Giuliana wears when she’s resting as well as some of the military uniforms that Federico wears.
The sound work of Mario Dallimonti is superb for its natural approach to sound in the way epees sound during duels as well as scenes from one room to another in some of the villas. The film’s music by Franco Mannino is incredible for its orchestral score filled with piano and string arrangements that play into the drama as well as some of the suspense that looms throughout the film while its soundtrack largely features some classical and operatic pieces from Frederic Chopin, Franz Listz, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Christoph Willibald Gluck.
The film’s remarkable cast feature some notable small roles from Enzo Musumeci Greco as the fencing master, Vittorio Zarfati as Dr. Milani, Alessandra Vazzoler as a nanny, Claude Mann as a prince who is another romantic rival of Tullio for Teresa’s affections, Roberta Paladina as Federico’s date during a dinner where Filippo met Giuliana, Marie Dubois as a princess that is part of Teresa’s social circle, and Massimo Girotti as another of Tullio’s rival for Teresa in Count Stefano Egano whom Tullio despises. Marc Porel is superb as the writer Filippo d’Arborio whom Giuliana meets at Federico’s dinner as he is someone that the opposite of Tullio in his personality as well as being someone that doesn’t say much as he has no clue who Tullio is. Didier Haudepin is fantastic as Tullio’s younger brother Federico as an officer who observes a lot into what is happening to the point where he becomes disenchanted with life at the family home as well as being around Tullio whom he feels has become a monster.
In her final film performance, Rina Morelli is excellent as Tullio and Federico’s mother Marchesa Marianna Hermill as a woman who adores Giuliana while is hoping to have an heir to continue the family name as she becomes baffled by her eldest son’s cold demeanor. Jennifer O’Neill is amazing as Teresa Raffo as this aristocratic beauty who is also Tullio’s mistress as a woman who is fond of Tullio but often makes him go after her as she also has other suitors that she is eager to be with as O’Neill brings a lot of great facial expressions as her voice is dubbed Valeria Moriconi. Giancarlo Giannini is brilliant as Tullio Hermill as this aristocratic man who gets away with lot and feels like he’s untouchable while neglecting and humiliating his wife. Even as he would later become humiliated himself where Giannini brings that sense of restrained fury as a man eager to get revenge while also wanting to have control of his wife in seducing her every way possible.
Finally, there’s Laura Antonelli in a tremendous performance as Tullio’s wife Giuliana as a woman who is mistreated horribly by her philandering husband as she copes with her loneliness and being neglected until she meets a friend of her brother-in-law. Antonelli has this sense of restraint and melancholia as a woman who doesn’t feel appreciated until her brief affair where Tullio devotes a lot of attention to her as she becomes troubled by his behavior as well as some news that would shake their relationship as it is a revelatory performance from Antonelli who has this radiance that is often overlooked considering that a lot of her work has been in Italian softcore erotic films as this is her career-defining performance.
L’Innocente is a phenomenal film from Luchino Visconti that features great performances from Giancarlo Giannini, Laura Antonelli, and Jennifer O’Neill. Along with its ensemble supporting cast, ravishing visuals, a haunting music score, and its story of infidelity and the fallacies of male chauvinism. It is a film that is this evocative period drama that explores a man being forced to deal with his life but also maintain control of who he is as it serves as this fitting finale for Visconti. In the end, L’Innocente is a sensational film from Luchino Visconti.
Luchino Visconti Films: (Obsessione) – (Giorni di gloria) – (La Terra Firma) – (Appunti su un fatto di cronaca) – (We, the Women) – (Bellisima) - Senso – White Nights (1957 film) - Rocco and His Brothers - (Boccaccio ’70-Il lavoro) – The Leopard - Sandra – (The Stranger (1967 film)) – The Witches (1967 film)-The Witch Burned Alive - The Damned - Death in Venice - (Alla ricerca di Tadzio) – (Ludwig) – (Conversation Piece)
© thevoid99 2024
The film follows a Sicilian laborer who loses his job after refusing to vote for a Mafia-backed candidate as he leaves Sicily for Turin where he finds himself in a far more complicated and corrupt world despite falling for a communist woman whom he would bear his child despite the fact that he’s married. It is a film that explores a man whose attempt to defy the system only to enter a modern world where corruption is almost everywhere as he tries to be part of another system in communism while falling for a woman who shares his ideals only for things to get complicated due to encounters with other Mafia-based factions and such. Lina Wertmuller’s screenplay follows the many misadventures of its titular character in Mimi (Giancarlo Giannini) who lives with a family including his wife Rosalia (Agostina Belli) whom he is unable to impregnate. After it was revealed that he voted for a communist candidate instead of a Mafia-backed candidate, Mimi loses his job as he goes to Turin to find a new job only to realize that he is dealing with those who are part of the Mafia where Mimi claims he’s related to a Mafia boss’ cousin.
During his time in Turin, Mimi would meet Fiorella (Mariangela Melato) who sells sweaters while is also a communist as he tries to prove his love to her including an act of rape that doesn’t go well yet Fiorella falls for him despite the fact that he’s already married. Still, they would gain a child until he witnesses an incident involving the Mafia boss he used to work for would force him to return to Sicily with Fiorella and their son in tow though he doesn’t tell anyone about them. Still, rumors are made about Mimi as he is given a new job with some power as he learns about what Rosalia has done since he left Turin as he decides to get revenge by sleeping with a police officer’s wife in Amalia (Elena Fiore) who learns about what her husband did. Yet, it all plays into everything that Mimi would endure but also how he would also put himself in situations beyond his control and give in to corruption.
Wertmuller’s direction is entrancing for not just showcasing these two different worlds that Mimi would endure as she would set the film both in Sicily but also Turin that both act as unique characters in the film. Notably as the film and closes with a desolate location on a mine in Sicily where a group of men would send out pamphlets to vote for this Mafia-backed candidate where Mimi would show a world where workers have to choose for their own survival as nothing is secret which only frustrates Mimi. The usage of wide and medium shots not only play into the locations that Mimi would be in but also in this sense of isolation that Mimi would endure as a man who feels like he doesn’t belong in the world. Even as Wertmuller would use close-ups to add to the drama including these extreme close-up zooms to show men with three moles on the right side of their faces as they all represent some form of corruption.
While the film is presented as a comedy of sorts as it plays into Mimi’s own background as a Southerner from Sicily who doesn’t understand the ways of the modern world. Especially when it comes to women as Wertmuller doesn’t mince words into the fact that Mimi confuses passion towards women as they feel like he’s trying to rape them. Wertmuller also showcases that despite the freedom that Mimi would attain with Fiorella and in Turin, the presence of the Mafia would always come in to play into his fate. The third act is where Mimi’s actions as a man and this need to be presented as a man showcases some of the fallacies of masculinity as it is a system in itself. A system that is full of flaws as well as the fact that ideals can make people lose sight of what is really important in the grand scheme of things. Overall, Wertmuller crafts a riveting and witty film about a laborer’s attempt to buck the system in a modern and complicated world.
Cinematographer Dario Di Palma does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its usage of fog and low-key natural lighting for the exterior scenes in Turin as well as a mixture of vibrant colors for some scenes in the exteriors in Sicily along with some straightforward lighting for some of the interior shots. Editor Franco Fraticelli does excellent work with the editing as its usage of rhythmic cuts play to the humor along with other straightforward cuts to emphasize some of the drama and suspense. Production designer Amedeo Fago and set decorator Emilio Baldelli do amazing work with the look of the different homes that Mimi lived in to the spacious loft he would share with Fiore in Turin to the more cramped world that he was living in Sicily before his departure to Turin as well as a more chaotic lifestyle upon his return to Sicily. Costume designer Enrico Job does fantastic work with the costumes from the colorful sweaters and wool clothing that Fiorella creates to the more stylish look of suits that Mimi would wear later in the film as well as the black that many of the people in Sicily wears.
Hair stylists Giancarlo De Leonardis and Michele Trimarchi, along with makeup artist Rosa Luciani, do terrific work with the different hairstyles that Mimi would have throughout his time from the ragged perm as a laborer to a slick look while the makeup showcases the different bosses that Mimi would encounter. Sound mixer Franco Bassi is superb as it play into the atmosphere of the locations and the places where Mimi would work at as well as some sound effects that add to the drama. The film’s music by Piero Piccioni is wonderful for its orchestral score that has some playful themes as well as some somber themes that add to the film’s humor and drama.
The film’s remarkable cast feature some notable small roles from Livia Giampalmo as the wife of a worker who is friends with Rosalia, Gianfranco Barra as Amalia’s police sergeant husband whom Mimi doesn’t like, Ignazio Pappalardo and Tuccio Musumeci as a couple of fellow laborers that are friends of Mimi who feel alienated by his new social status, and Luigi Diberti as a mysterious figure from the Mafia that wants to help Mimi. Elena Fiore is brilliant as Amalia Finocchiaro as the police sergeant’s wife whom Mimi tries to woo in the film’s third act in an act of revenge as she also learns about what her husband did as she takes part in the revenge. In a trio of roles as different Mafia bosses, Turi Ferro is excellent in those different roles as men who serve as an obstacle for Mimi as well as make him do things he doesn’t want to do.
Agostina Belli is amazing as Rosalia as Mimi’s wife who never feels sexually attracted to Mimi as she is often sad until Mimi leaves Turin where she finds herself and does things that would eventually piss Mimi off bad. Mariangela Melato is incredible as Fiorella as a Trotskyist clothing designer whom Mimi falls for as she shares Mimi’s ideals relating to communism while coping with the fact that he’s married as well as involve himself in things that are too much for him to handle. Finally, there’s Giancarlo Giannini in a sensational performance as Mimi as this laborer who tries to defy the system only to leave Sicily for Turin only to encounter a far more complicated world and then return to Sicily with a new family only to put himself in bad situations. Giannini’s performance is full of wit and physicality in his approach to humor but also showcases a man who is seriously flawed in his treatment of women but also how his masculinity and idealism would also play into his downfall.
Mimi metallurgico ferito nell’onore is a phenomenal film from Lina Wertmuller that features an incredible leading performance from Giancarlo Giannini. Along with its ensemble cast, colorful visuals, a playful music score, and its exploration of social and gender politics from the views of a man that is trying to buck the system. It is a film that showcases a man trying to fight the system only to realize that he is part of a system that is far more complicated than what he’s trying to rebel against. In the end, Mimi metallurgico ferito nell’onore is a sensational film from Lina Wertmuller.
Lina Wertmuller Films: (The Lizards) - (Let’s Talk About Men) - (Rita the Mosquito) - (Don’t Sting the Mosquito) - (The Belle Starr Story) - Love and Anarchy - (All Screwed Up) – Swept Away - Seven Beauties - (A Night Full of Rain) - (Blood Feud) - (A Joke of Destiny) - (Softly, Softly) - (Camorra (A Story of Streets, Women and Crime) - (Summer Night) - (As Long as It’s Love) - (The Tenth One in Hiding) - (Ciao, Professore!) - (The Nymph) - (The Blue Collar Worker and the Hairdresser in a Whirl of Sex and Politics) - (Ferdinando and Carolina) - (Too Much Romance…It’s Time for Stuffed Peppers)
© thevoid99 2023
Written and directed by Lina Wertmuller, Travolti da un destino nell’azzurro mare d’agosto (Swept Away… by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August) is the story of a wealthy woman who vacations on a yacht with friends where she finds herself stranded on an island with one of the boat’s crew members as they deal with each other and their own social classes. The film is a study of two people from different ideas and environment who are stranded on a deserted island where they both are forced to deal with each other. Starring Mariangela Melato, Giancarlo Giannini, Riccardo Salvino, Isa Danieli, and Aldo Puglisi. Travolti da un destino nell’azzurro mare d’agosto is a ravishing yet provocative film from Lina Wertmuller.
The film follows two different people from two different social and political backgrounds who meet on a yacht as they’re later stranded on a deserted island where they switch ideals in some ways as it leads to tension and later romance. While it’s a film with a simple premise, it is filled with a lot of complexities in its relation to gender and social politics where a man and a woman are the center of this battle of sorts as writer/director Lina Wertmuller explores two people in a situation with a lot of uncertainty and how they would react to their situation. The film’s first act is set partially on this yacht where the wealthy capitalist Raffaella Pavone Lanzetti (Mariangela Melato) is arguing with her husband Signor (Riccardo Salvino) about the virtues of their class with the yacht crew member Gennarino Carunchio (Giancarlo Giannini) listening as he is a communist that despises the rich and is only working because he needs the money. Yet, he has to cope with Raffaella who wants to go to an island despite Gennarino’s warning about the weather where they’re stranded on a lifeboat with a motor that isn’t working.
The second act is set on this deserted island where Gennarino has all of the power as he can get fish, make a fire, and do all sorts of things while Raffaella struggles to deal with the new environment she’s in. She has a hard time getting food and such where the tables are turned with Gennarino living comfortably where he has Raffaella doing things just to teach her a lesson about the way she treats him back at the yacht. Eventually, Raffaella starts to act out leading to all of this tension where they fight but also deal with the idea that they’re attracted to each other. This attraction is unique where it play into these desires that had been holding them back but there is also this possibility that they could be rescued and returned to their life before.
Wertmuller’s direction is definitely intoxicating for its setting as it is shot largely in the Mediterranean Sea near Italy with the deserted island shot near the town of Tortoli in the Sardinia section of the country. While Wertmuller would use a lot of wide shots to capture the scope of the locations as well as the sea, she would also use it to play into the distance of ideologies between Gennarino and Raffaella. Even in shots where Raffaella would look at Gennarino at the island getting food and such while she looks on with despair and desperation. It adds to Wertmuller’s approach in her humorous take where she would favor Gennarino for much of the film’s first half but it would then shift in favor of Raffaella who laments over the drawbacks of her own lifestyle as she and Gennarino would argue over their ideals. Wertmuller would use medium shots and close-ups to capture the conversations as well as the intimacy for the scenes on the yacht including its interiors to play into Raffaella’s dominance in the conversations as well as finding ways to complain about the cooking or how warm the wine is. Wertmuller would use those same ideas of compositions for the scenes in the island but with more camera movements.
The film would also have some questionable moments as it relates to the growing attraction between Gennarino and Raffaella towards the film’s third act where the former would try to rape the latter after having to endure too many insults from her. Yet, it would become more baffling when Raffaella seems to enjoy playing the submissive in this relationship that starts off as one-sided but it would create this balance where the two find some middle ground in their ideals as well as their fondness for one another. Still, Wertmuller is concerned about the effect of the idea of a man and woman stuck on an island as its aftermath would create an interesting dynamic. Especially by that idea of having to return to their old life but also the conflict of going back to the island to continue the new life they had which was filled with little complications and the ideas of modern society. Overall, Wertmuller creates an engaging and evocative film about a man and woman from different social classes and political ideals stuck on a deserted island.
Cinematographer Ennio Guarieri does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography in the way it captures the beauty of the locations while emphasizing on realistic and natural lighting for the scenes in the small port towns as well as the scenes on the island. Editor Franco Fraticelli does excellent work in the editing with its approach to jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the film’s humor and some of its dramatic moments. Art director/costume designer Enrico Job does fantastic work with the clothes that Gennarino and Raffaella wear to play into their social background as well as the look of the boat and the shack that Gennarino finds on the island. Sound mixer Mario Bramonti does terrific work with the sound as it play into the locations as well as the conversations that are heard on the boat as well as where Gennarino and Raffaella are in parts of the island when they’re far apart. The film’s music by Piero Piccioni is incredible for its mixture of jazz pieces with elements of somber classical music and operatic-like pieces as well as some pop ballads to play into the drama and romance.
The film’s marvelous cast feature some notable small roles from Aldo Puglisi as a friend of Gennarino on the ship, Eros Pagni as a yacht crewmember in Pippe, Isa Danieli as Gennarino’s wife Anna, and Riccardo Salvino as Raffaella’s cuckold husband Signor who constantly argues with her and often loses those arguments. Finally, there’s the phenomenal duo of Giancarlo Giannini and Mariangela Melato in great performances in their respective roles as Gennarino Carunchio and Raffaella Pavone Lanzetti. Giannini brings a fiery energy as a man that is intent on defending his views as well as trying to instill his own power on the island as well as display some vulnerability when he falls for Raffaella. Melato has this air of charm to display the bitchiness of her character as she is arrogant and insulting where it is a joy to watch. Giannini and Melato have this amazing rapport between each other where they want to kill each other at times but also want to fuck each other as they are a big highlight of the film.
Travolti da un destino nell’azzurro mare d’agosto is a tremendous film from Lina Wertmuller that features spectacular performances from Giancarlo Giannini and Mariangela Melato. Along with its gorgeous visuals, an intoxicating score, and powerful themes on social, sexual, and gender politics set in a deserted island. It’s a film that is quite confrontational in the way it deals with a lot of ideas but it’s also this unconventional romantic comedy of sorts that is willing to ask big questions about the roles of men and women and their social environments. In the end, Travolti da un destino nell’azzurro mare d’agosto is a sensational film from Lina Wertmuller.
Lina Wertmuller Films: (The Lizards) - (Let’s Talk About Men) - (Rita the Mosquito) - (Don’t Sting the Mosquito) - (The Belle Starr Story) - The Seduction of Mimi - Love and Anarchy - (All Screwed Up) – Seven Beauties - (A Night Full of Rain) - (Blood Feud) - (A Joke of Destiny) - (Softly, Softly) - (Camorra (A Story of Streets, Women and Crime) - (Summer Night) - (As Long as It’s Love) - (The Tenth One in Hiding) - (Ciao, Professore!) - (The Nymph) - (The Blue Collar Worker and the Hairdresser in a Whirl of Sex and Politics) - (Ferdinando and Carolina) - (Too Much Romance…It’s Time for Stuffed Peppers)
© thevoid99 2018
Written and directed by Lina Wertmuller, Pasqualino Settebellezze (Seven Beauties) is the story of an Italian soldier who escapes from the army during World War II only to be captured by the Germans as he reflects on his life while trying to survive imprisonment. The film is a study of a man dealing with his situation in a world where he deals with the many roles he has played in his life. Starring Giancarlo Giannini, Fernando Rey, and Shirley Stoler. Pasqualino Settebellezze is a gripping yet evocative film from Lina Wertmuller.
The film is told in a back-and-forth narrative about an Italian who has been captured by the Germans during an escape from the army as he tries to survive his time in a concentration camp. At the camp, he endures torment while he reflects on his past into the events that got him there when he killed one of his sister’s boyfriends who was a pimp and put her into prostitution. The journey that Pasqualino (Giancarlo Giannini) would take would be an arduous one as he started off as a charmer who demanded respect while working for a local don during Fascist-era Italy. Upon his troubles where he would be in trial, set to a mental institution, and later be forced to serve in the army in World War II. Pasqualino would endure moments that are inhuman as the film’s script plays into what he encounters but also the sense of horror inside the concentration camp as he tries to find a way to survive. While there’s moments in Pasqualino that aren’t honorable due to how he treats women including his sister as well as a patient at the hospital.
Lina Wertmuller’s direction is very entrancing not just for the compositions that she creates but also in how visceral the images and situations are throughout the film. The film opens with this chilling sequence filled with stock footage of the war that is filled with cities being destroyed and men being killed all to narration by a man who says these words accompanied to anachronistic music that just adds to its dark tone. The film then meshes with something that could feel like stock footage and then turn real as Wertmuller’s camera is always in the action for the scene where Pasqualino is running around the woods with only a fellow soldier to join him. The usage of hand-held cameras for those scenes early in the film along with close-ups and medium shots play into the sense of terror but also humorous moments in the first act where Pasqualino and Francesco (Piero Di Iorio) are trying to find shelter only to be captured by the Germans.
The scenes set in Naples are much looser with an air of comedy but also display a world that Pasqualino felt free in as he is oblivious to what is really happening under the role of Benito Mussollini and the Fascists at the time. Once the film’s second act partially takes place in the concentration camp, it takes on an entirely different look and tone. The usage of wide and medium shots along with some intricate tracking and crane shots adds to the vast look of the camp but also in how horrifying it is. Even in scenes of violence where Wertmuller pulls no punches as there’s a scene early in the film where Pasqualino and Francesco watch a line of people being executed by the Nazis while some of the moments in the camp are even more gruesome. There is also a very disturbing scene where Wertmuller creates this air of sexual dominance where Pasqualino tries to seduce the camp’s commandant (Shirley Stoler) who hates Italians and wants him to fuck her despite how ugly and obese she is. It’s a moment that would mark a major change in Pasqualino as it would display some of the inhumanity he encounters during a dark era of war as he would also take part in it. Overall, Wertmuller creates a harrowing yet majestic film about a man dealing with consequences and terror during World War II.
Cinematographer Tonino Delli Colli does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography from the lush beauty of the interior/exterior scenes set in Naples to the more haunting and low-key lights for the scenes in the woods and the more stark tone of the camp. Editor Franco Fraticelli does excellent work with the editing as it is mostly straightforward with some jump-cuts and other striking transitions to play with the film‘s back-and-forth narrative. Production/costume designer Enrico Job, with set decorator Roberto Granieri and art director Veljko Despotovic, does fantastic work with the look of the sets for the scenes in Naples and at the prison camp along with the lavish costumes the women wear in Naples.
The sound work of Mario Bramonti is brilliant for the atmosphere it creates for not just some of the scenes set in Naples but also in mental institution and at the prison camp that just adds this sense of terror and discomfort. The film’s music by Enzo Jannacci is incredible for its usage of organs and rock-based instruments for the film’s opening sequence as well as some orchestral pieces for some of the dramatic moments in the film.
The film’s superb cast include some notable small roles from Barbara Valmorin as the commandant’s secretary, Francesca Marciano as Pasqualino’s fiancee, Mario Conti as the pimp whom one of Pasqualino’s seven sisters wants to marry, Lucio Amelio as a lawyer representing Pasqualino for his trial, Ermelinda De Felice as Pasqualino’s mother, and Robert Herlitzka as a Socialist prisoner Pasqualino would meet on his way to the mental hospital. Enzo Vitale is terrific as Don Raffaele who mentors Pasqualino into respectability and would help his family when Pasqualino is being sent away. Elena Fiore is wonderful as Pasqualino’s sister Concettina who would put her brother into trouble by wanting to marry her pimp and become a prostitute much to her brother’s dismay. Piero Di Iorio is fantastic as Francesco as a fellow soldier who escapes with Pasqualino only to endure some horrific abuse at the prison camp as he tries to rebel.
Shirley Stoler is excellent as the prison camp commandant as this very large woman who is so grotesque in her appearance as well as the things she would make Pasqualino do to save himself. Fernando Rey is amazing as Pedro as an anarchist prisoner who spouts ideas that are against all forms of Nazism and Fascism as he tries to create chaos at the camp. Finally, there’s Giancarlo Giannini in a phenomenal as Pasqualino Frafuso as an every man who starts off as a charming man that can get things his way only to commit murder and then have his life fall apart as he endures torment, humility, and anguish as it’s a performance for the ages from Giannini.
Pasqualino Settebellezze is a tremendous film from Lina Wertmuller that features an incredible performance from Giancarlo Giannini. It’s a film that explores not just some of chaos of World War II and the terror of concentration camps but also a man encountering some of the worst aspects of humanity. In the end, Pasqualino Settebellezze is a spectacular film from Lina Wertmuller.
Lina Wertmuller Films: (The Lizards) - (Let’s Talk About Men) - (Rita the Mosquito) - (Don’t Sting the Mosquito) - (The Belle Starr Story) - The Seduction of Mimi - (All Screwed Up) - Love and Anarchy - Swept Away (1974 film) - (A Night Full of Rain) - (Blood Feud) - (A Joke of Destiny) - (Softly, Softly) - (Camorra (A Story of Streets, Women and Crime) - (Summer Night) - (As Long as It’s Love) - (The Tenth One in Hiding) - (Ciao, Professore!) - (The Nymph) - (The Blue Collar Worker and the Hairdresser in a Whirl of Sex and Politics) - (Ferdinando and Carolina) - (Too Much Romance…It’s Time for Stuffed Peppers)
© thevoid99 2016
(Best Actor Prize to Giancarlo Giannini at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival)
Written and directed by Lina Wertmuller, Love and Anarchy is the story of an anarchist who stays in a brothel as he attempts to assassinate Benito Mussolini in Fascist-era Italy before World War II. The film is an exploration of Fascist Italy and how a man tries to stop it while he deals with his surroundings where he falls in love with a prostitute at the brothel. Starring Giancarlo Giannini, Mariangela Melato, Eros Pagni, Pina Cei, and Lina Polito. Love and Anarchy is an entrancing yet gripping film from Lina Wertmuller.
Set in 1930s Fascist-Italy under the rule of Benito Mussolini, the film revolves around a farmer who decides to take up the cause of a friend to kill Mussolini as he travels to Rome and meets his contact at a brothel. There, he deals with a world that is very foreign to him as he also finds himself falling for a young prostitute where he copes with what he has to do as he is torn between his duty and love. Lina Wertmuller’s script doesn’t just explore the conflict that Antonio “Tunin” Soffiantini (Giancarlo Giannini) faces but the fact that he is just a simple farmer that has never experienced life in the city as well as having very little clue in what to do in his attempt to kill Mussolini. Even as he would ponder many possibilities into what might happen but also its aftermath as he becomes troubled. In meeting the young prostitute Tripolina (Lina Polito), Tunin wonders if there is a future but he is still courted to carry out his mission by his contact in another prostitute in Salome (Mariangela Melato) who has her own motives in wanting the mission to happen as it relates to a lot that is going on in Italy.
Wertmuller’s direction is very intoxicating for not just the way she presents Italy during that period but also in this growing sense of disconnect and struggle that looms in the country. The film opens and ends with the image of a desolate location in rural Italy where it looks like a land that has been flooded where a man is being chased by the police in this brief but thrilling tracking shot. Wertmuller’s usage of the wide shots for these locations including some ravishing moments in some of the exterior shots in Rome including a few of its landmark play a lot into this strange world Tunin is in as well as some of the people encounter. Most notably a man named Spatoletti (Eros Pagni) who is this brash member of the secret police that Salome knows as Tunin thinks the man is just a fuckin’ asshole. Especially as Spatoletti is a man that is very disconnected from the realities of the world as he has no idea what farmers go through and thinks he lives in a better environment.
Wertmuller would also a maintain an intimacy and energy in the way the brothel is where it is quite lavish and it has something that feels modern during its time period. It is also a place that has this air of escapism against what was happening in Italy where Wertmuller maintains a tone where it’s the women that are in charge and the men are just these eager customers wanting to get laid. Wertmuller’s usage of close-ups and medium shots not only capture that intimacy but also in the way the character gaze into what they’re seeing. Especially Tunin where Wertmuller’s close-ups would capture every bit of detail into his face and the anguish he deals with what he has to do. Especially in the third act where it is about these final moments before the assassination but also what happens on the day of the event as it is emotionally-charged and filled with a lot of these very intense moments. Especially in the aftermath as it says a lot about the rule of the Fascists and how it affected the country that nearly went into ruins following World War II. Overall, Wertmuller creates a haunting yet riveting film about an anarchist’s attempt to kill Benito Mussolini.
Cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno does incredible work with the film‘s gorgeous cinematography to the way many of the daytime interiors at the brothel look with its approach to low-key lighting and colors along with some of the scenes set at night including a long sequence set in the streets of Rome at night. Editor Franco Fraticelli does nice work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with bits of stylish flair to play into some of the humor and the intensity of the drama including its climax. Art director Gianni Giovagnoni does fantastic work with the look of the brothel and the rooms of its characters as well as the house where the assassination was to take place and the farm that Tunin used to live in.
Costume designer Enrico Job does brilliant work with the costumes as it has this air of style in the way many of the characters looked from the overly-stylized clothes of the prostitutes to the look of the high fashion the people of Rome wear. Sound effects editor/foley artist Italo Cameracanna does terrific work with the sound in the way some of the sound effects are presented as well as some of the raucous moments in the brothel. The film’s music by Nino Rota and Carlo Savina is amazing for its mixture of Rota’s orchestral-based score that play into some of the drama and lively moments of the film to Savina’s more ominous score with its string instruments that says a lot to the dark aspects that were happening in Fascist-era Italy.
The film’s superb cast include some notable small roles from Roberto Herlitzka as the original assassin who is a friend of Tunin, Isa Bellini as a fellow prostitute named Zoraide, Elena Fiore as a brothel organizer in Donna Carmela, and Pina Cei as the brothel mastermind Madame Aida. Eros Pagni is excellent as the very brash Spatoletti as this police official who takes Tunin, Salome, and Tripolina to the country where he mocks the poor as well as display ideas that really upsets Tunin. Lina Polito is fantastic as the young prostitute Tripolina who catches Tunin’s eye as a ball of energy and life as she would also give Tunin an idea of a possible future. Mariangela Melato is amazing as Salome as a prostitute who is Tunin’s contact where she provides some instructions but also motives of her own as it relates to the assassination. Finally, there’s Giancarlo Giannini in a phenomenal performance as Antonio “Tunin” Soffiantini as this simple farmer who decides to finish a job for a friend unaware of what he’s doing and where he is going as it’s a very somber yet riveting performance as a man dealing with his task as well as a lot of conflicts as it is really one Giannini’s quintessential performances.
Love and Anarchy is a tremendous film from Lina Wertmuller that features an incredible performance from Giancarlo Giannini. It’s a film that doesn’t just explore life during Fascist Italy but also the ideas of anarchy and a man’s struggle to do his duty but also dealing with love during a dark period in history. In the end, Love and Anarchy is a spectacular film from Lina Wertmuller.
Lina Wertmuller Films: (The Lizards) - (Let’s Talk About Men) - (Rita the Mosquito) - (Don’t Sting the Mosquito) - (The Belle Starr Story) - The Seduction of Mimi - (All Screwed Up) - Swept Away (1974 film) - Seven Beauties - (A Night Full of Rain) - (Blood Feud) - (A Joke of Destiny) - (Softly, Softly) - (Camorra (A Story of Streets, Women and Crime) - (Summer Night) - (As Long as It’s Love) - (The Tenth One in Hiding) - (Ciao, Professore!) - (The Nymph) - (The Blue Collar Worker and the Hairdresser in a Whirl of Sex and Politics) - (Ferdinando and Carolina) - (Too Much Romance…It’s Time for Stuffed Peppers)
© thevoid99 2016
(Played Out of Competition at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival)
Written and directed by Roman Coppola, CQ is the story of a young filmmaker/editor who is asked by producers to finish a sci-fi film for them as he would fall in love with the film’s leading lady. It’s a film where a young man is given the chance to make a movie while he copes with his own personal life and his own desires to make personal films. Starring Jeremy Davies, Angela Lindvall, Elodie Bouchez, Giancarlo Giannini, Massimo Ghini, Jason Schwartzman, Billy Zane, and Gerard Depardieu. CQ is a stylish yet exuberant film from Roman Coppola.
Set in late 1960s France, the film revolves around a young American filmmaker who is working as an editor/second unit director for a revered filmmaker into sci-fi story until he is eventually asked to take over and finish the film once the original director is fired. There, he becomes fascinated by the film’s leading lady while trying to make his own personal films based on his own confessions about his life as his relationship with his French girlfriend starts to fall apart. It’s a film that sort of spoofs sci-fi films but also plays into the world of 1960s film culture and studio politics as some of it is based on real-life incidents and battles of the film’s writer/director Roman Coppola’s father Francis Ford Coppola.
Coppola’s screenplay plays into the conflicts and desires of its lead Paul Ballard (Jeremy Davies) who is happy in taking the chance to work for the director Andrezej (Gerard Depardieu) on this sci-fi film called Codename: Dragonfly that is starring an American newcomer by the name of Valentine (Angela Lindvall). Yet, when Andrezej is fired from the production by producer Enzo (Giancarlo Giannini), Paul ponders about what to do as the film stock and cameras he borrows to make his own film which is a documentary about himself. Even as he is eventually asked to take over for Andrezej to finish the film as it would be the moment where he is given the chance to make a film. Yet, the script plays into Paul’s conflict about what he wants to do as well as honor the intentions of the man whom he has replaced. Even as he copes with studio politics and his own personal life along with a saboteur who is trying to stop Paul from finishing the film.
Coppola’s direction is quite stylish not just in his varied approach to the films that were being made at the time but also in displaying the idea of what it was like in the world of films in the late 1960s. Notably as he would model much of the ideas of the sci-fi movie based on other film as it does pay tribute to films like Barbarella while Paul’s own film is definitely inspired by the French New Wave. Coppola brings in a lot of unique camera angles and compositions to the film while much of it is shot in Paris with some of it shot on location in Rome. Coppola’s usage of close-ups and medium shots are evident with a few wide shots that is used as he plays into the world of filmmaking as well as a man coming to grips with his own life. Even as his relationship with his stewardess girlfriend Marlene (Elodie Bouchez) is at a crossroads as she would raise questions about the film he’s making. It plays into Paul coming to terms with what he wants as a filmmaker but also as a person as he also deals with the blurring between reality and fantasy. Overall, Coppola creates a very witty yet engaging film about a young man getting the chance to make a film.
Cinematographer Robert Yeoman does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography as it is very colorful for some of the scenes made for the film-within-the-film as well as its usage of lights for some of the interiors and nighttime exterior scenes. Editors Leslie Jones does brilliant work with the editing as it is very stylish with its jump-cuts, slow-motion cuts, and other moments that play into Paul‘s point-of-view as an editor. Production designer Dean Tavoularis, with art directors Luc Chalon and Oshin Yeghiazariantz and set decorator Philippe Tulure, does fantastic work with the design of the Dragonfly character‘s spaceship and the set of the film as well as the apartment Paul and Marlene live in and other sets to play into the world of film.
Costume designer Judy Shrewsbury does excellent work with the costumes to create that look of late 1960s cinema as well as the clothes of the Dragonfly character. Sound designer Richard Beggs and sound editor Michael Kirchberger do superb work with the sound in some of the sound effects created for the film-within-a-film as well as what goes on during a production as well as the sound of old cameras. The film’s music by the French electronic band Mellow is wonderful for its playful and 60s-based score with elements of electronic and pop music in the mix while music supervisor Brian Reitzell brings in a fun soundtrack consisting of Euro-pop songs from Claude Francois, Jacques Dutronc, Paul Piot, Francesco Pennino, and Antonello Paliotti.
The casting by Blythe Cappello, Beatrice Kruger, and Juliette Menager is great as it features small appearances from Romain Duris as a young filmmaker, production designer Dean Tavoularis as a viewer of the unfinished film Andrezej is making, Sofia Coppola as Enzo’s mistress in Rome, L.M. Kit Carson as a fantasy critic observing what Paul is making, Natalia Vodianova as a model-girlfriend of filmmaker Felix de Marco, Silvio Muccino as an editor friend of Paul in Pippo, and Dean Stockwell in a terrific one-scene performance as Paul’s father who visits him at an airport where he talks about a dream that would relate to a possible doppelganger of Paul. John Phillip Law is wonderful as a corporate figurehead in the movie as he would hire Dragonfly to retrieve a weapon while Billy Zane is superb as that movie’s antagonist Mr. E as a revolutionary trying to bring peace and love back to the world.
Jason Schwartzman is hilarious as the kitsch filmmaker Felix de Marco as he is a character that is sort of based on Roger Corman as a young filmmaker who makes cheesy B-movies. Massimo Ghini is excellent as the producer Fabrizio who is convinced that Paul can save the movie as he is the more reasonable producer who knows talent. Giancarlo Giannini is fantastic as the producer Enzo who is not happy with Andrezej’s initial rough cut as he is full of life as he is based on the producer Dino De Laurentiis. Gerard Depardieu is amazing as the filmmaker Andrezej who believes that his film will be revolutionary until his ideas of how he wants to end it has him fired as some of his antics is based on other filmmakers including Roman Coppola’s father Francis Ford Coppola.
Elodie Bouchez is brilliant as Paul’s girlfriend Marlene who copes with Paul’s obsession with his own film as well as feeling neglected due to Paul’s work. Angela Lindvall is radiant as the actress Valentine who plays the lead role of Dragonfly in the film as she has a striking sensuality for the role while showing someone who is really just a normal American woman. Finally, there’s Jeremy Davies in a remarkable performance as Paul Ballard as a young filmmaker trying to make his own personal film while given the chance to become a filmmaker in finishing this sci-fi film as he copes with his own personal issues and desires as Davies brings a quiet humility into his role.
CQ is a phenomenal film from Roman Coppola that features a great cast led by Jeremy Davies and an ode to the world of 60s cinema. It’s a film that isn’t just exciting and full of humor but it’s also a film that showcases cinema at a crucial time as it goes from the world of studio-based films to the more personal work that would occur in the 1970s. In the end, CQ is a spectacular film from Roman Coppola.
© thevoid99 2015
Based on Ian Fleming’s stories, Quantum of Solace is the story of James Bond seeking vengeance as he goes after the Quantum organization by targeting an environmentalist trying to control Bolivia’s water supply. Bond is then joined by a woman who is also seeking vengeance for her parents’ murder as the two team up. Directed by Marc Forster and screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis, and Joshua Zetumer, the film picks up where Casino Royale left of as Daniel Craig returns as the role of Bond for the second time. Also starring Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Almaric, Gemma Arterton, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Rory Kinnear, and Judi Dench as M. Quantum of Solace is a decent but very messy film from Marc Forster.
After capturing Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) to find out who he’s working for, James Bond and M interrogate him only for something to go wrong when M’s bodyguard Mitchell (Glenn Foster) tries to kill M as Bond goes on the chase to go after him as they both realize that Mitchell is a double agent. Mr. White has suddenly disappeared as Bond and M found some banknotes at Mitchell’s apartment that is connected to a contact in Haiti. After finding the contact, Bond meets a woman named Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko) whom the contact was supposed to kill as he learns that she’s the lover of an environmentalist named Dominic Greene (Mathieu Almaric). Bond watches the meeting as he learns that Montes is really going after a Bolivian general named Medrano (Joaquin Cosio), for killing her family many years ago, while Greene is making a deal with Medrano about getting land in Bolivia.
Bond travels to Austria to follow Greene as he infiltrates a meeting as he captures the pictures of many who are believed to be part of a secret organization known as Quantum. Yet, Bond manages to kill the bodyguard of a man connected to the British prime minister on his way out as M revokes his passports and credit cards forcing Bond to seek help from his old ally Rene Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) who joins him to Bolivia to find out what Greene is up to as they’re met by a MI6 officer named Strawberry Fields (Gemma Arterton) who wants to take Bond back to London. Instead, Bond takes her to Greene’s party with Mathis to find out what Greene is up to as Montes is also there to find out what is going on. Bond and Montes decide to fly to the land that Greene wants to buy as they are nearly attacked by Bolivian planes where they learn what Greene is up to. With the help of Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), Bond and Montes decides to confront Greene and Medrano to learn about Quantum.
The film is essentially a continuation of its predecessor in Casino Royale where James Bond goes after the people who are running a secret organization that he believes is responsible for the death of someone close to him. Throughout this journey, he learns more about this organization yet his thirst of vengeance eventually starts to become a liability for the MI6 as they try to make sure he doesn’t stray from the mission. It’s a very compelling story that has Bond trying to uncover this organization and seek vengeance as he also helps a woman get her revenge as well. It’s just that the story isn’t given the presentation that could’ve made it more captivating.
The screenplay definitely maintains its sense of mystery and intrigue but it’s very unbalanced with lots of action sequences that loses the luster on its suspense. Still, the script does succeed in making Bond more flawed as he still has a bit of inexperience in him in the way he deals with situations and such as he starts to understand more and more about what it takes to be a 00 agent. Helping him in this mission is Camilla Montes who is this woman seeking revenge for her parents’ death as she starts to piece the puzzle of what Dominic Greene is up to. The Dominic Greene character isn’t a traditional villain as he is really more of an organizer that is working for this mysterious organization yet he’s surrounded by people who will help him do things to make sure they’re taken care of.
Marc Forster’s direction has some moments that are quite engaging in some of the film’s action sequences and dramatic moments but he often delves way too much into action film conventions in terms of their presentation. Fast, choppy editing and shaky camera work give way to moments that almost become nonsensical and very hyperactive that it becomes a bit hard at times to follow through. Another problem with Forster’s direction is that the film has too many action sequences and not enough moments for the film to really invest in its mystery and intrigue despite the way he creates some gorgeous images of the locations and setting. Overall, Forster creates a film that tries to play up to the conventions of action films where it lacks the splendor and intrigue of the James Bond films.
Cinematographer Robert Schaefer does some excellent work with the photography by capturing the beauty of some of the film‘s locations in South America and Europe along with some lovely interior lighting schemes for hotel scenes in Bolivia. Editors Matt Cheese and Rick Pearson do terrible work with the editing as it plays too much into the frenetic fast-cutting style of action films where not much makes a lot of sense while not taking enough time to slow things down for the film‘s dramatic moments. Production designer Dennis Gassner, with set decorator Anna Pinnock and supervising art director Chris Lowe, does superb work with the set pieces such as the suite in the Bolivian hotel as well as General Medrano‘s base for the film‘s climatic face-off.
Costume designer Louise Frogley does nice work with the costumes from the tuxedos and clothes that Bond wears to the dresses that Montes and Fields wear in the party scene. Sound designers James Boyle and Martin Cantwell, along with sound editor Eddy Joseph, do some terrific work with the sound to convey the sense of atmosphere that occurs including the film‘s interrogation scene that is inter-cut with an event in an Italian town. The film’s music by David Arnold is pretty good for its mixture of orchestral bombast as well as plaintive folk music for some scenes set in South America to convey the sense of loss that Bond and Montes are going through. The theme song Another Way to Die by Jack White and Alicia Keys is an okay song with lots of orchestral flairs and guitar bombast but it’s all over the place as it’s just a duet that doesn’t really work.
The casting by Debbie McWilliams is wonderful for the ensemble that is created as it features some noteworthy performances from Simon Kassianides as the Quantum member Yusef, Stana Katic as a Canadian agent Yusef tries to target, Neil Jackson as the contact Bond fights in Haiti, Fernando Guillen Cuervo as Mathis’ Bolivian contact, David Harbour as Felix Leiter’s CIA contact, Glenn Foster as the double-agent Craig Mitchell, and Jesper Christensen as the mysterious Quantum official Mr. White. Other small roles such as Rory Kinner as M’s aide Bill Tanner and Joaquin Cosio as the slimy General Medrano are pretty good though Anatole Taubman as Greene’s henchman Elvis is a weak henchman who sports a very stupid-looking haircut. Gemma Arterton is quite fine as the MI6 official Strawberry Fields who aids Bond at Greene’s party while Giancarlo Giannini is excellent as Mathis who helps Bond go to Bolivia while providing insight about Bond’s thirst for vengeance.
Jeffrey Wright is terrific as Bond’s CIA friend Felix Leiter who goes undercover to find out what Greene is up to as he later helps Bond in going after Greene. Judi Dench is superb as M as she tries to deal with Bond’s tactics as well as whether to trust him with this mission. Mathieu Almaric is all right as the villainous Dominic Greene in trying to organize things for Quantum though he’s not a great villain as Almaric doesn’t really get a lot to do as he’s just a lackey for Quantum. Olga Kurylenko is brilliant as Camilla Montes as this woman who is seeking her own vengeance as she displays a sense of charm to her role in the way she interacts with Bond. Finally, there’s Daniel Craig as James Bond where Craig maintains that same sense of grit and weariness to his role as he also makes Bond more flawed in his pursuits as someone who remains haunted by previous events as it’s another captivating performance from Craig despite the film’s flaws.
Quantum of Solace is a very uneven film from Marc Forster that tries to be more of an action film than a suspense-thriller despite the stellar performances of Daniel Craig and Olga Kurylenko. The film is definitely one of the weakest films of the James Bond franchise due to the fact that it plays too much into conventional action film territory as it doesn’t invest in much time on the mystery and suspense as well as the fact that it’s also one of Forster’s weaker works as a filmmaker. In the end, Quantum of Solace is an okay but very underwhelming film from Marc Forster.
James Bond Files: The EON Films: Dr. No - From Russia with Love - Goldfinger - Thunderball - You Only Live Twice - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Diamonds are Forever - Live and 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) - 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
Marc Forster Films: (Everything Put Together) - (Monster’s Ball) - Finding Neverland - (Stay (2005 film)) - Stranger than Fiction - (The Kite Runner) - (Machine Gun Preacher) - (World War Z)
© thevoid99 2012
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 11/23/06 w/ Additional Edits.
Based on Ian Fleming's novel, Casino Royale is the story of James Bond going on the search for a terrorist as he teams up with an accountant during the mission. Directed by Martin Campbell and screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis, the film marks a reboot of sorts for the franchise as it takes Bond back to basics. For the role of James Bond, Daniel Craig takes on the role in his first outing as Agent 007. Also starring Eva Green, Jeffrey Wright, Mads Mikkelsen, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Jesper Christensen, and Judi Dench as M. Casino Royale is a thrilling yet hard-boiled film from Martin Campbell.
After attaining the license to kill as a secret agent for the British government, James Bond is now on his first mission. In Madagascar, Bond is trying to retrieve a message that involves a plot to destroy a new super-plane. After chasing a bomb-maker named Mollaka (Sebastien Foucan) into the city, Bond enters into an embassy where he's been caught on camera killing a man despite a successful mission. Meanwhile in Uganda, a terrorist named Steven Obanno (Issach de Bankole) is talking to Mr. White (Jesper Christensen) about a man he needs to help raise funds for his own group. Mr. White brings in Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) who has been a brilliant, pokers player that often wins with the money going to fund terrorists. Back in the U.K., M is upset over Bond's actions as he tries to find the connection that leads him to a man named Alex Dimitrios (Simon Abkarian) where he goes to the Bahamas. After meeting Dimitrios' wife Solange (Caterina Murino), he gets a clue where Bond goes to Miami to find Dimitrios' plan where he has sent a henchman to try and destroy the super-plane.
Bond succeeds in his mission where M learns that the plot was part of a scheme involving Le Chiffre who plans to play a game in Montenegro. Bond, a skilled pokers player is accompanied by a mysterious accountant named Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) whom he meets on a train. Arriving in Montenegro, they meet up with Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) who decides to help fund Bond in order to beat Le Chiffre. With Lynd posing as his wife, Bond goes into a battle of skills against Le Chiffre where the game becomes intense. With Bond's ego troubling him, so does Lynd's troubling emotions after an attack that involved Le Chiffre in conjunction with Obanno. Losing money, Bond unexpectedly gets help from CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) who helps fund Bond with his money as the game becomes more challenging. Despite being poisoned by Le Chiffre's henchwoman Valenka (Ivana Milicevic) and nearly dies from it, Bond succeeds with Vesper's help.
With Vesper warming up to him, things seem to go great until she was kidnaped as Bond tries to rescue her. Instead, he and Lynd gets captured by Le Chiffre into wanting to know the password to his account. Bond refuses where after being tortured, he was saved all of a sudden as he and Lynd settle some deals and Bond has fallen for her. It is at that moment, Bond has thoughts of giving up his role as an agent only to realize that he can never quit where he is forced to face tragedy and everything that requires to be a 00 agent.
The problem with some franchises, especially in the James Bond franchise, is that they tend to have cliches and everything else that follows a formula. Fortunately for this film, many of those cliches and formulaic ideas expected from Bond are thrown out of the table. While there's still Bond making out with fine women, tension with M, and doing all of the action stuff that he's done. What isn't there is some of the catchy one-liners (except for the famous one), gadgets, Moneypenny, swagger, or anything that can be considered parody. Instead, director Martin Campbell and his screenwriters went back to the old-school Bond and going more into text of its novelist, Ian Fleming. The result is old-school Bond with more action, more background story on him, more of his flaws, and how he became the 007 that audiences came to know and love.
While writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have added elements of action and humor to their previous work with Bond films, the duo strayed away from the silliness and everything else that would've made the film predictable. The major factor into the script is Paul Haggis who adds not just a sense of psychological drama but also the reality that Bond is actually human with some flaws as he learns on what it takes to be a 00 agent. Particularly in the relationship between Bond and Vesper Lynd that is filled with some sexual tension that becomes something more emotional as their relationship develops. The result is a fantastic script created by the trio of Purvis, Wade, and Haggis that brings enough depth and entertainment.
Returning to the franchise is GoldenEye director Martin Campbell who definitely uses the script to broader, fresh territory after the recent action-driven Bond films. With locations in Africa, the Bahamas, Miami, London, Venice, and Montenegro, Campbell definitely brings a more worldly presentation to the franchise while letting the drama and tension unfold for all the characters. While some of the humor often comes in Bond's tense relationship with M, Campbell definitely restrains himself by going more into a balance of intense, dramatic sequences and fantastic action sequences. While the card-playing scenes might feel like it slows the film down, it works to add the tense feel of Bond and Le Chiffre. Then there's the action scenes where the film starts off with a band of how Bond got his 00 status in a black-and-white sequence where he beats a man up in a bathroom and then killing another man. With some stuff done in handheld cameras, the action is definitely more engaging with some great stunt work and action sequences to give the feeling that its energetic and realistic at the same time while showing Bond actually going through some pain in some of those sequences. The result is a very tight, ass-kicking action film where Bond is badass.
Helping Campbell in his presentation is cinematographer Phil Meheux whose flashy colors in some of the film's night, exterior settings brings a dark mood to the film while some of the sunlight settings are wonderfully shot with the interiors, notably the opening sequence is wonderful with its grainy, handheld camera work that adds a new style to the Bond franchise. Production designer Peter Lamont and his team of art directors definitely add new style to the franchise with some flashy looks for the Bahamas sequences as well as the Montenegro setting with some sheer, icy look for the hotel room. The cars also play a role to the film and they definitely look cool. Costume designer Lindy Hemming definitely goes for a more classic style with the tuxedo along with some amazing dresses for Eva Green to wear in which, she looks very beautiful. The opening credit sequence for Bond by Daniel Kleinman definitely plays up to the card game scenario with some fine visual effects by Angela Barson.
Editor Stuart Baird does some wonderful cutting, notably the action sequences where it isn't too fast or extremely quick like most action films. Baird cuts it right to the point where the audience knows what's going on while other sequences, there's long cuts and perspective cuts that indeed work to give the film a nice pace to everything that goes on. Sound editor Eddy Joseph definitely plays up the intensity of the sound with nice design on the action sequences which are layered with a lot of sounds and the way it's mixed to the music from composer David Arnold. Arnold returns to the orchestral world of John Barry by adding dreamier arrangements for some of the film's romantic moments while more brooding notes in the dramatic scenes. Arnold also goes for some wonderfully screeching, intense music for the action scenes that works with the old arrangements that Barry did in previous Bond films with the theme from Monty Norman. Finally, there's the song You Know My Name by Chris Cornell where mixed with Arnold's musical score, the song is definitely one of the more rock-driven tracks that adds punch and power that hasn't been heard since the classic Paul McCartney song Live And Let Die.
Then there's the film's cast that's definitely less-star driven and has more to do with real actors. While actresses Ivana Milicevic and Caterina Murino don't have much but to look sexy and play their respective world as Bond henchwoman and Bond Girl, they do bring charm to their roles. Issach de Bankole, Sebastian Foucan, and Simon Abkarian are excellent as henchmen of sorts for Le Chiffre with de Bankole bringing an intimidating presence as Steven Obanno while Foucan is great for his action running, and Abkarian is more sly as Alex Dimitrios. Jesper Christensen also brings a complexity to his role as Mr. White in how he plays things while making sure that Le Chiffre does his job. Giancarlo Giannini is great as the complex, charming Mathis who is careful for Lynd's behavior while having some motives that is more about financial than personal. While Jeffrey Wright doesn't have much to do, he is good as Felix Leiter in how he helps Bond and being a smooth, American agent who knows that America isn't all that. Judi Dench remains at the top of her game as the irritable M with her authoritive personality and her love-hate relationship with Bond as she and Craig are great with the tense relationship they bring.
Mads Mikkelsen is excellent as the brooding Le Chiffre who brings a different personality than most Bond villians where he sheds a bloody tear and carries a respirator. Mikkelsen adds a lot of intelligence to his character that has a knowledge of numbers and knows how to play poker while proving that he can be menacing in a torture scene as it's a great role for the Danish actor. For anyone that wants to become a leading Bond girl, they will have to step up in their game as Eva Green gives a fantastic performance as Vesper Lynd. The French actress, who had recently made her film debut in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers in 2003 while appearing in the good but flawed 2005 Ridley Scott epic Kingdom of Heaven, definitely adds a new sense of beauty and depth that hasn't been seen from Bond girls in recent years. In fact, Green is more of a Bond woman who is more emotionally troubled and complex in her role where her motives are very ambiguous. While Green can play pretty and be sexy, she shows her worth in just being one of the rare women who can stand up to Bond and make sure he does things right. It's a great role from Eva Green who definitely has more promise than most of Bond girls from the past.
Ok, for anyone who enjoys the cock-sure swagger of Piece Brosnan, the brooding nature of Timothy Dalton, or the humorous vibe of Roger Moore. They're going to have to go because Daniel Craig is now James Bond. While purists may feel that Sean Connery may own the role, Craig's Bond is more of a badass. The man can take hits, show cuts and bruises, and will break his own body to get the job done. Daniel Craig is also a better actor than his Bond contemporaries, that includes Connery, by showing more flaws and emotions to his role. Craig also displays the kind of arrogance and charm that Bond has but he's more into his own in the way he displays himself dramatically while he's a real fighter in the film's action sequences. Plus for the ladies, he is also very sexy where he also makes a sexy entrance from the beach sporting some speedos and looking very good for a man's man. This is a new James Bond and Daniel Craig has what it takes to be 007.
Casino Royale is an incredible film from Martin Campbell that features a towering performance from Daniel Craig as James Bond. Along with a wonderful supporting cast that includes Eva Green, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Mads Mikkelsen, and Judi Dench. It's a film that definitely stands as one of the best films of the Bond franchises. Notably as it brings Bond back down to Earth after a period of misguided silliness. In the end, Casino Royale is a magnificent film from Martin Campbell.
James Bond Files: The EON Films: Dr. No - From Russia with Love - Goldfinger - Thunderball - You Only Live Twice - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Diamonds are Forever - Live and 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 - 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
