"Sanso" looks nice. It has a nice, sweeping look to it and if the color print received a bit of conservation (cleaning up the print a bit and sharpening it as well), it would be a gorgeous movie. But, it's also a great example of a film which suffers because the main characters are complete moral degenerates and are therefore difficult to relate to or care for during the course of the movie.
This film is set around the time of the Italian independence movement in the late 1860s and into the early 1870s. The Italians, long dominated and ruled by outsiders, are uniting under Garibaldi and are trying to gain self-rule. In the midst of this is a terribly confusing Countess (Alida Valli). On one hand, she supports the independence movement through her cousin and his efforts. Yet, completely inexplicably, she falls for an Austrian officer--who is her sworn enemy. It seems that despite being on opposite sides, they have a common love...him. So, in essence, her ideals mean nothing and she's willing to throw away her opulent life with the Count and her country for some Germanic stud. In fact, at one point, she makes herself a traitor by giving the lover money which was gathered to support the Italian army...and all for love (or at least what this whore thinks is love).
While many reviewers seemed to like this film, I couldn't get past the characters. While there was no obvious reason for the lovers to be together, they were. And, because they were both selfish and nasty, you really don't care what happens to them. After all, she's an adulteress, thief and a traitor. He's a coward, cheats on his new lover and is a deserter. Sounds like a relationship made in heaven, right?!
The bottom line is that no matter how good the film looks and how well it's acted, it's just about some boorish jerks--and that makes it a film I could have just as soon skipped.
This film is set around the time of the Italian independence movement in the late 1860s and into the early 1870s. The Italians, long dominated and ruled by outsiders, are uniting under Garibaldi and are trying to gain self-rule. In the midst of this is a terribly confusing Countess (Alida Valli). On one hand, she supports the independence movement through her cousin and his efforts. Yet, completely inexplicably, she falls for an Austrian officer--who is her sworn enemy. It seems that despite being on opposite sides, they have a common love...him. So, in essence, her ideals mean nothing and she's willing to throw away her opulent life with the Count and her country for some Germanic stud. In fact, at one point, she makes herself a traitor by giving the lover money which was gathered to support the Italian army...and all for love (or at least what this whore thinks is love).
While many reviewers seemed to like this film, I couldn't get past the characters. While there was no obvious reason for the lovers to be together, they were. And, because they were both selfish and nasty, you really don't care what happens to them. After all, she's an adulteress, thief and a traitor. He's a coward, cheats on his new lover and is a deserter. Sounds like a relationship made in heaven, right?!
The bottom line is that no matter how good the film looks and how well it's acted, it's just about some boorish jerks--and that makes it a film I could have just as soon skipped.