Malèna (2000)

Director:

Giuseppe Tornatore

Writers:

Giuseppe Tornatore (writer)
Luciano Vincenzoni (story)

Release Date:

27 October 2000 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

An intimate portrait and an epic story of the courage we discover, the innocence we surrender, and the memories we cherish.....forever.

Plot:

A woman provokes sensual awakenings in a group of adolescent boys.

Plot Keywords:

1940s | Grief | Italy | Topless Female Nudity | Crying

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 16 nominations

Cast

Monica Bellucci	...	Malèna Scordia
Giuseppe Sulfaro	...	Renato Amoroso
Luciano Federico	...	Renato's Father
Matilde Piana	...	Renato's Mother
Pietro Notarianni	...	Professor Bonsignore
Gaetano Aronica	...	Nino Scordia
Gilberto Idonea	...	Avvocato Centorbi (as Gilberto Idone)
Angelo Pellegrino	...	Segretario politico
Gabriella Di Luzio	...	Mantenuta del Barone
Pippo Provvidenti	...	Dott. Cusimano
Maria Terranova	...	Moglie Dott. Cusimano
Marcello Catalano	...	Lieutenant Cadel
Elisa Morucci	...	Lupetta
Domenico Gennaro	...	Farmacista
Vitalba Andrea	...	Moglie farmacista

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality/nudity, language and some violence.

Runtime:

109 min | USA:92 min (heavily cut) | Turkey:84 min (TV version)

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

Italian | Sicilian | English | Latin

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:18SX | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Italy:T | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 (re-rating) | Portugal:M/16 (original rating) | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Messina, Sicily, Italy

Company:

Medusa Produzione

Goofs:

Continuity: After Renato passes out, he is in his mother's lap. His arm position changes between shots.

Quotes:

Renato Amoroso: Signora Malena, a more capable person than me... wrote that the only true love is unrequited love.
Renato Amoroso: Now I understand why.
Renato Amoroso: It's been so long since you last came out of your house.
Renato Amoroso: But the longer we are apart, the stronger my love becomes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

Soundtrack:

Ma l'amore no

'Malena' Almost Beyond Description

A gorgeous, voluptuous woman is the object of attention in this World War II period piece, set in an Italian town. The star is a horny 13-year-old who fantasizes about a relationship with this grown woman, "Malena," a sexy lady who gets all the mens' attention in the town, and all the wrath of the jealous town women.

This is a strange film at times but beautifully filmed and almost always interesting. Monica Bellucci is indeed a feast for any male's eyes. She is almost beyond description, looks-wise. What happens to her, unfairly, near the end is not pleasant. Otherwise, it's a pretty humorous film in segments, especially with dialog between the young kid and his dad. Some of the lines there and at other places made me laugh right out loud. Some of the language is not really profane but it's certainly crude. The kid is not that likable nor are his friends.

There is a such a mixture of genres in here that is makes the movie fresh almost every time I see it, which has been three times so far.