FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Malena [DVD] [2000]

Malena [DVD] [2000]
enlarge	Director: Giuseppe Tornatore Actors: Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro, Luciano Federico, Matilde Piana Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainm Category: DVD List Price: ~~£15.99~~ Buy New: £2.49 as of 25/11/2009 16:36 GMT details You Save: £13.50 (84%) New (26) Used (10) Collectible (1) from £2.49 Seller: bva1518 Rating: 18 reviews Sales Rank: 5464 Format: PAL, Widescreen Languages: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), English (Subtitled), Italian (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 88 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5017188883962 ASIN: B00005U1XE Theatrical Release Date: 2000 Release Date: January 7, 2002 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review When 12-year-old Renato, riding through his small Italian town on his new bicycle, sees the voluptuous Malèna, little does he know he's beginning an infatuation that will carry him through the tumultuous days of World War II. IMalèna/I begins as an enraptured depiction of Renato's adolescent mind--chronicling the way he stares, hypnotised, at Malèna's garters pressing through the material of her tight skirt, or his frustrated rebellion against the indignity of wearing short pants--but soon transforms into a portrait of small-town prejudice. Malèna's looks spark lust and envy in the townspeople; when her husband dies in combat, the gossip only intensifies, to the point where Malèna is dragged into court to defend herself against accusations of adultery. When the women of the town refuse to sell her edible food at the market, Malèna has little choice but to become what she's been unjustly accused of being. At the end, a twist of fate turns this tale of longing and jealousy into a heartbreaking love story. Monica Bellucci exudes the can't-help-it eroticism that makes Malèna such a lightning rod for everyone's desires with a beauty reminiscent of Isabelle Adjani. The movie seems to wander at times, but the ending has a powerful emotional impact. From the director of ICinema Paradiso/I.--IBret Fetzer, Amazon.com/I

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 18 1 2 3 4 Next » The Perils of Being Too Beautiful March 21, 2006 L. Davidson (Belfast, N.Ireland) 68 out of 69 found this review helpful Set in a Sicilian village during WW2, Malena is a thoroughly enjoyable movie which showcases the many talents and charms of Monica Bellucci, who plays the glamourous wife of an Italian soldier. Lusted after by men and envied by women, Malena has to adjust to life on her own after her husband is called to fight in North Africa. Her solitary status becomes the subject of rampant speculation in the village and her haughty, reserved demeanour helps to turn her into a hate figure for malicious gossips who try to bring her down. A pubescent boy , Renato (Giuseppe Sulfaro) ,falls under her spell and he starts to follow and spy on her ,observing mournfully her fall from grace . The main themes of Malena are those of envy, injustice and redemption. The acting and cinematography are superb and there is a rich vein of humour running through the film, mostly provided by Renato's relationship with his right hand and with his temperamental father after an attempted exorcism. However there are some harrowing scenes as well which are brilliantly performed by Bellucci. Like an Italian Ryan's Daughter with echoes of Wish You Were Here, Malena is an engaging and entertaining contribution to world cinema. Heartbreakingly Beautiful and Triumphant January 11, 2003 75 out of 81 found this review helpful This wonderful film from Italy by "Cinema Paradiso" writer and director Gieseppe Tornatore is in turns, hilarious, heartbreaking, and ultimately, triumphant. What starts out as a coming of age obsession turns into a meditation on human cruelty, and poses many of the same questions as last years film "The Majestic". Is it what people expect of us that makes us what we are? If we change to be this, where do we belong then, and can we be accepted again in the life we choose to live? Make no mistake, this is the darker side to those questions, and the darker answers.pGiueseppe Sulfaro is terrific as Renato, a young boy in an Italian town during WWII who has just gotten a new bicycle. His biggest goal in life is to get a pair of long pants so he can dress like a man. But once he sees the lovely Malena, his life changes forever. His adolescent fantasies about the most beautiful girl in the town are hysterical. He puts himself into the American films he has seen in these moments. From "Me Tarzan, You Malena" to his stagecoach western fantasy (obviously he's John Wayne) "My, you have the biggest guns in the west, Renato!" we can't stop laughing. His raging hormones are treated in a funny and yet tasteful manner.pHis adolescent longing for her turns to something more as this film slowly shows Renato how this small Italian town feels about the lovely Malena. Men gawk and want to have her for themselves and the women hate her because of her dark beauty and make up gossip to cheapen her. But Renato has been spying on her through a peephole and knows the truth. She is pure. She dances alone in her house with her husband's picture, faithful and waiting for his return from war.pRenato loves the beautiful Malena and defends her virtue by playing nasty tricks on the ones who talk about her. When she apparently becomes a widow her life becomes much harder and the gossip more vicious as the entire town pushes her towards the loose woman they want her to be, the men so they can sleep with her, and the women so they can feel superior. Once a "payment" is forced upon her by the town attorney her path is sealed and the young Renato watches the girl he worships from afar become a prostitute, knowing she is still pure, and has no choices.pMonica Bellucci is magnificent as Malena. She is ravishingly beautiful and quietly displays emotions underneath we can not see, an elegant dignity carried all through the film, even as she is dragged into the streets and beaten by the women after American liberation from the Germans. It is a raw emotional scene rarely if ever seen in American cinema...pDon't let this truly wonderful film pass by just because you don't like subtitles. Monica Bellucci is the finest thing to hit Italian cinema since Sophia Loren. She is talented and breathtakingly beautiful. Renato knows he will never forget Malena. Neither will you... Beautiful February 15, 2008 mr-benn (England) 5 out of 5 found this review helpful Anyone who's seen 'Citizen Kane' remembers the wonderful speech given by an elderly man reflecting on the memory from his youth of seeing a woman in a white dress; though she never saw him, and they never spoke, he remembered her for the rest of his life. Essentially, 'Malena' is that story writ large. br / br /This may well turn out to be Monica Bellucci's signature role. Not only did this film launch her as a leading lady to international audiences, but it also confronts head-on the manner in which she, and countless other beauties of stage and screen, have been and continue to be treated by the world: lusted after, resented, and finally broken down. Some have condemned 'Malena' as voyeuristic, objectifying the leading lady; but this film is really a comment on objectification and voyeurism, a poignant tale about how a woman's looks result in her being ostracised by her community. As it is all told from the perspective of a twelve-year old boy, understandably infatuated, it's also a touching coming of age story; and it's all played out against the backdrop of fascist-ruled Sicily in the late days of the Second World War. That's a lot to squeeze into eighty-odd minutes. br / br /Like any truly great film, 'Malena' takes the viewer through a myriad of emotions. It's hilariously funny, showing us the awkwardness of puberty and the protagonist's generally absurd fantasies involving the object of his lust. It's very sexy, the camera truly loving every inch of the impossibly gorgeous Ms Bellucci. It's tense and disturbing, the shadow of war constantly threatening to break the tranquility of the picturesque town. And it's harrowing to see how the town's gossip about Malena escalates into suspicion, contempt, and ultimately persecution. br / br /All in all, 'Malena' is simply beautiful. Perhaps it falls back a little too often on chocolate box visuals of the idyllic, sunkissed Sicillian coast, but then this is a tale told by a man looking back on his youth, a period of our lives that - in spite of whatever hardships are endured - we all tend to look back on through rose-tinted glasses. It captures wonderfully the bittersweet longing of adolescent infatuation, in a refreshingly frank and honest manner. Indeed, too frank and honest for some it seems, as reputedly this version (as previously mentioned, less than an hour and a half long) has been cut by over fifteen minutes, excising material which was deemed to have pushed the boundaries of voyeurism and sexual fantasy a little too far; to the best of my knowledge there is no uncut version yet available in the UK or US, annoyingly. For this reason alone I have held off purchasing this DVD, in the hope that the uncut version may eventually be released. But even at a shorter running time, 'Malena' is a must-see film to be cherished. Anyone who has ever loved someone who didn't even know they existed will have something to relate to. Intense and powerfully moving darma September 3, 2008 Alberta Badu (LONDON UK) 2 out of 3 found this review helpful I cried through out this movie it was absolutley breathtakin. the movie explores the brutality and consequences of gossip and betrayal but is able to throw in a bit of humour. br /i recommend this movie to every one DONT MISS OUT... January 16, 2005 S. J. Newcomb (Anglesey) 10 out of 29 found this review helpful The brilliant cinematography and the alluring beauty of Monica Belucci make this a must see film. Showing reviews 1-5 of 18 1 2 3 4 Next »

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