Review of Malena

Introduction

There`s a new girl in town and she goes by the name of Malena (Monica Bellucci). This new woman is stunning. No, she`s amazingly gorgoeous and this doesn`t go unnoticed by salivating males or their wives. Malena`s husband is in the army somewhere in action so he`s not about and the menfolk think that she`s in need of some male company. What they wouldn`t do to oblige...

Even the boys notice her and all have designs on `having` her in some lurid way. All that is except for Renato (Giuseppe Sulfaro). He`s a little different, and while he fantasises about her, he refrains from making chauvinist and vulgar remarks and instead wants to protect Malena from these savages. How very noble, ahem.

Malena is the subject of ever increasing and malicious gossip amongst the townsfolk and things turn for the worse for her. The insecure married women hate her leading to endless sneers and prejudice while the men think of ways to get into her knickers and the boys make lewd comments. For Renato this proves a testing time as he learns the truth about her, something nobody else bothers to do, and journeys into manhood.

Video

The film is presented with a stunning 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer. Actually, stunning might be an understatement. Every frame of every second is gorgeous, well coloured and just really beautiful. There are odd blemishes here and there, but this NTSC transfer retains the fantastic period cinematography bringout out the rich and lavish locations of 1940s Sicily. The shots are well composed and it evokes a breathtaking emotional response such as I`ve not had since Jean de Florette. It`s really beautiful to look at and is perhaps the sweetest and most natural thing I`ve seen on DVD.

Audio

We get a choice of soundtracks here. The original DD Italian 5.1 is the one to stick with though. The dialogue is clear and locked firmly to the centre speaker while Ennio Morricone`s lovely score can be heard throughout across the front speakers. There`s very little call for surround since most of the film is dialogue driven. There are a few scenes however that do expand on the sound. One is the appropriate echo of a large courtroom, the other is the bombing of the island by the allied forces. The sound here is well defined and spot on. The other soundtrack is DD French 5.1 dub.

Features

We get nice static menus with minimal extras. The Making Of is a very short featurette which talks to Bellucci and director Giuseppe Tornatore about the film. It`s a nice little insight but sadly lacking in a lot of things. Following this is the theatrical trailer is the usual long and spolier ridden trailer that we`ve come to expect these days, followed by numerous TV spots. Don`t watch these before the film, whatever you do.

The English and Spanish subtitles are yellow and are perfectly readable at all times. If I could speak the language I`m sure I could get that little bit more from the film! While I`m grateful for the film itself, additional extras such as production notes and bios would have been a nice to have.

Conclusion

The story takes place in Sicily, against the backdrop of Mussolinni`s fascist regime at the turn of the second World War. Based on a story by Luciano Vincenzoni, writer/director Giuseppe Tornatore (Cinema Paradiso) has done a fine job. It`s been told almost a zillion times already, the rites of passage into adulthood, but what makes this one standout is the perfect balance of well defined character and simple storytelling.

I can`t believe that this is a mere 92 minutes long. There`s not a single wasted moment in the film. Visually there`s so much to see and take in with the gorgeous photography adding so much warmth and feeling. There`s always something happening, that by the end of the film you wonder if there`s a longer cut that you could watch. Not one boring moment, not one dull or slow ineffective scene, everything has so much love and attention!

Monica Bellucci (Malena) is the embodiment of love itself and watching her charismatic performance here with the young Giuseppe Salfaro is wonderful. Renato`s amourous intentions towards Malena lend themselves so well to comic moments that just had me cracking up and laughing loudly.

Director Giuseppe Tornatore has made another exceptional film. Everything from the composition of the shots to the locations, the dialogue with its wonderful comic moments, the editing and the pace is well honed from a man who knows how to tell a story. He also proves to be sensitive with the more quieter and dramatic moments too wrapping the story up very, very well.

As coming of age stories go, this is one of the best and Malena tops all the John Hughes teen angst 80s stuff. I found this to be a truer reflection of growing up. Perfect casting, poetic dialogue and beautiful locations add up to a film that I would urge you to see. I`m sure you`ll laugh as riotously as I did, and feel solemn in the more sombre moments. Yes it has subtitles, but it`s only 92 minutes long and really is worth the effort. If you speak Italian then go for the R2 Italian version, though this doesn`t feature any English subtitles, it is about 20 minutes longer. The R1 reviewed here however is heartily recommended.