Giancarlo-Giannini Movie Reviews

A previous reviewer hit all the major points. This, besides "Life is Beautiful", is the only film I know of that attempts to set a comedy in a concentration camp. Wertmuller regular Giannini plays Pasqualino Frafuso, a small-time Neopolitan hood, who, thanks to a series of misfortunes and his own stupid mistakes, winds up in a concentration camp. There he tries to seduce the grotesque German commandant who holds his life in her hands. In a series of scenes that are both funny and at the same time unforgettably harrowing (a word often used in connection with this film) Wertmuller shows us what a man with no ideals or (political) convictions will stoop to in order to survive.

"Seven Beauties" is often called a masterpiece and I think this is rightfully so. I have seen few films that could inspire such pathos in the viewer. The acting, the direction, and the music are all superb. That Wertmuller's Best Director nomination for this did not result in an Oscar is a shame.

I have been searching everywhere for this movie since I saw it in my Italian class in college. I think it's the best movie ever made. At times it's touching, sad, and funny. It's a wonderful tale about survival and how each person has one special quality that can save them. For Pasqualino, it is his ability to woo women. For him to muster up his libido while so very close to death in order to save his life is a very heroic deed. Giancarlo Giannini and Shirley Stoler are great in this movie. It's very similar to "Life Is Beautiful", but that movie is much more of a fable than this one. Not to detract anything from "Life Is Beautiful" (which I think is a very good movie) but I think "Seven Beauties" is a superior film. Thank you Amazon for making this fantastic film available to me!

As many other Italian movies, I saw "The Seven Beauties" for a few times. One time is never enough. Every time I saw it, I would discover more and more things (words, scenes, faces, mimics, costumes) that I did not see before or I understood them differently. As a good wine, it gets better and better than more you taste it and the more mature it gets (or you get). This film is perfect. The combination of the script, filming, acting, scenes, ideas, and music make it perfect. But Giancarlo Giannini makes it memorable.

A previous reviewer hit all the major points. This, besides "Life is Beautiful", is the only film I know of that attempts to set a comedy in a concentration camp. Wertmuller regular Giannini plays Pasqualino Frafuso, a small-time Neopolitan hood, who, thanks to a series of misfortunes and his own stupid mistakes, winds up in a concentration camp. There he tries to seduce the grotesque German commandant who holds his life in her hands. In a series of scenes that are both funny and at the same time unforgettably harrowing (a word often used in connection with this film) Wertmuller shows us what a man with no ideals or (political) convictions will stoop to in order to survive.

"Seven Beauties" is often called a masterpiece and I think this is rightfully so. I have seen few films that could inspire such pathos in the viewer. The acting, the direction, and the music are all superb. That Wertmuller's Best Director nomination for this did not result in an Oscar is a shame.

I have been searching everywhere for this movie since I saw it in my Italian class in college. I think it's the best movie ever made. At times it's touching, sad, and funny. It's a wonderful tale about survival and how each person has one special quality that can save them. For Pasqualino, it is his ability to woo women. For him to muster up his libido while so very close to death in order to save his life is a very heroic deed. Giancarlo Giannini and Shirley Stoler are great in this movie. It's very similar to "Life Is Beautiful", but that movie is much more of a fable than this one. Not to detract anything from "Life Is Beautiful" (which I think is a very good movie) but I think "Seven Beauties" is a superior film. Thank you Amazon for making this fantastic film available to me!

As many other Italian movies, I saw "The Seven Beauties" for a few times. One time is never enough. Every time I saw it, I would discover more and more things (words, scenes, faces, mimics, costumes) that I did not see before or I understood them differently. As a good wine, it gets better and better than more you taste it and the more mature it gets (or you get). This film is perfect. The combination of the script, filming, acting, scenes, ideas, and music make it perfect. But Giancarlo Giannini makes it memorable.

I am a fan of writer William Trevor, so when I saw that a film was going to be made of another of his books (there's also a film of his book "Felicia's Journey"), I contained my delight and waited for the film to appear on DVD.

"My House in Umbria" is the story of a late-middle-aged English woman, Mrs. Emily Delahunty (Maggie Smith) who lives in a glorious palatial home in Umbria, Italy. She's a writer of romance novels, and shares the house with a man named Quinty who seems to be both her confidante and manservant. One day she takes the train, and as she sits in the compartment, she soaks in the impressions she has of her fellow passengers. Tragically, a bomb explodes and kills most of the train compartments passengers. Mrs. Delahunty survives--along with a retired British general (Ronnie Barker), a young German man, Werner, and a pale, silent child, Aimee.

As Mrs. Delahunty recuperates in hospital, she is overwhelmed by sympathy for the other victims, and so she invites them to her home until things are sorted out and the police investigation is concluded.

I was really afraid that this film might be another of those awful imports that emphasize the eccentricity of the English, but the fact that the film is based on a Trevor novel, gave me hope for something a little more substantial. I was not disappointed. Maggie Smith as Mrs. Delahunty is magnificent. When Aimee's uncle, Tom Riversmith comes from America to take the child home, he dismisses Mrs. Delahunty cruelly as an old, gossipy drunk, but she's so much more than that. Mrs. Delahunty's memories of a far-from-perfect childhood serve to make her understanding, patient, and tolerant of all who stay at her home. Mr. Riversmith underestimates her, and he is the smaller person because of his judgment.

This film could certainly be included in a list of the film industry's love affair with Italy ("Enchanted April", "Under the Tuscan Sun", "Where Angels Fear to Tread"), for the scenery is spectacular and quite breathtaking. If you like the film, I also heartily recommend the book by William Trevor. It's called "Two Lives", and "My House in Umbria" is one of the two novellas in the book. The book is more substantial than the film, of course,--as is usually the case,--and the story delves much more into Mrs. Delahunty's past--displacedhuman

If you are a fan of Maggie Smith then you must not miss this special film. This Beautiful Heartfelt story was a welcome switch for me in contrast to all the violence on HBO as of late. An easy-going movie with beautiful scenery will be a nice addition to your collection.

I saw this lovely film on HBO, and it's to their immense credit that this film was seen at all. This film would never be released by a major studio these days. They are only concerned with huge blockbuster movies, yet anyone who cares about a strong, emotional story, set in gorgeous Umbria and starring Maggie Smith shouldn't miss this gem.

Maggie Smith stars as an aging romance novelist living in splendid isolation in her villa in the Umbrian countryside. On a shopping trip, the train she's traveling on is bombed by terrorists. When the dust is settled, Smith, and several of the travelers who shared her compartment, are in the hospital, including a little girl who has lost her parents. Smith generously offers her home as a refuge for the survivors to recuperate.

The traumatized little girl can't speak. Smith's heart goes out to her, and she does her best to make her as comfortable as possible. Smith's rather bohemian character, as well as her fondness for cocktails makes her a slightly madcap, tipsy hostess. Rather lonely of late, this unexpected intrusion in her life makes her feel needed. There's a young man with a secret to hide, and an older pensioner who round out the group. Then the little girl's uptight uncle (played with unstated eloquence by Chris Cooper) comes to take custody of his brother's orphaned daughter.

Smith is devasted by his coldness, his disapproval, and senses that he simply is taking the girl out of a sense of duty to his brother.

I won't give anymore of the plot away. Dame Maggie won a well-deserved Emmy for her superb portrayal of a middle-aged spinster, lonely for love, and with her own tragic past, who finds a purpose in her life in the aftermath of tragedy. The script is superb, the Italian settings and the gorgeous period costumes as well as fine work from a strong cast, make this a memorble viewing experience.

Nobody captures loneliness as truthfully as Dame Maggie. She's been doing it throughout her long career, as Rod Taylor's assistant in the bloated VIPs, as the headstrong teacher in THE PRME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE, as the actress nominated for an Oscar in CALIFORNIA SUITE, and countless other memorable screen portraits. Highly recommended.

I have to give this 5 stars for one reason and one reason only--TIMOTHY DALTON! He was amazing in the move! Joan Collins was also great. Gotta love that Diva! If you love Timothy Dalton--and Joan Collins--you'll love this move. It does scream "I was filmed in the '80s" but it's a good film.

This long forgotten Gem is one of the best films starring Diva Joan Collins. Many viewers might find it rather dated, filled with cliches and Dynasty-like dialogue but it's quite interesting and infectious from start to end. The film goes on for a long time, it was originally shown on TV as a mini-series...
Recommended.

This long forgotten Gem, made in the 1980's, is one of the best films starring Diva Joan Collins. Many viewers might find it rather dated, filled with cliches and Dynasty-like dialogue but it's quite interesting and infectious from start to end.
The characters are two dimensional & the plot goes on like a soap-opera. Yes, the film goes on forever... but it was originally shown on TV as a mini-series...
Recommended.

Underneath the surface of almost nonstop comedic situations and against the background of Neapolitan chaos and poverty, this story asks how is it possible for ordinary people to be honest in a city riddled with corruption.

A small time bureauocrat/hustler ,Salvatore, played flawlessly by Giancarlo Giannini tries to help the wife of Picone locate her missing husband, ostensibly a model family man, but who is really leading a double life.

Weeks go by with no sign of Picone except certain revelations indicating that he is in debt to certain people. A subtle intimacy develops between Salvatore and the wife, Luciella (Lina Sastri). Salvatore -despite the hostile forces of unemployment, poverty, and crime in Naples leading to his mistrust of relationships- finds himself lowering his guard. The ensuing relationship is never overt but rather suggestive: a quiet moment at the kitchen table, a sudden glance, a thoughtful pose.

The flavor, the ambiance of crowded, run -down Naples is what riveted me to the screen (in addition, of course, to the incomparable Italian flair for comedy). All of this makes one character question how is possible to live honestly in such a place. Bribes are rampart and with taxes and exorbitant prices, almost everyone seems to be on the take.

But what role does the church play in all this? The script is silent. Where are the forces for good? How terrific it would have been if the writers, Nanni Loy and Elvio Porta, established a counterweight to the corruption. Where's the protest? Where's the outrage?

Apart from the lack of balance, this movie is worth seeing.

Who hasn't fantasized about adventure and intrigue in exotic locations? This movie is a delight--funny, charming, and romantic. I've seen it over and over, and can't get enough. Tom Conti is perfectly cast as the bemused, exasperated, unwilling, and finally entranced hero, but the show really belongs to Jobeth Williams. Her portrayal of a vaguely dissatisfied but still devoted wife who accidentally takes on the persona of a madcap adventuress is priceless. I think I'll watch it again right now!

Marvelous storyline, and great plot. Jobeth Williams is very believable as a housewife and mom, aspiring writer, and her put-upon sidekick Tom Conte is dashing and clever in his part as well. When she wins a trip to Paris with her contest entry, the chain of events get hilarious, highly believable, and downright riveting.

Excellent movie for anyone at any age. Expect the be entertained!

This film is totally delightful! A terrific little jem of a film taking us on a vicarious adventure on a seemingly misguided romp through European settings while solving a fictious (and maybe not) whodunnit it. Jo Beth Williams is at her best and Tom Conte is terrific as her victum/rescuer. I don't think that Lucy could have gotten herself into and out of more trouble! And you don't have to edit it for the family.

This was the first foreign movie I'd ever seen. I thought the subtitles would be annoying, but after the first 5 minutes, I didn't even know they were there. This was a truly great movie, evoking all emotions. It begins on the track of a romantic comedy, moves to the tragedy of the holocaust, and ends with the triumph of hope and survival. Absolutely anyone would enjoy this movie.

I am not a huge movie buff... Much less a subtitled foreign movie buff... Life is Beautiful is the best movie of 1998. Well worth it!

An incredible movie that will bring you through every emotion. Possibly one of the best movies I have ever seen. The movie itself is a celebration of life and the incredible power each individual possesses. If you see only one movie this year, look no further.

Wine enthusiasts will enjoy this movie as will those familiar with small town politics whether in the USA or abroad. This movie features a top flight cast in a unique story. It falters only near the climax if the viewer cannot ignore the probability that real life Nazis would have been more ruthless in their pursuit of one million bottles of wine the villagers are attempting to hide. Still, it's worth the trip for the performances of Anthony Quinn, et al. A shame that this film is no longer available on VHS.

This is a real tongue in cheek humor film. Set in WWII Italy, the villiage "bobo" is set up to be a foil with the occuping German forces who wish to accquire the town's supply of wine. Anthony Quinn plays the part of the "bobo" and is an excellent foil against the German officer and his men. Complete with twists and turns at every corner, everyone wins, no one looses and the viewer is left with warm fuzzy feelings and a smile on her/his face.

I saw this film in the 70s and it still remains with me. It's World War II and an Italian village famous for its wine is celebrating the overthrow of Mussolini's government. Villagers arrest the local fascist officials and, in a silly mood, elect the town drunk Bombalini, played brilliantly by Anthony Quinn, to be mayor. Later the party is spoiled when German army move in to occupy the territory. The occupiers want to steal the village wine supply and send it to Germany for the enjoyment of the Nazi officer troops. Bombalini must now rise to the challenge of taking his job seriously in order to outsmart the Germans and protect the wine -- his town's livelihood. This is a charming and inspiring story and telling of Italian ingenuity. Other cast members are Giancarlo Giannini and Sergio Franchi.

For those of you who loath foreign films, put that prejudice aside and check out this sensational movie. Giannini and Melato make the best screen couple I've seen since Bogart and Bergman. "Swept Away's" filled with witty, intelligent dialogue, hilarious banter and breath-taking scenes of the Mediteranean. Moreover it's fairly politically literate, which is a rarity in Hollywood these days (and in most other movie making outlets).
The plot sounds as formulaic as humanly possible, but wait! This one's different. It's got a style and panache that barely any other films can match. Sure it was controversial (the misogynistic violence is quite disturbing) but Lina Wertmuller offers up a masterpeice that should not be ignored. It's easily her best (some would argue "Seven Beauties" but I disagree) and most enjoyable movie. They just don't make movies like this anymore, and especially not in Hollywood. When recommending foreign films to your friends you can't go wrong by pushing this video into their hands.
To see this one on a large screen would be quite an experience, just looking at it on my regular television made it seem as if I was cruising the Medeteranean right along with them.
Wertmuller rightly deserves to be considered one of the world's finest directors (a label that often eludes her, as I feel she's somewhat underrated) with this and other fine productions under her belt.

man and woman caught on deserted island. everyone groans -- we've heard this story a million times before. however, if you've not observed it through the eyes of lina wertmuller, you're at a disadvantage. in showing this movie to a few friends, i found so many get caught up on the scenes where the male, southern italian deck-hand and wealthy, northern capitalist female abuse eachother. one must look past the surface though, and disregard the notion of the politically correct, non-dominating male we all know and love today (in america, anyway...). with the two left alone on a deserted island -- "back to nature" if you will -- their class ranks, political affiliation, economical status are all left to the "civilised world". in watching the film it is interesting to see their rolls gradually reverse due to the change in environment. this is only the tip of the deeper-meaning iceberg and i hope those who watch this film are able to set their p.c., western political thought mindset aside and see past a few crass terms and slaps on the cheek. this is a wonderful movie, perfect for discussion and debate and wildly entertaining at the same time.

The new version with Madonna is very good, the production is better because was made 30 years later. But this original version is so much funny, the actors are amazing.
The story is about a woman who is having vacations with her husband and friends in her yacht and one day she and a sailor take a boat to go to a beach so she could swim. When she suggests this to the sailor he says that it was late and dangerous but she didn't care and as result they got lost and ended in a deserted island. So in the island the sailor who wasn't well treated in the yacht because of the master's wife, now decides that it's time to be the master so the rich woman has to do everthing that he wanted if she wanted to eat or be in the cottage that he found. As a result of all this they fall in love.
I'd really like to tell more beyond that point but you'll really have to see the movie.
This edition is in italian with subtitles in english, but it's better that the movie is in italian because the voices are really funny.
Between the original version and the new one there are some changes but not very big because basiclly the story is the same. But if you're choosing between one and the other, I'll strongly recommend this one, the first one. It's much more funnier.