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List Price: $32.99 | | Label: Miramax
Salesrank: 13966
Released: July 10, 2001 |
| Our Price: $5.40 |
| Used Price: $3.84 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
The latest triumph from Giuseppe Tornatore, the writer and director of the Academy Award(R)-winning CINEMA PARADISO, MALENA is an utterly unforgettable story of a boy's journey into manhood amid the chaos and intolerance of World War II. In a sleepy Italian village, the most beautiful woman in town, Malena (Monica Bellucci), becomes the subject of increasingly malicious gossip among the lustful townsmen and their jealous wives. But only her most ardent admirer, young Renato Amoroso (Giuseppe Sulfaro), will learn the untold true story of the mysterious and elusive Malena! In a captivating motion picture nominated for two Academy Awards, the eventual struggles and hardships that Malena must bravely endure serve to inspire Renato to new heights of compassion, courage, and independence!
Description of Malena:
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 launching on an infatuation that will carry him through the tumultuous days of World War II. Malèna begins as an enraptured depiction of Renato's adolescent mind--the way he stares, hypnotized, 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 that 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; she's like a more zaftig Isabelle Adjani. The movie seems to wander at times, but the ending has a powerful emotional impact. From the director of Cinema Paradiso. --Bret Fetzer
Malena Reviews:
great but sad story 
2009-10-07 - I enjoyed this movie, but it is distressing because it happened too many times at the end of WW2. It shows both the strengths and weaknesses of human character. It also shows how easy it is for a society to ravage and ruin someone's life, especially a woman or stranger. Monica does a good and perhaps great job playing her character, and if you like the "grown up" narration of the narrator's past, i.e. The Wonder Years or Sandlot, then you should like this movie as well. The only aspect that I did not find totally credible, is when Monica surrenders to the town's expectations of her in order to get food, she seemingly disliked sleeping with an Italian leader but later in the movie, seemingly enjoys sleeping with multiple Germans. Given that she continues to love her husband throughout the movie, I find it hard to believe that she would give herself totally over to the Germans even when it was the only choice to get food. I am not saying that she may not have had a good time, but given the theme of the movie being the tragedy of what happens to her and her love for her husband, it would seem contradictary to then have her enjoy being a prostitute given that the town forced her into it. Overall it tells the very real story of many women and other strangers in a setting that happened in many towns in Europe during and after WW2, and in other places during other major wars.
Provocative Tale
2009-08-14 - A story of the Italy of the 1944, in which a young beautiful widow was making some money to survive from her attractiveness and a teen silently struggled with his sexually-motivated delusions she initiated.
Some motives are similar to The Tin Drum.
A really powerful story of a real Italian life having then pushed so many as far as in Australia for reasons embedded explicitly with moviemakers.
Highly recommended.
Get the uncut version - not this one! 
2009-07-15 - I saw the uncut version before Weinstein's Miramax destroyed it with this edited American release. There was absolutely no reason to tamper with Tornatore's masterpiece. It was a blue-nosed edit inflicted by a bunch of limp-dicked Miramax suits, to put it bluntly.
By all means get the unedited version. It's out there (it's an import). Just keep searching for it. It's worth the trouble, believe me. This is one of the best coming of age films ever made. Yes, there is a lot of nudity in the uncut version. Not that Miramax understood this, but the nudity was never meant to be exploitational or superfluous: it was very much intrinsically tied to the story. Cutting out the nudity actually ruined the story that this film was telling and when you edit out the story you ruin the film - which is what Miramax did with the American release.
I'd like to see Miramax make up for its ill-devised and ill-advised hatchet job on this film by releasing the uncut version on Blu-ray. I won't hold my breath though. It makes too much sense!
A work of art
2009-06-09 - A truly beautiful movie. Both funny and sentmental and real and historic at the same time. I can't imagine someone not enjoying this movie. Also extra cool for Italian desendents of grandparents or relatives from Italy/Sicily around that time period. And of course Monica Bellucci is a beautiful work of art; the real deal. Enjoy.
well done 
2009-01-30 - It was interesting.Visually very satisfying. The story is sad, though another similar subject, Zorba the Greek, was much more powerful, this film certainly was well done.
