bittersweet beauty

Rating: 10/10 (5 February 2000)

Many opinions have been written concerning this film. This is but one. It's hard to imagine that so many aspects of life could be put into a single film. I guess it's just the way we've by and large become used to single-thread storytelling in American cinema, that a film of layers is seen to hold so much more. This is one of those films. Truly a masterwork, by any standard. By the way, if you've decided for your own sake to get the dubbed-English version ("so's yuh don't haff to do all dat reeding") - you're only robbing yourself - the distributors are going to make their money off it either way, and one aspect of the film's true beauty is the melodic language that runs through the whole film (I myself don't understand any Italian, but it's like a song to hear the actors roll off their vibrant dialogue). See this film. See it repeatedly. Let its wonders sink into your soul. Discover how beautifully bittersweet storytelling can be.