Malena
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12-year-old Renato experiences three significant events on the same day: the beginning of the Second World War, getting a bike, and witnessing the arrival of the gorgeous Malèna. Through his eyes, we see the curse of beauty and loneliness of Malena, whose husband is presumed dead, and, through his soul, we see his love for her.
What critics thought
DivisiveTornatore's sun-drenched Sicilian fable drew split reactions: admirers found it a beautifully crafted, nostalgic period piece in the vein of Cinema Paradiso, while detractors argued that Malena herself never becomes a real person — she remains an object of the camera's gaze as much as the teenage boy's — and that the film's tonal shift into cruelty feels disproportionate and its emotional payoff unearned. Audiences have warmed to it more than critics ever did.
“beautifully crafted but slight period drama that chronicles a 13-year-old boy's obsession with a small-town siren in World War II Sicily”
David Rooney·Variety
“It doesn't help that the movie's action grows steadily gloomier, leading to a public humiliation that seems wildly out of scale with what has gone before and to an ending that is intended to move us much more deeply, alas, than it can.”
Roger Ebert·RogerEbert.com
Accolades
Genres
Drama
Cast & Crew
Giuseppe TornatoreDirector
Monica BellucciMalèna Scordia
Giuseppe SulfaroRenato Amoroso
Luciano FedericoRenato's Father
Matilde PianaRenato's Mother
Pietro NotarianniProf. Bonsignore
Gaetano AronicaNino Scordia
Gilberto IdoneaCentorbi, the Lawyer
Angelo PellegrinoPolitical Secretary
Ennio MorriconeComposer
Lajos KoltaiCinematographyMalena
12-year-old Renato experiences three significant events on the same day: the beginning of the Second World War, getting a bike, and witnessing the arrival of the gorgeous Malèna. Through his eyes, we see the curse of beauty and loneliness of Malena, whose husband is presumed dead, and, through his soul, we see his love for her.
What critics thought
DivisiveTornatore's sun-drenched Sicilian fable drew split reactions: admirers found it a beautifully crafted, nostalgic period piece in the vein of Cinema Paradiso, while detractors argued that Malena herself never becomes a real person — she remains an object of the camera's gaze as much as the teenage boy's — and that the film's tonal shift into cruelty feels disproportionate and its emotional payoff unearned. Audiences have warmed to it more than critics ever did.
“beautifully crafted but slight period drama that chronicles a 13-year-old boy's obsession with a small-town siren in World War II Sicily”
David Rooney·Variety
“It doesn't help that the movie's action grows steadily gloomier, leading to a public humiliation that seems wildly out of scale with what has gone before and to an ending that is intended to move us much more deeply, alas, than it can.”
Roger Ebert·RogerEbert.com
Accolades
Genres
Drama
Cast & Crew
Giuseppe TornatoreDirectorMonica BellucciMalèna ScordiaGiuseppe SulfaroRenato AmorosoLuciano FedericoRenato's FatherMatilde PianaRenato's MotherPietro NotarianniProf. BonsignoreGaetano AronicaNino ScordiaGilberto IdoneaCentorbi, the LawyerAngelo PellegrinoPolitical SecretaryEnnio MorriconeComposerLajos KoltaiCinematographyStream
Rent & Buy