Reviews (47)

Love & Tumult in 1968 Paris
Once past the excessive, graphic nudity, or perhaps because of it, Bertolucci fashions a jarring glimpse of three fascinating young people against the backdrop of the 1968 French General Strike, which nearly toppled the government. For the three principals, hedonism, narcissism, and intoxication seem to dominate against what appear as lightly held political beliefs - socialism, love, compassion, tolerance. For example, siblings Theo and Isabelle sleep together naked, their sculpted bodies entwined. The All-American Matthew (well played by Michael Pitt) comes upon them sleeping nude (and slowly grows to love them), gathering some deeper yet perplexing knowledge. This learning process for Matthew weaves its way throughout the film: a likable youth from San Diego doing his best to slip into the idiosyncratic lives of these very French '60s eccentrics and their almost invisible, '60s uptight parents.

Bertolucci abruptly intercuts continuously with memorable past film scenes: for example, Garbo's soulful eyes laughing at Gilbert's insipid love from "Queen Christina." There are many of these lovely, thoughtful old film scenes that weld the humanity of these three characters to that of past lovers and haters. I found myself virtually loathing the insouciance of Theo and Isabelle, their adolescent adoration of things kitsch, such as Delacroix's 'Liberty Leading the People" with Liberty's face that of Marilyn Monroe. All this while exchanging drunk, violent words over politics, cinema and ragout when true fighters faced the formidable barricades in the streets of Paris.

But this is a film, I think, that one must settle into. Much of the first half appears about nothing much, perhaps a light titillating comedy. Slowly, we understand it is not that at all. The nudity, arguments, sex, politics, brilliant film cuts, and memorable period scoring give satisfaction to those of us 'lucky' enough to have lived through that tumultuous time. Perhaps younger, less authoritarian generations will view it with more intuition than we boomers. One of the director's realized intentions was to impart with his typical lyricism an inner realization of why love, even silly vacuous sex, is so much preferable to war (the General Strike and Vietnam, here). The ending is doubly startling. But by then, the parts have become the whole, the trivial vital. The significant beauty of this film lies in the director's wise, consummate vision. Well worth seeing. (For an amazingly contrasting view of the same period, see "Fog of War").

An Incisive Criticism of the '60s and Hypocrisy
The Dreamers is a new, primarily English-language film from the Italian king of cinematic controversy, Bernardo Bertolucci. If you've seen his past works, including 1900 and Last Tango in Paris, they provide a fairly clear idea of what to expect in this NC-17 foray into 1960's youth culture in France. The film is an extended analysis, really, of radicalism and some of the hypocrisies seemingly inherent in it. It forces us to confront the question of what truly is revolutionary, or conservative for that matter. The film answers that question in a way many of us will find unexpected.

Matthew (Michael Pitt) is an American student spending time abroad in France. He takes in the student protests with wide eyes, gazing in awe at the pure passion igniting these young people. Though the period is the '60s, Matthew still reflects the tucked-in conservatism of a decade past, wearing a jacket and tie almost as a shield from the craziness surrounding him. He soon meets two French siblings, Isabelle and Theo (Eva Green and Louis Garrel), both of whom are full of the revolutionary spirit. They are new and therefore attractive to Matthew, who shares a mutual love of movies with both. Not long after, he moves into the home of his two new friends, whose parents have gone away on an extended trip.

Now is the time audience members may begin to squirm. In between quoting movies to one another and acting out favorite scenes, Matthew begins to notice an unnaturally clingy relationship exists between Isa and Theo--they sleep and bathe together, and play sexually-laced games that often leave one in some state of undress. But this quasi-incest has a strange effect on Matthew, as slowly, the jacket and tie disappear, he begins to walk around barely dressed, and he starts to take part in the sex games, at first begrudgingly and then yearningly.

But as intoxicated as Matthew becomes with the lifestyle, he also is disturbed when Isa confides in him that she's never been on a date before. Harboring some genuine feelings for the young beauty, Matthew tries to lead her away from a life entirely dependent upon Theo and toward one of independence. In this way, the film draws a very interesting parallel. It really is conservatism--a resistance to change--that is keeping so-called radicals Isa and Theo in their exclusive relationship. The young innocent, Matthew, has become the revolutionary in trying to shatter what has become the comfortable tradition.

The film boasts three good, but not great performances. With stronger leading work, a good film could possibly have reached the next level. Gilbert Adair's screenplay, based on his own novel, is wonderfully subtle in weaving its critique of the radical movement, but is in fact so subtle that in some ways the film feels "small." Nevertheless, the film raises probing questions, particularly in the last scene, as a throng of protesters march down a street, all chanting in unison, not a single one distinguishable from the next. It begs the old question, "If a group of anarchists organize an anarchists' meeting, are they really anarchists anymore?"

Finally, credit must be heaped upon Fox Searchlight for not yielding to any suggestion that Bertolucci's vision be compromised by editing the film to achieve an R rating. Even without such censorship, it is disturbing enough that film footage of bare genitals and some sex is considered more damaging by the MPAA than, for example, the wholesale slaughter of recent horror offerings. In any case, when going to see The Dreamers, leave any prudish tendencies (or family members) at home.

Final Grade: B

Bold, brave and inquisitive
Bertolucci displays with this unnecessarily controversial movie more bravery than many other directors half his age. Anyone who is young should see it to observe the contradictions that youth's idealism brings upon the three protagonists. Anyone who is older should watch it to remember the bravery of times gone by, to remember a time when many of us still believed protests could change the world and to acknowledge the validity of both youth's panache and experience's fountain of knowledge.

Not all said up front
There are alot of things that are underneath the serface of this film. You might have to watch the film more than once to get it all. Things that have to obtained from the time and the charecters themselves.(I will not ruin them for you finding them is half the fun) The film is not one that you watch when you are bored with your buddys it is a film that takes all your attention to actually get it.The film ends with no changes in the people only an experience that changed their lives but could not change who they were nomatter how much they tried. I hate movies that charecters change because of an experience this movie seems real in that aspect because the people dont change. It is a little overthe top in certain aspects but it makes you think and is an enjoyable experience.

dreamy
Beautiful, disturbing, erotic, political, comic, thrilling, and thoroughly immersing. One of the most satisfying cinematic experiences I've had in a long time. Not to be missed! Much thanks to Bertolucci, who continues to make exquisite and exciting films! ... Read more

Reviews (73)

A Beautiful Vacation
In this 1996 film, Liv Tyler makes her stunning debut. Set to a soundtrack that is a good mix of quintessentially '90's music (a la Portishead and Liz Phair) and retro classics (like "My Baby Just Cares For Me" and "I'll Be Seeing You,"), this film takes both Liv's character, Lucy, as well as the viewer, on a journey into mystery and enchantment. Lucy embarks on her journey to Italy after the death of her mother, a famous poet and artist. She travels there in search of greater knowledge about her mother, who spent a brief few weeks there one summer. But what Lucy really uncovers in Tuscany are the answers to secrets in her past. And, as the film goes on, she discovers more and more about herself, and the woman she is to become. This film is a great, slowly paced meditation on sex, love, art and self-awareness. When Lucy finds out that she was "conceived" in the olive groves of the artists' villa there, her curiosity deepens and the search for her birth father becomes one of the main goals in her journey. Faced with the loss of a future with her mother, Lucy is looking towards the past for information about those she loves, for knowledge about herself and where she came from, and for hints about where this might lead her as she takes on the life of an adult.

The film begins with shots of Lucy sleeping on the train on her way to Tuscany. There is even one devilish strategic close-up shot of her jeans which is perhaps explained later in the film when it is revealed in a comical exchange between Lucy and Jeremy Irons' character that the beautiful 19 year old Lucy is a virgin. Unbeknownst to Lucy, she was being taped on her journey by a fellow passenger on the train. But he gives her "beauty" back to her in the form of the videotape. Her fate is still in her hands. From there, the film follows several slow, melodic plot lines, one of which is the attempt to find the perfect first sexual partner for the young and much-loved Lucy.

Liv plays a perfect beauty here. She is innocent, touching, bright, curious, and passionate, and as the film goes on, she takes a cue from the artists at the villa and becomes and more free in her expression, more comfortable in her own skin. But she is also careful. She wants her passion to be shared with someone worthy of it, someone who gives as well as takes. It takes a while for her to find out who that perfect catch is, but as in life, the story is what happens while she is waiting for the "pay-off."

Her curious habit of striking a match to each finished poem and burning it up seems to say that she is not yet confident in her artistic abilities, that she wants to keep some things sacred, private. She is cautiously awaiting sharing herself on a deeper level with those whom she grows to love.

Jeremy Irons' character, a man struck by illness in the most beautiful of places, is a nice offset to the virginal beauty of Tyler. Together, they bring the film full circle from youth and glowing health to the natural course of death and dying. The attention they pay to one another is mutual. Lucy in this way is wise as well as youthful.

The countryside in this film is magical. The vineyards of Tuscany, with the glowing sun above, are lovingly captured by Bertolucci. The film is as much an ode to youth and innocence, and the inevitable loss of it (which I think Bertolucci is saying can also be beautiful) as it is to the Italian countryside.

Others in the film who have gone on to receive wide acclaim and appear in such movies as Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth, Swept From the Sea, and The Mummy are the two British actors Joseph Fiennes and Rachael Weisz.

gorgeous at every turn
If you watch this film for nothing else, soak in the beauty of the setting.
While I enjoy this film for both its plot and its artistic/aesthetic qualities, I have to admit that it is at its most stunning best when it comes to its cinematography. what a gorgeous backdrop for a virgin coming-of-age story! the plot may be a bit tired, and the characters too well known, but the twists that are supplied are enough to make it engaging. Liv Tyler is, of course, gorgeous and mesmorizing. The Italian and British actors that flank her almost eclipse her, but as her debut film, she does truly shine.
There are several scenes that are physically intriguing, but I most enjoyed the entire "party" sequence.... some odd, yet stunning filming.
Let's face it, everyone in this film is beautiful to look at (even Jeremy Irons as a dying man). You begin to lose interest in Lucy's (Tyler) quest at some point, but once the answer is revealed it is still somewhat satisfying.
I can highly reccommend this film to anyone that is into gorgeous scenery, lovely and easy story lines, and has and eye for the pleasing aesthetic so many films lack these days. Nothing earth-moving... but a VERY pleasant movie experience!

it's my favorite, but not for everyone
you may not, but i love this movie. the characters are solidly interesting and well-played, the storyline is simple but itriguing, and it has simply beautiful scenery.

Good movie but needs subtitles in parts
I really like this movie. The scenery is beautiful and the movie's focus on the interactions between a variety of characters in the Italian countryside is interesting. I would rate it higher except for one thing- quite a bit of the movie is in Italian and there are no subtitles for this dialogue. This really doesn't make sense, especially considering the vhs copy that I use to own did have them. The parts in Italian aren't just snippets of dialogue either- some are entire conversations. If you've seen this many times with subtitles (and know what they're saying in Italian) I would definitely buy it. If not, it's still a good purchase but be aware that you're missing quite a bit of the movie.

What about "no stars"?
As an Italian (who teaches Italian in HS and college in the U.S.) I really looked forward to a good film after one of my students recommended this one to me.

As a professor, I can sit through a lot of boring stuff, but this movie was so awful I couldn't even finish it. The scenery is nice but after watching this film for over an hour I found it to be pointless. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Two disparate worlds come together in thoroughly unexpected ways in this intriguing film directed by Academy Award winner Bernardo Bertolucci. The opening sequence, in an impoverished, unnamed African dictatorship, is painfully intense: we watch in horror as the movie's heroine, Shandurai (serenely beautiful Thandie Newton), witnesses the brutal arrest of her husband,a rebellious reformer. Then suddenly we are transported to Rome, where Shanduraiis studying medicine and cleaning house for a reclusive, wealthy pianist, Mr. Kinsky (David Thewlis). Knowing nothing of her past, Kinsky falls hopelessly in love with Shandurai. She finds his clumsy courtship insulting, especially in contrast to the heavy load she's borne in her life. But it gradually becomes clear Shandurai has sorely underestimated Mr. Kinsky.

This is a film by a true master of moviemaking craft, who refuses to spell things out or bludgeon the audience with a message. The story builds almost imperceptibly, with an accumulation of details, striking visual imagery, and a haunting soundtrack, in which classical piano, African music, and silence are all used to powerful effect. A tantalizing erotic undercurrent bubbles to the surface as the narrative takes the story in directions both unpredictable and captivating. --Laura Mirsky ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Master director outdoes previous marvels.
I purchased "Besieged" upon strong recommendations of trustworthy friends and my own appreciation of "Stealing Beauty" and "Sheltering Sky". I came to like that relatievly short (93 min.) movie with only two major characters more than the director's past films.
Bertolucci tells an extraordinary story with a compact outline with great skill and makes it believable. He was able to throw in great camera angles and little cinematographic inventions for a totally fresh feeling. That film is most probably among the best of the best representatives of the art of cinema. Great directing, photography, acting and music. A jewel.
Absence of a 5.1 ch. soundtrack is not felt at all, yet this film could benefit from stereo PCM sound since it is loaded with piano playing.

A truly intelligent love story
The title of Bertolucci's Besieged is a subtle reference to both main characters--Thandie Newton's Shandurai and David Thewlis' Mr. Kinsky. The former, an African emigre now living in Rome, is both a medical student and Mr. Kinsky's housekeeper. Her state of "besiegement" is the situation of living in Kinsky's confining environment--confining principally because of the owner's emotional isolation, and simultaneously of her husband having been arrested in her native country; she is besieged by exposure to a foreign culture, by forces previously unknown to her.

Kinsky's besiegement is, as mentioned above, his emotional isolation. He keeps himself inside his house and is rarely seen venturing outside. Only after he professes his passion for his housekeeper and realizes that he must do more than verbalize his feelings does he break the confines of his physical surroundings and leave the barriers he has besieged himself with.

Kinsky, a composer and pianist, is initially seen playing standard Western classical music, but as he becomes more enamored with Shandurai, the rhythms of her African music begin to influence his own compositions. In a beautiful scene, a session at his piano begins with a simple two-note structure and ultimately results in a piece that fervently echoes the hypnotic, percussive feel of the songs she listens to on her cassette player in her downstairs apartment.

Kinsky's intensity throughout, paralleled with Shandurai's combined intelligence and semi-bewilderment are what gives this work its resonance. This is a truly memorable film, one worth seeing repeatedly.

a perfect movie
IMPORTANT!!

Neither AMAZON nor the DVD box tellS you that there is a second COMMENTARY featuring the writer then more with the director and his wife. Both TRACKS 2 and TRACKS 3 are compelling.

Howard in Manchester UK

The Benevolent Master
I could not help but to watch this film with all of my African American female sensibilities. Despite the proficient acting, cinematography and directing, I found the content highly offensive and trite. Mr. Kinksy claimed to love Shanduri and was willing to do anything to possess her affections. He was put off to find out that Shanduri was married, but not deterred. Shanduri gave him what she believed was an unattainable challenge to have her husband, who was arrested for speaking out against the government, freed from an African prison. I recognize that it is possible for a servant to fall in love with her employer, however I know that it is extremely rare. (Ask any black woman who's cleaned a white person's house, 'how much love do you have for your boss.' The relationship between Shanduri and Mr. Kinksy was one of abuse of power and emotional manipulation. During the 'relationship' that I watched develop, not once did Shanduri refer to her employer by his first name. Clearly indicating an uneven balance of power and control...not much different from a slave owner offering to free his children born to his African concubine. So, Mr. Kinksy gave up some of his prized possessions; it was European influence that created the climate that allowed Shanduri's husband to be detained indefinitely. Though I am one among several with a different review about the film, I have no reason to forget the long history of abuse past and present that women of color experienced at the hands of white people, especially white men. To see such a film is an insult and another example of how Europeans do not understand the masses of African Americans.

a lyric tale of two exiles
Music is the center of Thewlis' world and it is the center of the movie. You'll appreciate your sound system during this film because it is made up of music rather than dialogue or stunning visuals. Although Thandie Newton is certainly a stunning visual.This movie stands out because it is so absolutely like no other, not even Bertolucci's previous efforts prepare you for it. Thewlis(you might remember from Naked)plays the decadent westerner(all Bertolucci lead roles are that)we are asked to pay attention to. Thewlis does not demand you pay attention like Brando does rather he is so quiet and mysterious you can't help but pay attention. Only when he plays piano do you find out how much is going on within him. And what music(the piano is the third major presence in this movie). Thewliss and Newton come from different sides of the world and neither is perhaps very satisfied with the place from whence they come, both exiles, and each is very curious about the other. Many times the camera is on one at a time while each wonders about the other in the next room. It doesn't sound like much but it is drama of a very peculiar sort. Two humans,two cultures perhaps, slowly coming into contact. Very strange and very powerful movie. You may as well order the soundtrack too. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Everything that was good about the 163-minute theatrical release of Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor in 1987 is even better in this new 218-minute director's cut. By contrast, much that was peculiarly distant and lifeless the first time around isn't really better or worse in this edition.Conclusion: the net gains are considerable if you invest time to appreciate Bertolucci's full feeling for the odd story of Pu Yi, China's final monarch.You remember the saga: taken from his mother at the age of three, Pu Yi is brought into the enclosed walls of the Forbidden City to replace the real emperor. There he becomes a pampered prisoner and hollow symbol of an older monarchy that has since given way to a ruthless, 20th century republic.With his pining loyalists beheaded or kept at bay by armed soldiers outside the City's walls, Pu Yi is tutored by an English gentleman (Peter O'Toole) and wed to a kindred spirit (Joan Chen). Eventually cast from his gated paradise, Pu Yi (wonderfully portrayed in adulthood by John Lone) becomes, by turns, a playboy, a dupe to the Japanese, and a victim of China's cultural reforms and re-education programs. This longer cut largely top-loads the film with greater reason to feel compassion for the emperor, with his often wordless sense-adventure in the mysteries that could only be known to one little boy plunged into indecipherable alien decorum, robbed of self-determination and common sense by his infinite privilege. Added scenes (including some in the political rehabilitation camp where Pu Yi is held for a decade) fill out not so much added facts as density of experience. This improved The Last Emperor is richer in soul and a pronounced sense of Bertolucci actually directing this film in the most personal and profound sense. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (103)

Masterpiece!
If you somehow missed this one, do yourself a favor and make time available in your schedule for viewing this masterpiece from director Bernardo Bertolucci! Nine academy awards, including Best Picture [1987], only gives partial credit to this magnificently epic and absolutely unforgettable true story. It is the story of Pu Yi, who at the age of 3 comes to the Imperial Dragon Throne to become the Last Emperor of China. His whole life is spanned in this film, from his childhood, to his ultimate fate as an unskilled gardener in the streets of Bejing. Throughout this film we are treated to a cinematic feast for the senses, so rich in detail and imagery, you will be compelled to see it again as soon as possible (I saw it again the very next night!). You will have felt the full range of emotions from having experienced this movie, and few others in recent memory have mesmerized me so totally in an almost 3 hour (164 min) time span. Truly one of the greatest films of all time! Masterpiece!

Bertolucci's Last Epic!
By that I mean with great respect! Bernardo Bertolucci is known for such cinematic extravaganzas as 1973's LAST TANGO IN PARIS and 1977's 1900; and to add to his credits, 1987's Best Picture winner THE LAST EMPEROR!

A film of major diversity. An Italian director (Bertolucci), a predominately Chinese cast including frequent costars John Lone and Joan Chen, British actor and seven-time Oscar nominee Peter O'Toole, an American producer named Jeremy Thomas, and distributed by an American studio, Columbia Pictures!

John Lone is the title character, Chinese emperor "Henry" Pu-Yi, who became the last Emperor of China at the age of 3, and would be the "Lord of Ten Thousand Years!" Nothing would prepare him for the change that would eventually occur when he is forced into abdication, forced into retaking his kingdom, and forcing him to attempt suicide after his arrest and capture by Chinese and Russian communist troops after World War II. Eventually, after serving his time for conspiracy, he released from prison and lives out the rest of his life in 1967 -- as a simple gardner.

Imagine. From Emperor to gardner, totally heartbreaking! Heartbreaking is the fact that it cost him EVERYTHING! His wife "Elizabeth" Wan Jung, played with grace by the gorgeous Joan Chen; his kingdom and his freedom. But, you can't simply hate the guy! He is, of course, a man who was spoiled by his servants and soldiers as a child.

The film has both an epic scope and an excellently-written character story. (Though most historians believed that the film embellished on certain facts, like Pu-Yi's homosexuality.) It is played competently by an Asian cast and a wonderfully witty Peter O'Toole, who should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor that year, as the Emperor's patient tutor Reginald "R.J." Johnston.

Needless to say, I cried at the very end of this film! I LOVED that scene between the elder Pu-Yi and a little boy who appears to be just like the Emperor as a child. And the symbolic message this film taught with the cricket in the jar, as the little boy opens the jar to reveal the insect (by then, Pu-Yi has magically disappeared). An epic film with a heart (like my PRISONER OF WAR)!

Winner of all 9 of its nominations including: Best Picture - Jeremy Thomas, producer; Best Director - Bernardo Bertolucci; Best Adapted Screenplay - Bertolucci and Mark Peploe; Best Cinematography; Best Art Direction/Set Decoration; Best Costume Design; Best Score; Best Sound; and Best Film Editing.

THIS FILM IS APPROXIMATELY: 2 HOURS AND 40 MINUTES.

But well worth it!

great film, awful dvd
I had the misfortune to buy this BEFORE I read the Amazon reviews and discovered that the DVD looked awful-a particular injustice for a film that won Best Picture. It's only 17 years old; there are films from the 30's that look great on DVD! I see though that in the U.K. they released a 2-disc version with commentary and both the original theatrical cut as well as the director's cut. I assume it's also restored and anamorphic and can only hope that we get an American version soon. The movie gets 5 stars, even at 219 minutes. The DVD gets 1 star, so that averages out to a generous 3.

Breathtakingly Beautiful, Decadent and Misconceived.
I revere every Bertoluccifs work tremendously, and this lavish film is no exception.
I was completely mesmerised by the view of the Forbidden City, beautiful period costumes of the Emperor and the Imperial family with which the director says he really cared about the historical accuracy to recreate as well as other things.
The historical accuracy is, however, not necessarily applied to the part of which Japan was involved. The foundation of Manshu-koku, (Manchukuo is the Chinese word) and the restoration of the Manchu Emperor Pfu Yi, and the alleged atrocities made to the Japanese Imperial Army, namely, gRape of Nankingh, etc. It is so because both Bernaldo Bertolucci and the producer Jeremy Thomas seem to have truly believed in the auto-biography of Pfu Yi, gFrom Emperor to Citizenh that written for propaganda purpose, and the Frank Caprafs U.S. propaganda film; gThe Battle of Chinah at their face values.
First thing is first, Chinese Communistfs gbrainwashingh undeniably exists. In the same year this film first came out, 1987, gFrom Emperor to Citizenh was re-published by Oxford University Press with new comprehensive general introduction and chapter introductions by W.J.F. Jenner, the translator of the original 1964 gdeliberately restricted editionh published by Foreign Language Press, BeiJing.
Jenner explains; gThe special consideration shown Pfu Yi and other high-ranking Manchukuo(sic), Japanese, and Nationalist officials cannot be regarded as typical of Chinese prison conditions. These were all people of potential value in winning over others in future, and political considerations saved them from the harsh justice that many lesser figures received.h And, Jenner continues, Pfu Yifs gsuccessful thought reformh which made him gusefulh and able body to work like other ordinary people, that Bertolucci praises vigorously, was, in fact, gsomething of ritualh. Pfu Yifs fourth wifefs account of his incapableness of looking after himself, even after his release of 1959, reveals some part of the truth.
His fifth and final marriage to a well qualified nurse was garranged by the Chinese Peoplefs Political Consultative Conference and the Communist Partyfs United Front Department. [cccc] He was even protected from the Cultural Revolution by Chou En-laifs intervention, and the local police kept Red Guards away. [cccc] Pfu Yifs presentation to foreigners as a living advertisement for the Peoplefs Government and the Communist Party began in 1956, while he was still in prison; and after his release he was often required to meet foreign visitors to China.h Those facts show that Pfu Yi was not successfully remolded@into an ordinary citizen after all, but made a perfect gmouthpieceh of the Communist Party Propaganda Department.

Bertolucci may never have read this revealing version of the Pfu Yifs gauto-biographyh. (In fact, the book was re-written before it was published in 1964 by Communist Propaganda Department writers based on the gconfessionsh Pfu Yi and Pfu Chieh had made in the prison as outcome of gbrainwashingh.)
But, in any case, the directorfs knowledge on the so-called gRape of Nankingh is awfully wrong.
He believes; gThe Japanese killed 300,000 Chinese people in *2 or 3 days* in Nanking.h (How did he think it was possible as the matter of reality?)
In fact, however, the *200,000* civilian refugee in Nanking were well protected by the Japanese Army and decrease of the number never recorded by the gobjectiveh foreigners of the International Committee of the Nanking Safety Zone, who, by the way, are assumed by many people including scholars as gthe witnesses of the Rape of Nankingh. They, on the contrary, recorded *increase* of the population to 250,000 within a few weeks after the capture of the city. No one saw such barbaric massacre except the Chinese propagandists and, actually, some members of the Committee who were hired by the Chinese Nationalist Party as international propaganda agents. Some ordinary Chinese people (genuine citizens of Nanking) even condemned the Chinese soldiers for the wrong-doing in Nanking.
Apart from gRape of Nankingh, the gnewsreelh in the film Pfu Yi and his co-inmates had watched is full of errors and, I dare to say, pernicious propaganda.
The planes that bombed Shanghai International Settlement and killed thousands of civilian was actually the Chinese. (Page 352 of The China Year Book 1938, edited by H.G.W. Woodhead, North China Daily News) And, the gexecutionh scene of the Chinese civilian is, I am sure, taken from the famous propaganda film by Frank Capra; gThe battle of Chinah that shows, in fact, the executioners are the Chinese Nationalist Party Army. Because of the fact the scene was gtrimmedh to ghideh the true identity of the executioners, I think Bertolucci did know they were using propaganda material.
What I do not know is their purpose. It may have been to get permission to make the film in Beijing under ghawk-eyeh of the Communist Party authorities they might have pretended to be pro-communist. In either way, this filmfs authenticity was sullied and that is very a shame.

Still, to me, this special edition is very interesting as a resource to understand the Cultural Revolution and the nature of brainwashing because it includes first-hand interviews of aging Pfu Chieh and the real life prison governor. Only one thing I would desire is subtitles, for the sake of clarification of the dialogues spoken by non-English speakers.

Good movie.... Awful DVD
Enough comments have been made on the movie so I'll just tell you my opinion on the DVD edition. It is one of the worst DVD transcription I have ever saw. I really had the impression to watch a DivX. Do I need to tell more about the resolution? Only the english soundtrack is available (I wish the movie had been shooted in Chinese or Mandarin but that's not the point) and no subtitles. The DVD presents the director's cut which makes the movie 3 and a half hour instead of 2 and a half. The theatrical version is not available on the DVD... Otherwise there is no additionnal material. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Bernardo Bertolucci's controversial 1973 film stars Marlon Brando as an expatriate American in Paris reeling from his wife's suicide and entering into a nihilistic sexual relationship with a young woman (Maria Schneider). The film is still shocking, not simply because of its (sometime unconventional) sexual sequences, but because Brando's protagonist needs his liaison with Schneider's character to remain anonymous, an experience not to be shared but indulged on either end. Bertolucci is also operating on subtext here: in a way, Brando's nonengaging engagement is a metaphor for a certain attitude toward directing movies. Jean-Pierre Léaud costars, but the film is more than anything a vehicle for a great performance by Brando.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (71)

Among the greatest performances in the history of cinema
Movie critics, both professional and otherwise, use the term "greatness" far too often. The term is so extreme that it should be reserved for movies that make us forget that we are in a theatre, or in our living room. This movie, if nothing else, makes us forget that we are movie-goers and makes us believe we are witnesses to human emotions.
"Last Tango in Paris" shows not only the talent of Bertolucci as a director, but also it allows Brando to fully express his emotional range, as perhaps the greatest screen actor of all time.
The movie exists almost as a set of inter-related scenes; each one stands on its own merit and style. The scenes do not, however, ever fall beneath the status of genius. They merely do not settle under one blanket description; the scenes occupy so many titles: love story, sucicidal, remorse, nostalgic, existential.
The story of the movie is well known by nearly everyone acquaitned with cinema: two people, a recently widowed American and a young, engaged French girl, meet by chance in an apartment and begin a purely carnal relationship. However, the actual movie delivers on so many more levels.
Brando's scenes which deal with his wofe and/or past are the best performances I have ever seen. The true emotion of an actor is visible, perhaps in their purest form ever on screen. Brando is not acting; he is living the role of one who is left and confused by love. His acting in the movie seems a bit unsure, which relates the contrasting emotions of Paul, his character.
Above all other scenes in this movie, Brando's encounter with the body of his dead wife is a testament to his ability to transcend his role as an actor. The screen seems to almost dissappear, and we are left with Brando and his dead wife, not an actor and an actress. This scene makes me feel, it causes emotions to rise from my heart. This is the ability of a truly great film.

For Brando Fans, It Doesn't Get Better Than This!
Marlon Brando's recent death effected me deeply. He has always been one of my favorite actors and I truly admire him for his extraordinary talent. During the last few weeks I have rented many of Brando's films and am still amazed, after all these years, at the force of his acting in "Last Tango In Paris." I believe that some of his best work was done in this film.

Paul, (Brando), an aging American expatriate in Paris, comes home to discover that his marriage has ended. His French wife, Rosa, had slit her veins, leaving bloody bath water and spattered walls behind. She didn't leave much else - no good-bye note or explanation for her husband, parents or lover, a guest in the fleabag hotel she owned and managed. She did bequeath the hotel, and it's seedy occupants, to Paul. Overwhelmed with grief, Paul walks the streets and finds himself looking at an apartment for rent. He finds Jeanne, (Maria Schneider), a girl-woman, barely out of her teens, looking at the same apartment. She is to be married in a few weeks to her bourgeois, filmmaker fiancee. Paul and Jeanne circle each other warily in the empty flat, each contemplating the rental, (and each other), and wondering who will take it. Suddenly, they grab each other and have hard, fast sex against the apartment wall. Thus begins a most bizarre relationship.

Paul makes the rules. Jeanne must follow them or she will not see him again. Their purely carnal relationship must remain anonymous, emotionless, and exist only within the walls of the apartment, which Paul rents for this purpose. There are to be no sexual taboos between them. He does not want to know her name or anything about her and refuses to give her any information about himself. They are not to see each other outside the apartment confines, nor even leave together. It seems as if Paul wants to bury his pain, his sense of betrayal and hurt in the mindless, sometimes brutal, act of sex. Director Bernardo Bertolucci's camera perfectly captures the impersonal nature of their coupling. The shots are blunt, without sensuality or eroticism, but an enormous sexual energy is captured. I think Jeanne is fascinated by the mystery that is Paul. She is bored, perhaps, and looking for something, maybe excitement. She is certainly intrigued by Paul's dominant role, and seems to enjoy playing the passive partner most of the time. She is clearly not happy with her boyfriend, who relates to her as the object of his latest film. He talks at her, not to her. And he does not listen. However, I do not see Jeanne as merely an object here, as do some others. The film focuses on Paul, not Jeanne.

It is unfortunate that Ms. Schneider's career fizzled after this movie. She is excellent as Jeanne and perfectly captures her character's capriciousness, playfulness, bewilderment, vulnerability, anger, frustration, seductiveness and curiosity. Brando is simply superb. There are times, when he and Jeanne are together, that it appears as if he is extemporizing. He acts as if there is no camera filming him - as if he is not acting at all. There is one scene, where he is alone with his wife's body - she is layed-out in a coffin. Brando begins to speak to her and just loses it. His remarkable outpouring of guilt and grief is probably the best acting I have ever seen.

Towards the end of the film there is a surreal ballroom scene where couples are dancing the tango. It is both haunting and memorable. The end is a bit of a letdown, but in a Brandoesque moment the actor comes to the rescue.

Bertolucci was very effected by the work of painter Frances Bacon, considered to be one of the best artists of the 20th century. He chose Brando after seeing a Bacon painting "of a man in great despair who had the air of total disillusionment." The "Last Tango In Paris," defined as "the most controversial film of an era," brought Bertolucci to international attention. It was nominated for two Academy Awards. Vittorio Storaro's cinematography adds to the cold, remote ambiance. His camera pans the colorless apartment and makes the viewing experience as impersonal as the couple's relationship.

This is obviously not a film for everyone. It has been called obscene, and worse. However, there are many, like myself, who think it is a great film. For fans of Marlon Brando, it doesn't get better than this. Bravo!
JANA

Strangely Beautiful as is eccentric and erotic
I like this movie for many things but mainly because of its frankness and eccentricity. One of the highlights that makes this movie great is without a doubt Maria Schneider's revealing nude scenes (...). She is also very pretty, however getting serious for a moment this film was in 1973 when it was release and still today a milestone in filmmaking largely due to Marlon Brando's outstanding performance. He really was one of the greatest actors of all times and his performance in Last Tango in Paris more than proves it. I really like the chemistry that both Brando and Scheneider had together through out the movie but especially in their key scenes together. Marlon Brando sadly enough passed away on July 1, in Los Angeles due to lung failure he was 80. Lucky for all of the people (myself included) who admired and appreciated his great talent as an actor, he left us a thrilling and fantastic collection of wonderful performances that are forever capture on film for all of us to enjoy time and time again. Anyone who is not aware of the contribution that this legendary actor left on American Cinema can begin by either renting or buying some of his most dynamic movies (All of them are available on DVD or VHS). These are my personal favorites and in which feature some of his greatest performances.

THE MEN (film debut)
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
ON THE WATERFRONT (Best Actor Oscar)
THE WILD ONE
VIVA ZAPATA
JULIUS CAESAR
ONE EYED JACKS (The only movie he ever directed)
THE APPALOOSA
BURN!
THE GODFATHER (Best Actor Oscar in which refused to accept)
LAST TANGO IN PARIS

A Bravura Performance by Brando
Since I don't have a copy of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, I watched again for the fifth or sixth time this fine film to remember Marlon Brando on the day of his death. Every time I see this movie I'm amazed all over again at how good it is. Brando, nominated for an academy award for best actor for his performance here, is simply stunning. As always he takes over and commands any scene he is in. When the film was first released, most of the media attention was about the extremely naturalistic sex scenes between Brando, who plays a 45-year-old whose wife has just committed suicide, and Maria Schneider, a beautiful 20-year-old beauty about to be married. Then there was all the hoopla about the episode with the stick of butter, the fingernail trimming scene, etc. What many reviewers and critics overlooked-- as I recall it now-- was at its core this movie is not just another movie bordering on soft porn but makes extremely serious and profound statements about life: who of us can really know anyone else, love can be found in very unlikely places, the undercurrent of violence often connected with sex, all the ramifications of sex with a stranger, and what happens when lust turns into love, for instance.

While Maria Schneider is certainly no slouch-- and a beauty both naked and clothed-- this film ultimately is Brando's. Kaleidoscopically he goes from the comic to rage to uncontrollable anguish and back again. The story is that he improvised many of his lines, giving his performance a very fresh, natural feel.

The film is beautifully filmed and very visual. There are many images repeated-- the overground Metro shots for instance-- and scenes between Brando and Schneider lead into similar frames between Schneider and her young fiancee.

This film is directed by another genius, Bernado Bertolucci and is like nothing else Brando did. He certainly gives one of his finest performances here.

A Great Performance, A Flawed Film
It's been said, by a reviewer whose name escapes me at the moment, that this is the last film where Marlon Brando looked good. Truth is, it's also probably the last film where Brando demonstrated why he was considered one of America's best actors. It's most definitely a flawed film. The scenes where Brando does not appear are pretentious and fairly boring. I tend to agree with the assessment of Ingmar Bergman, who opined that the storyline of this film actually would have made more sense if the 2 main characters had been played as gay men. Perhaps. Maria Schneider is very sexy, but she's just not a really good actress. And yet, when Brando is on screen, he's absolutely dynamic, enthralling, electric. Never before, and probably never again, will you witness a performance so raw, so unadorned, so revealing. Forget the sexual scenes that earned the film its notoriety. Check out Brando's soliloquy beside his suicidal wife's coffin. Or his ironic blend of tenderness and misogyny in his scenes with Schneider. Or when he weeps for...what? the impossibility of his romance with Schneider? His lost, blighted past? Or his silent, agonized finale when he sees for the final time the magnificent skyline of Paris. It's easy to become jaded by the films of today, watching as modern Hollywood's so-called stars perfunctorily perform their bland roles by rote, gearing their performances to the lowest common denominator possible. Watching Brando in his blistering and towering performance here reminds one of why acting can be considered an awe-inspring art form and why it was that I used to love going to the movies. ... Read more

Reviews (56)

Great Movie
Little Buddha is a wonderfully entertaining and historically accurate film. The story has two plots, making it confusing at some times. One tells of a Buddhist priest searching for the reincarnation of his dead teacher, while the other tells the story of Siddhartha Guatama, the Buddha. (Played by Keanu Reeves)

As far as the acting goes, this film gets five stars from me. Siddhartha, (Reeves) is played beautifully, along with Lisa Conrad, (Bridget Fonda) and Lama Norbu. (Ruocheng Ying) Another plus about the acting are the three children who played the candidates for the reincarnation of the teacher. I especially liked Gita, who is the only girl candidate.

I liked the costumes, too, as they are historically accurate, and stand out with the bright colors and makeup. I found it strange that the men wore makeup, but they do, and the film portrays it brilliantly.

All along I have been mentioning how historically correct this film is. I have been saying this because it is the truth. Not only is the story of Siddhartha correct, but all of the facts about Buddha and Buddhism are too. If you know nothing about the religion, watching this film will give you a basic introduction to Buddhism.

There are two things that would have made this film better. If it did not flash so much between the two plots, it would have been less confusing. Also, I did not like the music. I don't know if it just was not my type or if it didn't go with the movie, but I didn't like it. Little Buddha is a grea movie and I recommend watching it, but don't waste your money on the soundtrack.

Educational
Cast: Ying Ruocheng, Alex Wiesendanger, Keanu Reeves, Chris Isaak, Bridget Fonda

Little Buddha is both an enjoyable and educational movie. This movie has two story lines. One is about the quest of a group of monks, to seek out the reincarnated spirit of a great Buddhist teacher, Lama Dorje. And the other is a retelling of the story of Siddhartha, and how, having reached enlightenment, becomes the Buddha.

During the first plot line, Lama Norbu comes to Seattle in search of the reincarnation of his dead teacher, Lama Dorje. His search leads him to young Jesse Conrad, Raju, a boy from Katmandu, and an Indian girl. Together, they journey to Bhutan where the three children must undergo a test to prove which is the true reincarnation. After finding his teacher the monk then meditates and dies.

The second story is about Siddhartha and how he became the Buddha. It traces his spiritual journey from ignorance to true enlightenment. Young Siddhartha lived a carefree life in the palace. His father, Kind Suddhodana, is shielding him from all unpleasantness such as elderly, sick or dying people. Gradually however, Siddhartha begins to get curious about the world out there, and one day sneaks outside the palace gate. Siddhartha comes in contact with suffering, desires, and death. This movie really opens your eyes to the basic concepts of Buddhism and the theme of reincarnation.

I really liked the costumes and scenery in this movie, because they cam across well along with the theme. The music also added that extra effect needed to keep your attention throughout the movie. There was extremely good acting in this movie, especially by the children. Although this movie was well-written and well thought out, there was no emotional depth or appeal. The running time on this movie is also a little too long, which is not aided by the ragged transitions. And the characters never really connect with the audience, so the viewer's attention span is greatly tested. But overall I really enjoyed this movie and the themes it presents.

A wonderful family film
"Little Buddha" is a wonderful family film that is entertaining and educating without being educational. It provides a view on Buddhist beliefs and explains the basis of this way of life.

Embedded in the main story of the film is the story of the Buddha's journey to enlightenment. It is told in a fashion that will be enjoyable to people of every age. This work is also filmed beautifully and shares with you life in many cultures.

Please take some time and enjoy this film!

PS - Keanu Reeves as Siddhartha (Buddha) - takes some getting used to...

Little Budda, Little thought
It seems to me that this movie was rushed through production. I feel that this movie could have gone deeper into the truth of Buddism and not lingered on the top of it. I don't understand how the parents of the little boy would just leave him with perfect strangers or let him run off by himself in Bhutan. There seemed to be no point with the fact that the fathers freind died, except that it showed connection between Siddhartha and the boy. In the end of the movie, I didn't understand how the kids ended up watching Siddhartha be temtped under the Bo tree and reach enlightenment. While many of the things shown about Buddism were true, they forgot some main ideas such as the four noble truths and the eight fold path.
In all, I feel this movie could have been taken more time on in the making and resulted in a pathetic movie that stretches the reality of our lives

Excellent Film
I really love this film, it wasnt at all what I expected, and that is even more awesome.
I let my son watch this film and he enjoyed it so much he had a ton of questions regarding Buddha and the expeirences of all the children. No child is too young to develop an open mind.
I suggest this film for anyone interested in Eastern Philosophies and/or Reincarnation. Or if you have questions or uncertainities about Buddha, this film brings Buddha's teachings forward and expresses the compassion that his love had. ... Read more

Description

American artist couple Port (John Malkovich) and Kit (Debra Winger) Moresby are drawn by desire and destiny to travel through Saharan Africa, attempting to recapture the love the once shared. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Hypnotic, visually superb film
The Sheltering Sky is based on Paul Bowles novel, relating how an American couple attempted to rekindle their marriage by journeying into the heart of the Sahara desert. As if afraid of confronting the tensions between them, Port (John Malkovich) agrees to take along with them the wealthy playboy Tunner, at least for the first part of their journey. And so creating a "menage-a-trois" situation, with Port later realising his true feelings for his wife Kit (Debra Winger)But fate deals them a savage hand, as the harsh, unforgiving terrain of the Sahara makes it's own impact on their destiny.

The film owes much to the superb music score, a haunting passionate love theme, played in an austere way, like two people in love, yet both afraid to commit, hinting not only at their concealed passion, but also inner loneliness. With many attractive Arabic themes also.

If you prefer action films, don't think about buying this one. Some may find it long, introspective, and at times, ambiguous, with the narrative often giving way to somethig akin to a national geographic documentary. The remaining leading character spoke only a handful of words for the last three quarters of an hour..But a beautiful, lush, masterful journey which lovers of Africa will not want to miss.

Read the Book Instead
I recently read Paul Bowles "The Sheltering Sky" and found it to be a haunting, captivating, and philosophical masterpiece. It is a book that will stay with me forever. I was excited to see that it had been made into a movie. However, I found the movie disappointing. I think the book does not lend itself well to being translated to film since much of the "story" is the underlying thoughts, feelings and changes within the characters. The film starts with a "narrator" observer (Mr Bowles himself!) but after that scene the narration does not continue. Then there is the last part of the book where Kit joins the nomad caravan. In the book I found this to be "believeable" but on screen it was silly especially without knowing what was really motivating her since the dialog of her thoughts was left in the book. I couldn't help wondering what someone who had not read the book would think was going on and WHY. I also found the dialog a little "stilted" - more like dialog in a play than a movie. The scenery and desert shots were beautiful. Ah well. This just proves once again that the "movie" in your own mind is the best there is! Read the book!

Poor novel poorly adapted
I'm not certain what it is that characterizes a book as 'Literary'. Perhaps Literariness requires that the work cohere with a previously established order of literature, something like Eliot's 'Tradition'; or perhaps it is a universal value which some texts possess and others simply do not, and of which it is the responsibility of the critic to uncover - I really don't know. However, I am fairly certain that, if we are speaking in terms of canonization, Paul Bowls novel constitutes apocrypha. In terms of characterization (isn't any), structure (dissolved half way through) and intellectual depth (think Matrix style existentialism - I mean, it's hardly Beckett is it), three criteria by which, I think, we may judge the Literary aspirations of a novel, the Sheltering Sky is clearly forcefully un-literary, perhaps even self-consciously so. I was thus shocked to read the comments of a previous reviewer, according to whom the film's problems were a direct result of the novels Literariness. Clearly he hasn't read the book.

There are within the novel sections pleasantly evocative of contemporary Africa. However, these sections are not enough to redeem it from the angsty, inarticulate existentialist mess that it descends into. In short the novel collapses under the weight of its own pretension. Wisely, Bertolucci seems to play down the existentialist side of things, and to concentrate instead on the cinematic rendering of post-war Africa. Of course, as a medium film enjoys huge advantages over literature in this respect: film works through the senses, we 'feel' them; the novel, on the other hand, is experienced intellectually, and is thus subject inevitably to the abstractions and distortions which mar the process of evocation. We really see these advantages in effect here: visually Bertolucci's film is nothing short of stunning.

Yet this is not enough somehow - having mostly removed the quasi-philosophical core of the novel, the film feels empty (witness the pointless stilted, expositional dialogue of the first 30 minutes, for example). This emptiness is not to be filled by pchycological character study or exiting plot shifts - both characters and plot are handles in the film as amatuerishly as they were in the book. Bertolucci undertakes to fill this emptiness, it seems, by reinventing the story as an 'erotic-drama', to attempt to charge it with a fervidness that was (perhaps deliberately) only latent within the novel. The practical results of this are a couple of rather gratuitous shots of Debra Winger's bottom, and the scene featuring the Bedouin prostitute with gratuitously large breasts. Consequently the film is about as erotic as your average soft-core porno movie.

Good dramatisation of a terrible book
It seems churlish not to rate more highly a film which achieves pretty much all it set out to achieve, but I think you have to judge a film by its overall impression, and while this is beautiful and probably elegiac, it is still an intensely annoying film about a couple of very dislikeable people. That isn't Bernado Bertolucci's fault, of course: Paul Bowles' novel of the same name is an intensely annoying, pretentious book. Bertolucci has, if anything, improved on the raw material in the parts he has left out, but fundamentally he can still be brought to book for filming it the first place.

I have only recently finished reading The Sheltering Sky. I hated it. When I read the glowing, passionate reviews of pretty much every reviewer on Amazon, I thought I must have missed something, or completely misunderstood the book. Just to check, I got hold of the movie. To my tremendous relief, I now see I didn't (or, if I did, then so did Bertolucci): the film is pretty much exactly how I imagined it would be.

Malkovich nails the Port Moresby character (how odd, incidentally, to name your lead character after a place in Papua New Guinea). Port is what the Brits would describe in their inimitable way as a "complete wanker".

Debra Winger captures Kit Moresby's high-tensile stupidity perfectly. In her opening scene, she wigs out after roughly fifteen seconds of an innocuous conversation because she doesn't want Port to talk about a dream he has had, lest Tunner should repeat it back in New York. But then within twenty minutes, she's having sexual intercourse with Tunner behind Port's back, apparently without a second thought to the stir this might create back home should Tunner happen to mention it.

Port is no cuckold, though: Even before Kit's infidelity, he has, during the course of an evening stroll, wound up having it off with a Bedouin prostitute at the edge of town.

Thereafter, disaffection for the protagonists is total. It is impossible to care a fig whether either lives or dies, and the only value the film offers is the satisfaction of seeing that one of them does eventually die, together with a star comedy turn by Timothy Spall, Bertolucci's luscious cinematography, and a number of gratuitous shots of Debra Winger's nether regions.

None of which is reason enough to rent this for an evening, sad to say.

Olly Buxton

No cookie cutter drama here...
I viewed the movie first, was so intriqued with it that I had to read the book. This movie, I believe was designed to most affect you after you have viewed it. It is after you have viewed the movie and sit back to reflect on the movie that you realize how powerful the movie is and how it seems to sum up what happens in long term human love relationships (these affects are all around us as witnessed by our friends and nieghbors separations and divorces) as if somehow humans can't seem to stay monogamus past 5 to 10 years - though the pain delivered to both parties through infedelity is immense it seems to happen in long term relationship again and again. I am single and am surrounded my failing marriages and relationships which seems to be a case in point. There seems to be a force pushing people to others after the chemistry of two people have settled though companionship is a most vital quality of long term relationships. This movie outlines this and the photo journalism of these characters lives in the desert is breathtaking. You will leave this movie with more of an emotional response than an analytical response, it is winding and vast and does not come together like a cookie cutter - paint by numbers movie. If you can sit through this drama, you will come away with a nod to the human condition agreeing with what we see in the movie and all around us. ... Read more

Reviews (41)

Hypnotic, visually superb film
The Sheltering Sky is based on Paul Bowles novel, relating how an American couple attempted to rekindle their marriage by journeying into the heart of the Sahara desert. As if afraid of confronting the tensions between them, Port (John Malkovich) agrees to take along with them the wealthy playboy Tunner, at least for the first part of their journey. And so creating a "menage-a-trois" situation, with Port later realising his true feelings for his wife Kit (Debra Winger)But fate deals them a savage hand, as the harsh, unforgiving terrain of the Sahara makes it's own impact on their destiny.

The film owes much to the superb music score, a haunting passionate love theme, played in an austere way, like two people in love, yet both afraid to commit, hinting not only at their concealed passion, but also inner loneliness. With many attractive Arabic themes also.

If you prefer action films, don't think about buying this one. Some may find it long, introspective, and at times, ambiguous, with the narrative often giving way to somethig akin to a national geographic documentary. The remaining leading character spoke only a handful of words for the last three quarters of an hour..But a beautiful, lush, masterful journey which lovers of Africa will not want to miss.

Read the Book Instead
I recently read Paul Bowles "The Sheltering Sky" and found it to be a haunting, captivating, and philosophical masterpiece. It is a book that will stay with me forever. I was excited to see that it had been made into a movie. However, I found the movie disappointing. I think the book does not lend itself well to being translated to film since much of the "story" is the underlying thoughts, feelings and changes within the characters. The film starts with a "narrator" observer (Mr Bowles himself!) but after that scene the narration does not continue. Then there is the last part of the book where Kit joins the nomad caravan. In the book I found this to be "believeable" but on screen it was silly especially without knowing what was really motivating her since the dialog of her thoughts was left in the book. I couldn't help wondering what someone who had not read the book would think was going on and WHY. I also found the dialog a little "stilted" - more like dialog in a play than a movie. The scenery and desert shots were beautiful. Ah well. This just proves once again that the "movie" in your own mind is the best there is! Read the book!

Poor novel poorly adapted
I'm not certain what it is that characterizes a book as 'Literary'. Perhaps Literariness requires that the work cohere with a previously established order of literature, something like Eliot's 'Tradition'; or perhaps it is a universal value which some texts possess and others simply do not, and of which it is the responsibility of the critic to uncover - I really don't know. However, I am fairly certain that, if we are speaking in terms of canonization, Paul Bowls novel constitutes apocrypha. In terms of characterization (isn't any), structure (dissolved half way through) and intellectual depth (think Matrix style existentialism - I mean, it's hardly Beckett is it), three criteria by which, I think, we may judge the Literary aspirations of a novel, the Sheltering Sky is clearly forcefully un-literary, perhaps even self-consciously so. I was thus shocked to read the comments of a previous reviewer, according to whom the film's problems were a direct result of the novels Literariness. Clearly he hasn't read the book.

There are within the novel sections pleasantly evocative of contemporary Africa. However, these sections are not enough to redeem it from the angsty, inarticulate existentialist mess that it descends into. In short the novel collapses under the weight of its own pretension. Wisely, Bertolucci seems to play down the existentialist side of things, and to concentrate instead on the cinematic rendering of post-war Africa. Of course, as a medium film enjoys huge advantages over literature in this respect: film works through the senses, we 'feel' them; the novel, on the other hand, is experienced intellectually, and is thus subject inevitably to the abstractions and distortions which mar the process of evocation. We really see these advantages in effect here: visually Bertolucci's film is nothing short of stunning.

Yet this is not enough somehow - having mostly removed the quasi-philosophical core of the novel, the film feels empty (witness the pointless stilted, expositional dialogue of the first 30 minutes, for example). This emptiness is not to be filled by pchycological character study or exiting plot shifts - both characters and plot are handles in the film as amatuerishly as they were in the book. Bertolucci undertakes to fill this emptiness, it seems, by reinventing the story as an 'erotic-drama', to attempt to charge it with a fervidness that was (perhaps deliberately) only latent within the novel. The practical results of this are a couple of rather gratuitous shots of Debra Winger's bottom, and the scene featuring the Bedouin prostitute with gratuitously large breasts. Consequently the film is about as erotic as your average soft-core porno movie.

Good dramatisation of a terrible book
It seems churlish not to rate more highly a film which achieves pretty much all it set out to achieve, but I think you have to judge a film by its overall impression, and while this is beautiful and probably elegiac, it is still an intensely annoying film about a couple of very dislikeable people. That isn't Bernado Bertolucci's fault, of course: Paul Bowles' novel of the same name is an intensely annoying, pretentious book. Bertolucci has, if anything, improved on the raw material in the parts he has left out, but fundamentally he can still be brought to book for filming it the first place.

I have only recently finished reading The Sheltering Sky. I hated it. When I read the glowing, passionate reviews of pretty much every reviewer on Amazon, I thought I must have missed something, or completely misunderstood the book. Just to check, I got hold of the movie. To my tremendous relief, I now see I didn't (or, if I did, then so did Bertolucci): the film is pretty much exactly how I imagined it would be.

Malkovich nails the Port Moresby character (how odd, incidentally, to name your lead character after a place in Papua New Guinea). Port is what the Brits would describe in their inimitable way as a "complete wanker".

Debra Winger captures Kit Moresby's high-tensile stupidity perfectly. In her opening scene, she wigs out after roughly fifteen seconds of an innocuous conversation because she doesn't want Port to talk about a dream he has had, lest Tunner should repeat it back in New York. But then within twenty minutes, she's having sexual intercourse with Tunner behind Port's back, apparently without a second thought to the stir this might create back home should Tunner happen to mention it.

Port is no cuckold, though: Even before Kit's infidelity, he has, during the course of an evening stroll, wound up having it off with a Bedouin prostitute at the edge of town.

Thereafter, disaffection for the protagonists is total. It is impossible to care a fig whether either lives or dies, and the only value the film offers is the satisfaction of seeing that one of them does eventually die, together with a star comedy turn by Timothy Spall, Bertolucci's luscious cinematography, and a number of gratuitous shots of Debra Winger's nether regions.

None of which is reason enough to rent this for an evening, sad to say.

Olly Buxton

No cookie cutter drama here...
I viewed the movie first, was so intriqued with it that I had to read the book. This movie, I believe was designed to most affect you after you have viewed it. It is after you have viewed the movie and sit back to reflect on the movie that you realize how powerful the movie is and how it seems to sum up what happens in long term human love relationships (these affects are all around us as witnessed by our friends and nieghbors separations and divorces) as if somehow humans can't seem to stay monogamus past 5 to 10 years - though the pain delivered to both parties through infedelity is immense it seems to happen in long term relationship again and again. I am single and am surrounded my failing marriages and relationships which seems to be a case in point. There seems to be a force pushing people to others after the chemistry of two people have settled though companionship is a most vital quality of long term relationships. This movie outlines this and the photo journalism of these characters lives in the desert is breathtaking. You will leave this movie with more of an emotional response than an analytical response, it is winding and vast and does not come together like a cookie cutter - paint by numbers movie. If you can sit through this drama, you will come away with a nod to the human condition agreeing with what we see in the movie and all around us. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Signaling the arrival of a gifted young filmmaker, La commare secca (or The Grim Reaper) marked the promising debut of Bernardo Bertolucci, who would attain world-class prominence in less than a decade. Having served as director's assistant on his friend Pier Paolo Pasolini's successful debut Accattone the previous year, Bertolucci was only 21 when he co-wrote and directed this impressively structured drama (based on a story by Pasolini) about a murdered prostitute and the police interrogation of several potential suspects. Bertolucci has denied the influence of Kurosawa's Rashomon (which he hadn't yet seen), but that film's prismatic structure is echoed here in the chapter-like retelling of circumstances surrounding the murder, as described through the suspects' unclear memories, conflicting testimonies and subtly hidden agendas. Punctuating the mystery with scenes of the prostitute's final hours, Bertolucci defies his directorial assignment (Pasolini had declined the job, and Bertolucci was hired to approximate Pasolini's visual style) with an ever-moving camera that tracks each suspect through a variety of ominous Roman locations. As he explains in an exclusive interview on this Criterion DVD, Bertolucci was the youngest person on the set, and extremely anxious as a first-time director, but his talent speaks for itself. La commare secca was not a hit with critics, but it's a remarkable debut by any standard, fully vindicated by Bertolucci's subsequent greatness. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (4)

an interesting mystery film.
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.

"La Commare Secca" or "The Grim Reaper" is about police in Italy attemptign to solve the murder of a prostitute in Rome. The police track down and interrogate people who were in the park a at the time and they talk about what they saw through a series of flashbacks.

The film is based on a story by the late Italian director Pier Pasolini and is well written. It has been compared with Rashamon
based on it's similar plot.

Unfortunately, an new interview with the director is the only special feature.

This is a good film for someone who enjoyed Rashamon.

A Young Director Makes A Film That Sticks With You
In the video interview he did for this criterion film release Bertolucci goes to some length on his collaboration with the great director Pier Paolo Pasolini - pointing to 'Accatone' as the birth of cinema. Then when speaking of his own work - he says that it was as if all his efforts were in vain - as the critics judged it as a copy of Pasolini. This judgement is very unfortunate - despite the fact that the story was written by Pasolini and the class of people to which it pertains is Pasolini's beloved lower class - this film has a radically different feeling from anything Pasolini ever did.

I am kind of a bit unsure as to whether this film rates 4 or 5 stars - certainly it is the work of a very young director and lacks the fine tuning of later Bertolucci films. Nevertheless, this film hangs with me like a strange dream and it has proven itself worthy of an excellent rating.

Bertolucci's First Cinematic Masterpiece of Proven Guilt...
Death suggests the ultimate end for an individual and it often travels together with fear stemming from awareness of the unknown destination after the heart ceases to beat.The destination after death has been taught by religious leaders for several millennia and frequently the tales after death include those of devils, demons, and other scary creatures that embed fear in the listeners.Tales told in regards to life after death reveal, as many religious leaders have suggested, that the destination is based on the choices made while alive.Thus, these choices better have a moral direction where the person abides to the rules of the society, or consequences might be dire when the heart halts.However, when death arrives to a poor soul those who live must deal with the remains of the deceased, which heavily will affect the destination thereafter.

Bernardo Bertolucci's tale La Commare Secca opens with the camera in a tilted lower angle on a bridge while the sound of a car swooshes by, as some pages are thrown over the edge of the bridge.The camera pans with the pages that drift with the wind, which gives the audience a good view of the Tiber river and the apartment complexes across the river.Increasingly the wind speeds up the movement of the falling pages as they blow along the man-made river bank.The pages appear to be newspaper pages as they get stuck in the high grass.Some pages struggle to get free from the grass as the wind keeps tearing at them.Slowly the panning camera moves out of focus and then back into focus as it's attention is aimed at the drifting pages.Suddenly the camera stops it's panning motion, and playfully soothing music appears in the background.The camera has discovered a body, a dead body of a woman laying face down in the grass as the pages drift over her body.The camera zooms out and gives the audience another view of the river while keeping the body of the woman in the lower right corner of the framed image, which is followed by the title.

The story that Bertolucci depicts is based on a story by the late artist, philosopher, and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini, and he gives the story an honest portrayal.Brilliantly Bertolucci begins with the audience discovering the body, not a character in the story, but through the camera the audience is making a macabre discovery of what seems to be a murder.Newspaper pages give the bizarre discovery a true, yet grotesque analogy of the situation, as the dead woman is not the only story, but her story is surrounded by numerous similar stories.Yet, the dead woman's story manifests itself through the presence of her body.

An investigations follows the discovery of the dead woman, as the police begin to question suspects for information that could lead to the capture of the murderer.The interrogations of the suspects are filmed in the perspective of the audience, as if the viewer were the cross-examiner or present in the room.Several suspects are brought in for questioning such as a young unemployed man, a freeloader, a soldier, a drifter, and two teenagers.In the cross-examination the suspects are asked who they are, how old they are, where they come from, where were they before they ended up in the vicinity of the murder, and why they were at the area of the murder.Each person gives a detailed description after they are more or less cooperative with the police.The narrative accounts from the suspects are displayed as flashbacks to the audience, as the audience is allowed to make their own judgment based on the accounts.

The suspects all are given the opportunity tell their story, but they are never free from suspicion from the audience or the police.Being in the wrong place at the wrong time has burdened all suspects with an internal fear of merely being under suspicion, as they are all aware of the seriousness of the situation.There is also more fundamental power at work, the power of moral enlightenment provided by a catholic upbringing.In some it is more evident than others, as some of the suspects have a dubious background and former experiences with law enforcement.In addition, the suspects know all too well that being in a park at night is often connected with some immoral or indecent act.The stories within the story give the audience several insightful perceptions of the 1960s Italian lifestyle and culture and also on human interaction.This enhances character development in the film, which is essential as it will eventually lead to how the audience perceives each character -- guilty or not.

La Commare Secca was Bertolucci's first feature which he framed poetically as each scene provides more than what meets the eye.This visual poetry, which could be seen in the opening scene offered the world great promise of his talent.He later made films such as Il Conformista (1970), 1900 (1976), and Sheltering Sky (1990), which are all wonderful films.The organization of the flashbacks in La Commare Secca brings a vivid visual expression of the story in it's entirety, as the characters avoid everything connected with the bestial act.This is thanks to Bertolucci's understanding of human behavior in Italian culture, which is heavily influenced by the Catholic Church and family.In addition, the film has strong influences of Pasolini, which was desired by the producer.Ultimately, Bertolucci leaves the world with a cinematic experience that is visually stunning and brave, as it will leave the viewers thinking for some time.

Very Entertaining! Comparable to "Rashomon"
Bernardo Bertolucci is sadly not known for this film. When most people think of him they usually think of "Last Tango In Paris" or his Academy Award Winning film, "The Last Emperor". But I think it's pretty fair to say, no one thinks of this one. I mean, c'mon, I'm the ONLY person who's writing a review for this movie! But this movie is comparable to Kurosawa's "Rashomon". It too also deals with many different people offering their perspective on what happened the night of a murder. Only in this case it's a prostitute who was killed in a park. Bertolucci's directing is amazing in his first film. It displays what kind of filmmaking genius he is! I don't think it's his best film, but it's definitely a movie I wish more people would watch. A wonderful film, that deserves to be better known. Great acting, intriguing storyline, good cimematography, and outstanding directing by Bertolucci. A must for every Bertolucci fan! ... Read more