Product Description

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!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9578 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-07-10
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Italian
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 92 minutes

Amazon.com
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

Customer Reviews

VERY BEAUTIFUL...and a great story from War times.
I truly enjoyed this movie. Monica Bellucci is not only beautiful as Malena but to watch her silent beauty, and the young man who admires her from afar and who becomes her shadow is refreshing. The story of life in a small town for this woman whose only sin was to be beautiful, shows how tragic gosip and innuendo can be.

A good movie (mild spoiler inside)
I found this movie to be an enjoyable, fairly original coming-of-age story.

I liked that fact that the character's growth does not follow the usual, Hollywood-style format, where a male adolescent becomes a man by overcoming his own difficulties. Rather, here Renato grows by observing Malena from afar (literally or figuratively), and by understanding everything that the archaic and malevolent rest of the local population does not want and cannot grasp. I also liked the bitter-sweet ending (more bitter than sweet) and the very very sweet moment which will represent the first and last direct interaction between Renato and Malena.

At the same time, acting is a bit uneven, the pace and soundtrack a bit too close to those in Nuovo Cinema Paradiso, and there a bit too many caricatures ("macchiette", one could say in Italian) and forcedly silly moments interspersed across the movie. Overall, though, it's been definitely worth watching.

Last but not least, Ms Bellucci, while not outstanding in her acting, shows once again to be otherworldly beautiful. I cannot think of many women in movie history with such a moving beauty (with the exception maybe of Claudia Cardinale).

Una fimmina bedda faces provincial prejudice

Giuseppe Tornatore's "Malena" (2000)is a moving, nicely put together portrait of small-town narrowmindedness. Set in Sicily during World War II, it follows the misfortunes faced by a beautiful young woman whose soldier husband is presumed dead. The lovely Monica Bellucci plays the silent, voluptuous Malena whose face and figure raise havoc in the minds (and bodies) of virtually every man in town. Among her ardent admirers is 12 year old Renato (well portrayed by Giuseppe Sulfaro), who spies on her by day and enthusiastically fantasizes about her by night. The lust of the local men and envy of the townswomen eventually lead to Malena's ostracism, and when her penniless situation forces her into prostitution the women take violent action against her. When Malena's husband unexpectedly surfaces, it is young Renato who helps put an end to her pitiful plight.

Although the action takes place in a Sicilian coastal town, one can imagine similar circumstances occuring in many a small, insular community, in nearly every part of the world. Skillful actors (La Bellucci says little, but her performance is soulful) and effective cinematography create a realistic depiction of life in a southern Italian town of the 1940s. One gripe on the part of this viewer: the version of "Malena" released in the United States was cut to remove scenes of nudity, most notably a scene in which Renato has a "vision" of a (fully frontal) nude Malena. What stupidity on the part of American censors! Are we really so puritanical that we cannot face the succinctly sexual nature of most young boys' fantasies?