Aug 11, 2009 02:16 PM
5516 Views
(Updated Aug 11, 2009 02:30 PM)
‘You say it best when you say nothing at all’, most of you must have heard this Ronan Keating song from ‘Nottinghill’. When I was watching Malena, this came to my mind several times. Not that it is a silent movie but it is portrayed in a form of a story which is told by a man called Renato.
It’s the story of his first love Malena. The movie thus relies on dialogue which is mostly a part of this narration as the protagonists speak very less. The plot is not that much of a big deal but the presentation is brilliant supported by a good script.
Malena is a beautiful voluptuous war widow who is fancied by every other man in a small town in Italy, much to the envy of its women. Renato is a boy whose adolescence starts with the passionate raging of the attraction he feels for Malena. However Renato proves with the passage of time that he is not just another lecherous admirer of Malena. If you want to know how, you gotto watch the movie.
I will not give away the story here.Malena reminde me of another movie which deals with ‘coming of age’, Summer of 42 and our desi flick Rockford. The mental contours of a teenager with respect to sexuality is powerfully captured in Malena and presented in an aesthetic manner. Parallelly it also shows the plight of a beautiful woman and a reflection of the social conditions during World War 2 in a small town of Italy. This highlights how much economic emancipation is important for women.
Giuseppe Sulfaro as Renato Amoroso, the teenage boy looks so innocent with his expressive eyes. His character is etched in details and he comes out as a smart kid worth admiration. Monica Belluci as the siren in a small town Sicily executes her role well, with not much dialogues.
The movie, though enjoyable at the end may seem to be lacking depth. It may just come across as a feel good or bad commercial venture. It nevertheless successfully blends nostalgic and erotic elements at times peppered by some very good dialogues especially the last one spoken in the backdrop by an adult Renato: “Of all the girls who asked me to remember them, the only one I remembered is the one who did not ask." The dialogue also adds to the humor in the movie supported by some scenes which are hilarious at times.
The portayal of a boy with his sexual fantasies and in a brothel can also be considered to be controversial since it’s seldom attempted in main line cinema. Though the movie is a sort of a period drama, it captures truth which has a universal existence.
