Monday, April 28, 2008
NATURE VS. NURTURE
Today's movie is the Criterion restored Italian classic
Culture clashes when Alberto Sordi returns home to Sicily from Milan after many years.
The jokes keep rolling gently. The blond wife and kids in fashionable clothes. The black clad local crones. The mustache on his sister. The car. The cart. The whole thing.
The prodigal son must make amends to his godfather for the favors bestowed, the ones that got him out of town and into the job at Fiat.
Not everything that ensues is funny or fun. It is a bit of a serio-comic look at what's involved when you get in the maze of 'family' obligations.
Sordi is a great comic actor and he is able to navigate here between the complexity of the character's situation.
I love the Italian films that show family life in all its raucous glory. Here, also, we have the old chums who are still where they were when he last saw them years ago.
I got this because of the enthusiastic review last year in the NYT of the restored DVD.
I enjoyed it very much.
I will give it a 4 out of Netflix5.
Labels: film
