At the end of Italian fascism, Santa Vittoria bumbles into picking its town fool/sot (Anthony Quinn) as mayor, who slowly rises to the occasion. As the Nazis begin their retreating and looting, Quinn contrives a plan to stash the town's vast inventory of wine, and a battle of intellect/will between Quinn and the Nazi
general (Kruger) ensues. From a 1966 best-selling novel. Panavision. The book and film were bolstered by the time, when audiences were eager to revel in spirits uplifted through tales of Nazi defeat. Here, however, the enduring quality of drama found within "The Dirty Dozen," "Where Eagles Dare," "Guns of Navarone" et.al. is clearly absent. Other than Quinn, and the many close-ups of authentic extras employed in the shoot, the film holds little to recommend it toward today's viewer. The village shots are actually Cinecitta set pieces. The role surely looked ready-made for Quinn as "Zorba the Italian," but he can only do so much with the clay he's given to mold. The script succeeds as story-telling, but barely brushes the dramatic, and then only near climax/fin. The plot requires Nazis waste time, bumbling about in their search, employing "more direct methods" only at last minute. And, obviously, the wine's outcome is spoiled right out-of-the-gate. The occasional comedic relief, light even by 1960s standards, is better described as "cute" today. Other than an outstanding delivery by Quinn's cookware-slinging wife/scold (Magnani), most of the actors stand out little from the village extras. The roles of daughter as star-struck lover sneaking behind Papa's back (Valturri) and Contessa-now-peasant (Lisi) rightfully deserve to be cast in pure Italian beauty, but are not. RECOMMENDATION: Unless the viewer wishes to wallow in Quinn, the authentic extras and/or the cat-and-mouse game, he/she should probably take a pass.
October 30, 2010
Top Critic
