p_cayer

Is there a person alive who does not LOVE Joe Pesci? Is there anyone who does not emit howls of laughter every time Pesci opens his mouth???? What more can you say? A great comedy, a classic. Pesci and Tomei play off each other exquisitely. Best line: miniskirted-legs-down-to there Tomei's comeback to Pesci as they arrive in Alabama, "Oh yeah,Vinny, like you BLEND." HOOOOO HOOOOOO HEEEEEE

I first saw this film, believe it or not, as a young boy of about four or five. The year was about 1952 or 1953, and I watched it on a typical TV set for those days - a very small screen with a very grainy picture. I remember being mesmerized by the film, particularly the ending. I must have asked my mother the name of it, for I never forgot it. I'm sure I didn't understand it much, it was just that I was swept away by the artfulness and magic of it. Its memory remained in my consciousness for about forty years, during which time I never once saw the film or even heard about it. Then I happened to run across it in a catalog. I just had to have it and ordered it immediately. It was an incredible experience to see this film again after so many decades, and to connect again with my child-self. I could see why the movie had made such an impression on me and haunted me all these years. As it turned out, the film had even more meaning for me as an adult, since the main theme had a special, personal relevance for me. Amazingly, I had also developed an obsession with roses, and tended to a garden of hundreds of rose bushes. All in all, a very beautiful film and a simple yet magical tale.

The extremely effective use of Rachmaninoff's piano concerto and exquisite performances by Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard combine to make this a cinematic work of art. It certainly doesn't have much of a plot, but then again neither does a painting. The final scene where the camera slowly zooms in on Celia Johnson's sad countenance to the accompaniment of roaring Rachmaninoff is one of filmdom's most moving scenes.