La vena d'oro

The young actor here (Mario Girotti) is no one less than the film star later known as Terence Hill acting in a lot of spaghetti westerns with the fat man Bud Spencer. He could never make sympathetic roles, and already here he does everything possible to bungle the intrigue, which is led by Marta Toren (irresistibly charming as usual) and Richard Baseheart as the archaelogoist, who discovers the young man Mario Girotti and employs hím. The boy lives alone with his mother (Marta Torén) in a magnificent villa close to the archaeological site, and Richard falls in love with her, a relationship develops, which is all but ruined by the ill-mannered boy. Nevertheless, the film is saved by its magnificent cinematography, and there are some scenes which you will never forget, not only the New Year's Ball (giving associations to Visconti's "The Leopard" ten years later) but above all the letter scene, when Marta dictates a farewelll letter for her son, in which she pours her heart's blood. The scenography is outstanding throughout, and you would gladly see the film again just for the settings and the scenography, in which ruins play an important part. The film is thoroughly enjoyable, and lovers of Marta Torén and Richard Baseheart will not be disappoited.

I didn't recognize Terence Hill (here credited as Mario Girotti ,his real name,like in "Cartagine in Flamme ";it was to last till 1967);I must say his movies with Bud Spencer and co are not my cup of tea anyway.When he made "La Vena D'Ora " he was sixteen ,and it is much to Bolognini's credit ,for teenagers are generally played by actors in their twenties (see "Rebel without a cause" ).

Long before Louis Malle and his "Soufflé Au Coeur" ,with more elegance,Bolognini depicts an oedipal relationship between a mother and her only son.Not only he is still in love with her ,but she is too,and she looks so young (she is a widow) they seem like a pair of lovers.

When the movie begins ,both seem to live in a luxury mausoleum ,where only women are to be found:an old servant,an aging aristocrat who believes she's still attractive ,a rather bland young girl ...there's about as much life as in the archaeological site of professor Baseheart.

The boy invites the professor for dinner and the forty-something soon becomes a rival,more than he can endures.The center of the movie is a ball during which the boy's resentment against him knows no more bounds.

Bolognini's movies are always a delight to watch ,even if the ending of this one is a bit disappointing:the pictures in black and white are magnificent.

Bolognini was certainly ,along with Comencini,the most underrated of Italian directors.

Like this? try these....

"Un Bellissimo Novembre " (Bolognini,1968) "Brennendes Geheimnis" (Robert Siodmak,1933) "Le Soufflé Au Coeur " (Malle,1971)