Un bellissimo novembre

That Splendid November was playing at MoMA today and I decided to check it out on this cold and windy December afternoon. Of course, I'm familiar with Lollobrigida but not so with the rest of this cast. It's a mildly interesting story involving a somewhat odd and unusual extended family who have a tendency to marry within the family to keep their assets intact. This is never explicitly said but that's how I'm reading it. Young 17-year-old Nino (Turco) is supposed to go away to university in London (presumably to escape this unhealthy family cycle of inter-family marriage). However, he becomes obsessed with his Aunt Cettina (Lollobrigida). She's not intentionally enticing him with her behaviour but she is a highly sexual being and she seems unable relate to most men any other way. I won't reveal too much but Nino never goes away to London but stays in Sicily and marries who I think is a cousin/some distant relation and continues this family's unhealthy cycle. Lollobrigida's character is a bit over the top in her sexuality to the point of campy at times. Turco on the other hand is timid and reserved, which is a very nice counter-point and his character is well represented. Most of the other characters aren't very well developed and the viewer isn't able to develop a relationship or feeling for them. The cinematography is quite beautiful. For me the Morricone score is unusual for sure. Still, I think it works and is effective in conveying the dark, oppressive nature of this family and their actions/lifestyle. I know I only gave That Splendid November 6 stars but I still think there is enough positive to check it out.

Sicily. Nino has a mom who has sexual relations with other men. Papa doesn't seem to mind. We have a very liberated bourgeois family here, especially for Sicily. Nino falls in love with his beautiful aunt Cettina. This is rendered plausible since the aunt is played by Gina Lollobrigida. There is a tempestuous love scene between nephew and auntie. But the lad is driven to raging jealousy when, surprise, he realizes that she sleeps with other guys as well, and in a frenzy beats her up for not being true to him. Silly kid. He succumbs to family expectations and marries a sweetheart of his own age, but will never stop loving his dear aunt. That's basically all you get in this watered-down version of Ercole Patti's novel. The movie was directed with some verve by Mauro Bolognini, who is very skilled with evoking periods and locales in films like LA GRANDE BOURGEOISE, LA VIACCIA, THE INHERITANCE, and SENILITA'. But this film lives all on the surface and lacks any conviction or depth. There are hints galore here of the aunt/nephew relationship in Bertolucci's youthful masterpiece BEFORE THE REVOLUTION, without that film's dimension of youthful political idealism. Superficially they share similar elements: torrid sex, operatic passions, opera house scenes, criticism of bourgeois values, wedding finales. The music by Ennio Morricone is occasionally very odd, with its boings and twangs more suitable to a spaghetti western than to this kind of 'family' drama.

Although I admire tremendously the work of Mauro Bolognini I feel this film represents style over substance. The production values are superb of course with Armando Nannuzzi as cinematographer and Morricone as composer but any film in which the characters are so hollow and superficial that their fates do not concern us and in whom we have no interest must be accounted a failure. One wonders what author Ercole Patti thought of it. Thanks to the ineffable mysteries of Italian post-synchronisation there is lots of 'dubbing' going on here (including Lollobrigida and Ferzetti!) which only makes the characters seem even more remote. La Lollo is well lit, Ferzetti wasted and the supporting players simply not up to standard. No director, however accomplished, hits the mark every time and here Bolognini has given us a film that looks great but lacks heart.

I have not read Ercole Patti's novel but Bolognini's UN BELLISSIMO NOVEMBRE seems to be a serious attempt at evoking the Sicilian society depicted by the writer in cinematic terms. This is not a pleasant film. None of the characters are likable and some of them strike one as definitely grotesque. Still, Bolognini shows great understanding of his chosen subject and UBN has many qualities: interesting scenes that comment quite satisfactorily on this particular social milieu, haunting Sicilian locations, excellent cinematography, and a melancholy undercurrent that stays impressed on one's mind. Gina Lollobrigida's Cettina is by far the film's most striking character, a frivolous, amoral woman who does as she pleases in a tightly-controlled, basically rotten family milieu. The actress is most beautiful and portrays her character with her usual intelligence and sensibility, even though most people are unable to see her very real qualities as a performer.

If you're in the market for a movie where Gina Lollobrigida goes to bed with her nephew, you're better off renting the quirky, fun-loving King, Queen, Knave rather than the drama That Splendid November. This one takes the affair seriously, and all the characters have problems that don't really get resolved. In King, Queen, Knave, it's all one big '70s lovefest with outrageous parties and group activities. Plus you've got David Niven.

This Italian drama stars Paulo Turco as the young nephew who lusts after his sexy aunt, Gina. Gina doesn't help matters by prancing around in her negligee, asking him to assist her in her bath, and needing him to change a lightbulb in the middle of the night. Still, they are related, so this really isn't a love story. Paulo just has problems, as does the rest of his family. The skeletons are rampant, with infidelity as common practice and hormones ruling everyone's decisions. If you've got a crush on Gina Lollobrigida, you've got good taste, but you don't have to watch this movie to prove it.

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to sexual content, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.