L'ultimo Pulcinella

is just the central temptation. flavor of commedia de l arte and dust of old theater and crisis of a family as motivation for new beginning. it is not magnificent, not interesting, not profound. it is a game with crumbs. politic, family values, sense of existence, art as heart of existence, a touching Marie, a group of young people, different cultures, a father lost in a bizarre universe, a son full of sensitivity and ways to say , discover and preserve the truth. a movie impressing for its flavor. and memories about different Massimo Ranieri. that is all. not revelations. only crumbs, wasted slices of beauty, fake dialogs, drops of nostalgia.

This is probably one of Massimo's finest films to date. He plays Michaelangelo, an unemployed stage actor. Domenico Balsamo excellently played his son, Francesco. After witnessing a mafia killing, Francesco runs off to France. When Michaelangelo realizes his son's whereabouts from his ex-wife, he travels to Paris to locate his son. Unfortunately, it's not a happy reunion between father and son. But after they discover an old run-down theater owned by an eccentric faded actress, Marie, played by Andrea Asti, they convince her to let them use the theater to put on a show with some of the local young adults in the area. Unfortunately, the police commissioner decides to disrupt their rehearsals, to crack down on illegal immigrants and anti-political activities. Massimo sings and acts with great spirit here. Here's another fine example of a great Italian actor not too well known in the U.S.