Passione d'amore

A clever and bizarre angle to "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder". At times you think this is campy and over the top, but the underlying poetic soul comes across strong and believable thanks to the performances of the two leads. One worth tracking down.

I have seen this film twice, and despite certain mixed feelings I have of it I give it a 9. The ending of the film deserves this high rating because in its way it challenges the audience to question what is ' against nature, ' and that for me is always a good thing to do. It also hints that it is also a subjective view of beauty influenced by others, and how much we depend upon the viewpoint of others concerning physical beauty in another person. No spoilers, but a young and ' handsome ' soldier after the victory of Garibaldi in the late 19thc Is sent to a garrison far away from the married woman he passionately desires played rather blandly by Laura Antonelli. There he meets Fosca a supposedly' ugly ' woman played extraordinarily well by the actor Valeria D'Obici and slowly but surely she falls in love with him. The torment of this passion leads to excess and a state of what the world called then madness. Excellently directed by Ettore Scola it is arguably one of Italy's greatest films, but seeing the so few reviews here I can assume it has fallen into the great ' lost ' films realm, along with such Italian films as ' Il Mare ' and ' Fists in the Pocket, ' and this is saddening. Too consumed by the directors Fellini, Antonioni, and arguably Visconti we are in danger of losing sight of masterpieces that have fallen now by the cinematic wayside. That said this film does have images that I disliked, especially when Fosca is made up to look like a female Nosferatu. Subjective it maybe to the teller of this story, but I feel Scola should have resisted falling into horror excess. This is my opinion, and I firmly believe this film should be seen by as many as possible. In no other film that I can think of has the question of outer beauty been put into so much doubt, and I applaud it for that.

Ettore Scola's masterful rendering of this epic of the heart deserves a much wider audience. It is a worthy successor to the risorgimento classics such as Vischonti's Senso and Il Gattopardo, as well as Rosselini's Vanina,Vanini. The 19th century is indeed a fruitful source for Italian filmmakers. The period settings and trappings are beautifully realized here, but the story is timeless and could occur in any period. What is so intriguing in this story is that the hero becomes trapped in a claustrophobic situation in which he finds himself the vigorously pursued object of desire and he is quite powerless to extricate himself from the alarming circumstances. Handsome and callow Giorgio (Giraudeau) is frustrated by his inability to visit his charming but light-minded married mistress (Antonelli) and falls prey to the dangerous passion of enamored Fosca (D'Obici), the ugly and sickly daughter of his stern commander (Girotti). The resulting anguish and ensuing tragedy this unlikely pair undergoes make them both understandable, pitiful and immensely sympathetic to viewers. Bernard Giraudeau's stellar performance will captivate and leave a lasting impression. Not to be missed.

This is one of the few movies that was recommended to me as absolutely brilliant, that really is. If you give this movie a low note than you really missed the point. You could describe Fosca as manipulative, but what if it is really serious, that she gets ill when the love she is sure of isn't answered. But what would you do when you are sure that the other one loves you, and is 'only' rejected by the fact that you are ugly. Wouldn't you fight for it. At least I think it is better to fight for it that die in bitterness. And it reminds me of the fact how I, as a man, react at first sight completely on the physical ugliness of Fosca and don't look further at the person she is or might be. This movie confronts me with very solemn questions about respect, trust, feeling manipulated and so on. How do I now if someone manipulates me or is just trying everything to make contact? What I think to be the most outstanding feature in this movie is that Ettore Scola made it absolutely believable that Giorgio falls in love with Fosca.

A passion between a handsome dashing officer and an ugly woman...This may have lead to a mawkish melodrama ;but Scola was a director to be reckoned with .

Fosca is an outcast :although she lives in a good milieu,there is no future for her:in those times,the only thing a woman had was her beauty and her only opportunity was marriage;when one is so devoid of appeal,it's a blind alley.

Scola always turned his attention to the outcasts :"Brutti Sporchi E Cattivi " is a prominent example;in " Una Giornata Particolare",arguably his masterpiece ,he showed two victims of the fascist feast of virility ,a gay and a submissive housewife taking a rebel stand and making love .

Like the two heroes of 'Giornata" (1977),Giorgo and Fosca are worlds apart;he is a brilliant attractive officer with good prospects and a sexy lover (Played by Laura Antonelli,Italian sex symbol of the seventies,who recently died in poverty ).Although he seems a very happy man (one of the first scenes in the country with Fosca),he knows military life leads to nowhere :it becomes an unbearable routine:the claustrophobic atmosphere of the officers ' diners reminds the viewer of Valerio Zurlini's metaphoric work " Il Deserto Dei Tartari "(from Dino Buzzati's novel) .

The nineteenth century was,par excellence,the romantic century;Giorgio could not live a true passion with his mistress,a married woman who is older than him;a defiant young man,little by little,he feels attracted by this woman who's dying of love for him. A love condemned by the medical officer -who talks about a strange sickness-and by the military hierarchy ;when your own world is against you,it really becomes a "Passione D'Amor".

The last scene and the midget's lines are the key to the movie:such a story is incredible :had it been the other way about,that is to say the gorgeous girl falling in love with an ugly man(like me) ,I would believe.But "La Belle Et La Bete" in reverse ,it's absolutely impossible (considering male so called psychology?)

The sadly missed Bernard Giraudeau was one of the best French actors of the era ,recalling sometimes Gerard Philipe;under her heavy make up,Valeria d'Obici makes us feel for her tragedy;good support by Trintignant,Blier and Girotti.

All in all ,it's that same strange sickness which leads to destruction and to death that we feel in these two movies taking place in a military atmosphere ,"Il Deserto Dei Tartari" and "Passione D'Amore"