Aconteceu na Primavera

While taking an ethics course in undergrad, I mentioned instances of atrocities committed by people's ancestors and how the descendants try to atone for it. The professor noted that a person is not responsible for bad things that their ancestors did, no matter how hideous.

This topic is a large part of the subject matter of the Taviani brothers' "Fiorile", where a family visiting a relative discusses a curse placed on the family for a misdeed during Napoleon's invasion of Italy 200 years earlier.

We get this moral conundrum as well as some great shots of the Tuscan countryside. This is definitely a movie that you should check out if possible. I don't know if it's on any streaming service, so you'll have to look in neighborhood video rental stores (there's bound to be at least one in your city). In the meantime, I hope to see more movies from the Taviani brothers.

The Taviani brothers have a definite place in the history of Italian cinema. They were highly regarded in the 70s and 80s, but lately their creative power and success seems to have diminished. 'Fiorile' is one of the later films, and the rust begins to be visible. It is a romantic story, spread over almost two hundred years and several generations, a story of love, lust, money and damnation. It is well filmed, and well told, but it is too conventional, and the message - if there is any - gets lost in the multitude of the characters, none really catching the eye or due to resist in the long term memory. We are left with a film in the good European tradition, good acting, nice filming, but still not a great achievement. Worth seeing in any case. 8/10 on my personal scale.

When you have several hundred films in your queue, sometimes you forget just why it is there. I am not familiar with the work of Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, and I don't recognize any of the stars. I haven't even seen Chiara Caselli before. She gives us a glimpse of her beauty late in the film, but I am told there are better films to see her.

So, did I just make a mistake and now regret it? No, the film was a beautiful fantasy drama that told how money can come to be looked upon as a curse. Even knowing that, the curse lives on in the children. Once you touch gold, you cannot let go.

It was a nice film, with brilliant cinematography, and not a waste of time.

Driving to visit his ill father in Italian countryside, a father recalls the story of his family for his daughter and son...this unforgettable story of human greed and dishonesty and how wealth can taint the spirit is one of the most intense and moving stories i've ever come across with... juxtaposition of present and past in the same sets and the multiple roles characters play is as precious as the script and photography.... don't miss this one even if you're too busy.

The Tavianis astonished me with Kaos (1984) and The Night Sun (1990). With Fiorile they have stolen my heart.

I cannot approach the statement I have just made logically. I can't tell you why I yearn to hear my mother play Grieg's Waltz (from his Lyric Pieces) more than any great player play one of the complicated masterpieces. There is something about ingenuity and virtuosity and flawlessness that is besides the point.

Fiorile is cosmic and sweet.

Its flaws are what makes it beautiful.

The story is about a family who curse themselves down through the generations themselves by stealing treasure and causing an intolerable injustice. But the wealth of the film is in the Tavianis ability to create heightened moments, full of nostalgia for times and places you never knew.